Beijing: Matchmaking industry in China is allegedly exploiting men who struggle to find wives, with some families claiming they have lost hundreds of thousands of yuan through so-called “flash marriages”.
He says he later discovered that much of what she had told him about her life was false. She had previously been married three times, had three children, had worked at a karaoke bar, was carrying heavy debts and had misrepresented her age, according to him. He also says he discovered that she had a serious sexually transmitted disease.
The country has around 30 million more men than women, a demographic imbalance created by decades of the one-child policy and a preference for sons. Between January 2024 and March 2025, prosecutors took action against 1,546 people in cases involving crimes in the sector. Because chinese law does not have a separate criminal offence specifically covering fraud through marriage, lawyer Fan Binghe said cases involving marriage fraud can be difficult to prosecute. I do not know when this case will be settled so that I can start a normal life again.
Five government agencies have also launched a nationwide campaign targeting the industry.
One agency manager admitted that his company did not carry out formal background checks on women, according to BBC. He said local matchmakers usually personally knew the women and their families. It feels like there is no end to it,” he said.
These cases are linked to China’s long-standing shortage of women. Chinese authorities have started taking action against criminal activity in the matchmaking industry. Wang’s financial loss has also changed how he sees marriage. “It has been about two years and I still do not know when I will be able to divorce her.
