Wednesday, May 7, 2008

China, Marriage, and Automobiles





China has always fascinated me. I took Chinese history in college and we plan to travel to China someday. I love automobiles and marriage is part of my profession. It was a triple hit, China, marriage and automobiles.Thus, an article in the Thursday, April 24, 2008, New York Times by Keith Bradsher entitled "With First Car, a New Life in China - Attracting New Respect and a Good Marriage," caught my eye. I You can see the entire article at
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/24/business/worldbusiness/24firstcar.html?ex=1366776000&en=77638e6bb77d4628&ei=5124&partner=permalink&exprod=permalink. According to Bradsher there is an explosive growth in first-time car buyers in China which is (you should excuse the pun) the driving force behind the record car sales in China. One of the reasons cited for new car buyers is the belief by parents that without a car their sons wouldn’t be able to find wives. One new wife said that "young women in China consider a man to be marriage material only if he can take them on dates in a car."

Automobiles have always been an integral part of the courting ritual in the United States so it should not come as a surprise that automobiles are also important in China. This is certainly my memory of high school.
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