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What is wedding dowry money？
Time:2025-08-28 Views:1025
What is wedding dowry money?
At present, there is no legal definition for "dowries" or "dowries" in Chinese law. In practice, we generally believe that dowry refers to the sum of money and items that the bride brings to her in laws' family, which is paid by the bride's family.
And dowries, also known as betrothal gifts, refer to the amount of cash or property given by the man to the woman before marriage, in accordance with local customs, after the confirmation of the romantic relationship between the man and the woman, expressing his sincerity to enter into marriage with the other party. In ancient Chinese law, the marriage formed from this is called "betrothal marriage".
In marriage, the man should give a dowry and the woman should accompany the dowry. This is not only a traditional custom of the Chinese nation, but also still prevalent in various regions of China in today's era. The dowry has strict specificity and must be based on local customs and habits. It is given out of necessity in order to enter into a marriage relationship, and it has obvious customs.
The argument of Chinese law regarding the dowry money for marriage
The first article of the "Opinions of the Supreme People's Court on Several Issues Concerning the Implementation of Civil Policies and Laws" in 1984 stipulates: "If parents or others force arranged marriages against the will of both parties or one party, or forced marriages for the purpose of demanding property against the will of both parties or one party, and one party requests divorce, if the two parties have not established feelings after marriage, divorce should be granted.
According to Article 17 of the 1984 Opinion of the Supreme People's Court, "Property obtained from arranged marriages shall, in principle, be confiscated in accordance with the law upon divorce
historical origins
Marriage dowry money is a dowry paid by the groom to the bride in modern China, which retains the traditional wedding customs. There is no clear regulation in the law regarding dowry money, which can be considered as part of the dowry category.
Marriage dowry money is one of the traditional wedding procedures in China, also known as financial gifts, betrothal gifts, or hiring wealth.
Marriage dowry money is often used to buy furniture, household appliances, clothes, etc. It can also be used to pay for the bride's banquet expenses, and some people use the dowry money directly as the bride's dowry for her free disposal.
One of the traditional wedding ceremonies in China, also known as financial gifts, betrothal gifts, or inviting wealth.
Since ancient times, in China, there has been a custom of the groom giving the bride price and dowry to the bride when the initial marriage agreement is reached. This type of dowry and dowry is commonly known as "dowries". The Zhou Dynasty was a period of culmination of etiquette, during which a complete set of marriage rituals gradually formed. The "Yili" had detailed regulations, and the entire set of rituals were combined into the "Six Rites". The "Six Rites" marriage system established in the Western Zhou Dynasty and inherited by various dynasties was the source of the custom of "dowries". The "Six Rites" refer to the act of accepting gifts, asking for names, offering blessings, offering gifts, inviting guests, and welcoming guests. The "Gift Offering" in the "Six Rites" is the act of giving gifts, which is equivalent to the current "dowry". This form of marriage continued until the Republic of China.
In some places, the custom is called "Na Zheng", which means success. After the dowry is given, the marriage contract is officially concluded and generally cannot be changed. If the woman changes her mind, the dowry must be returned to the man; If the man changes his mind, the dowry is generally not refunded.
In commercial marriages, dowries represent a woman's worth, and in some regions and ethnic groups, they are directly referred to as value gifts.
The amount of dowry given by the groom's family to the bride's family depends on the bride's family's requirements and the groom's family's financial situation.
The expression "marriage dowry money" is not a standardized legal term, and the cause of the dowry dispute cases heard by the people's court is determined as "marriage property disputes" according to relevant regulations. The phenomenon of paying wedding photos and dowries before marriage is still quite prevalent in China, and has formed a local custom.
This form of marriage continued until the Republic of China, but at that time, the Marriage Law of the Chinese Soviet Republic, which was promulgated in the Central Soviet Area on April 8, 1934, had provisions to abolish dowries, dowries, and dowries. After the establishment of the People's Republic of China, the Marriage Law of 1950, 1980, and the revised Marriage Law of 2001 did not provide for marriage contracts and betrothal gifts, and both stipulated the prohibition of buying and selling marriages and the prohibition of using marriages to solicit property. But currently, many places in China still use engagement as a prerequisite for marriage, especially in rural areas. With the development of the economy and the improvement of living standards, the dowry for engagement is constantly increasing, ranging from gold and silver jewelry to tens of thousands of yuan in cash, cars, housing, etc. Once both parties are unable to enter into marriage, the issue of handling dowries often leads to disputes, and the number of cases brought to court gradually increases.
Article 10 of the Interpretation II of the Supreme People's Court on Several Issues Concerning the Application of the Marriage Law of the People's Republic of China, which came into effect on April 1, 2004, stipulates that "if a party requests the return of the dowry paid according to customs, the people's court shall support it if it is found that: (1) the two parties have not completed the marriage registration procedures; (2) the two parties have completed the marriage registration procedures but have not lived together; (3) the payment was made before marriage and has caused difficulties in the life of the payer. The application of the provisions of items (2) and (3) of the preceding paragraph shall be conditional on the divorce of both parties." This provision marks that the people's court has officially made clear provisions in the form of judicial interpretation on how to handle dowry disputes.
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