By Li Mo, Our Reporter
June 3, 2026 — With the deepening of global exchanges, cross-national love and marriage is no longer a novelty in China. The latest statistics show that about 43,000 Sino-foreign marriages were registered in China last year. Seventy percent of these marriages involve foreign women marrying Chinese citizens, forming a new pattern of two-way flow and diverse integration that reflects the open and inclusive character of contemporary Chinese society.
Unlike the early public's curious perspective on "transnational marriage", Sino-foreign marriage has long become part of daily life. In a village in Fuyang, Anhui Province, the story of 31-year-old local man Chen Lei and his Egyptian bride Sara went viral online. The two met by chance on a cross-border social platform and connected through a translation app. Chen Lei saved up to travel to Cairo to meet Sara, and his diligence won the approval of Sara's family. Sara followed Chen back to the village, learning to cook Anhui dishes and help with farm work. Their rural wedding without exorbitant betrothal gifts won the blessing of countless netizens. "She's now learning to steam steamed buns from my mom, and I spend half an hour every day learning Arabic. We plan to open a small shop in the county town selling Egyptian specialties and build our life with our own hands," Chen said in an interview. The distance between countries did not stop true love; instead, it made the two more willing to compromise for each other.
Meanwhile, many young Chinese have also taken their love abroad, putting down roots and finding happiness overseas. Liu Yue, an international relations researcher, married French engineer Adrien in 2018. The couple settled in Paris while keeping a residence in Beijing, shuttling between the two countries to promote Sino-French cultural exchanges and strike a balance between work and family, becoming a role model for many transnational couples.
Different from the stereotyped label of "foreign brides don't need betrothal gifts" in popular topics, long-lasting Sino-foreign marriages are always based on mutual respect. Experts point out that in current transnational marriages in China, foreign brides mainly come from geographically close countries such as Vietnam, Laos and Russia, and most live in border provinces like Yunnan, Guangxi and Heilongjiang. Many foreign women choose to marry in China not only for a higher quality of life, but also for recognition of China's concept of gender equality. However, it should not be ignored that the overall divorce rate of transnational marriages is about 31.6%, 2.3 times that of domestic marriages, and there are still a small number of "marriage fraud" cases where illegal matchmaking agencies swindle betrothal gifts, which requires young people to remain rational and vigilant.
"Disagreements over betrothal gifts, differences in diet, and discrepancies in religious customs are all hurdles that transnational marriages must cross. But as long as both parties are willing to understand and tolerate each other, all differences can be adapted into a way of getting along," said Wang Qing, a sociological researcher. In recent years, public acceptance of transnational marriages has increased significantly, and the legal system has long provided clear guarantees for Sino-foreign marriages. According to China's newly revised *Marriage Registration Regulations