Mixed marriages in China increasing

The increasing number of marriages between Chinese citizens and foreigners is "a natural social phenomenon", according to a sociologist.

In 2006, the number of mixed couples who got married rose by 4,000 from 2005's figure of 64,000 to reach 68,000. Xu Anqi, a sociologist at the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences, suggests that this can be attributed to several factors, chinadaily.com reports.

Commenting on the rise in mixed marriages, Ms Anqi said: "Frequent migration across borders, driven by the country's rapid economic growth, is a major reason behind the growing number of mixed marriages. Also, foreigners who are travelling to or are working in China are mostly at the typical age to marry."

A common misconception about mixed marriages in the country was that "it used to be about Chinese women marrying Western men for money," adding that while "love plays a more important role in mixed marriages" it is worth bearing in mind that "it is more difficult to adjust to each other when you are from a different group of people".

According to statistics from the Chinese Ministry of Civil Affairs, the number of couples who got married in the country last year increased by 1.21 million from 2005 to reach 9.45 million.