FUJIAN, China – A Chinese man has filed for divorce and is seeking the return of more than 720,000 yuan (approximately $100,000) in bride price, wedding costs, jewelry, and related expenses after claiming that his wife refused all forms of physical intimacy throughout their marriage. According to Chinese media reports, the man, identified as A Quan, met his future wife, A Ding, through a matchmaker. The couple became engaged in May 2024 before registering their marriage and holding a wedding ceremony in September of the same year. As part of the marriage arrangements, the groom’s family reportedly paid a bride price of 288,000 yuan (about $40,000), while also covering wedding expenses, jewelry purchases, and other costs that brought the total expenditure to more than 720,000 yuan. However, A Quan claims married life never developed as expected. He alleges that shortly after the wedding, his wife chose to rent accommodation in another city for work and returned home only once a week.
More significantly, he says she consistently rejected any form of physical closeness. According to court filings cited by local media, even attempts to hug her were met with strong resistance, and on some occasions she reportedly became physically distressed and rushed to the bathroom to vomit.
Despite repeated discussions and mediation efforts involving both families, the couple was unable to resolve their differences. A Quan ultimately decided to seek a divorce through the courts. A Ding’s father has defended his daughter, insisting she entered the marriage willingly and had passed a pre-marital health examination. He said she was not opposed to marriage or family life but struggled with relationship management and emotional stress, which may have contributed to the breakdown of the relationship.
While A Ding has reportedly agreed to the divorce, the two sides remain divided over whether the bride price and wedding expenses should be returned, leaving the matter to be settled through legal proceedings. The case has generated widespread discussion on Chinese social media. Some commentators expressed sympathy for the woman, suggesting she may suffer from sexual aversion disorder, a condition involving intense anxiety or distress related to sexual activity or physical intimacy. Others speculated that the case could be linked to so-called “marriage fraud” schemes, in which individuals enter marriages primarily to obtain bride-price payments before quickly separating. However, no evidence has been presented publicly to support such allegations in this case. The dispute is now expected to be resolved through China’s legal system, with the court determining whether any portion of the bride price or wedding expenses should be refunded.
