Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, May 13 Title: Governance of high bride price to lighten the burden of marriage
Xin Zhiping
In recent years, "high betrothal gifts" has become a hot topic and attracted wide attention. In some places, the bride price has kept rising, which has become the "unbearable burden" of marriage. The people have strong reactions and need to make great efforts to deal with it.
The betrothal gifts, which were called "collection" in ancient times, are an important part of the marriage etiquette, and they express the good wishes of signing a marriage agreement. However, the "betrothal gifts" with only the taste of money do not talk about "etiquette" or "reason". Alienation has degenerated into "financial gifts", bringing about various problems. Some compare themselves for face, advocating that "a high betrothal gift is a good marriage"; Some are extravagant and wasteful; Some people regard marriage as a business, taking advantage of the opportunity to amass wealth on a large scale, and even opened the door for marriage fraud... The changed betrothal gifts hinder young people's marriage, increase the family's economic burden, and also lay hidden dangers for marriage stability, becoming a "stumbling block" in people's pursuit of happiness.
Faced with the pain of high betrothal gifts, people have called for "bringing down the price of betrothal gifts". In recent years, from the No. 1 Document of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China proposing to improve the level of rural governance, continue to promote the transformation of customs in rural areas, strengthen the comprehensive treatment of prominent issues such as high bride price, large-scale exercises, etc., to the introduction of special governance work plans by multiple departments, to the implementation of the Provisions of the Supreme People's Court on Several Issues Concerning the Application of Law in the Trial of Cases Involving Bride Price Disputes, The governance of high betrothal gifts continued to advance. Local governments also take the reform of marriage customs as a starting point, and vigorously promote the change of customs through the quota of betrothal gifts, the establishment of "low betrothal gifts" and "zero betrothal gifts" models, and the organization of charity weddings. Under the combined boxing, it has achieved initial results. But at the same time, the "sky high bride price" that has sprung up from time to time also warns us that the governance of high bride price cannot be achieved in a single day, and it still needs to be unremitting and lasting.
To manage high bride price, it is necessary to clarify the boundaries of emotion, reason and law, grasp the discretion and keep the bottom line. "Custom is the most important thing in the world." As a traditional etiquette, betrothal gifts have a deep social foundation. But betrothal gifts should be given and received in accordance with both "emotion" and "reason" and "law". The excessive betrothal gifts, which cannot be explained in terms of emotion, reason and law, bring about a heavy "debt of gratitude" and make love and marriage seriously sour, and must be resolutely resisted. The Civil Code of China clearly stipulates that "it is forbidden to ask for property through marriage". The Supreme People's Court further clarifies the criteria for adjudication around bride price disputes, and regulates key and difficult issues such as the scope of determination of bride price, the principle of return of bride price, and the qualification of litigation subject in judicial practice. We should boycott and crack down on such acts as extorting property from marriage in the name of betrothal gifts in accordance with the law, and guide people to treat the betrothal gifts more rationally through case teaching and other methods.
It is a systematic project to control high bride price, and the key is to treat both symptoms and root causes. It is not allowed to "cure head and foot", nor "press the gourd to float up". In grass-roots governance, only by promoting the integration and joint efforts of autonomy, rule of law and rule of virtue can we form a closed loop to curb high betrothal gifts. We should give play to the leading role of Party members and cadres, mobilize the Red and White Council, the village elders and other forces, and guide the masses to consciously resist the unhealthy practices of high bride price. We should not only manage high betrothal gifts in accordance with the law, but also do a good job of becoming a popular person, strengthen the construction of spiritual civilization, give full play to the role of village rules and ethical conventions and other incentives and constraints, cultivate a healthy concept of marriage and love in the spring, advocate civilized marriage customs, and establish a new fashion of marriage. Only by breaking the rules and combining with persuasion can we eradicate the breeding soil of high betrothal gifts, make betrothal gifts belong to "ceremony", and let marriage melt into love.