China virgin bride ad sparks row

China virgin bride ad sparks row

By Francis Markus
BBC correspondent in Shanghai

There has been a storm of controversy in China over a series of prominent newspaper advertisements for a young virgin bride.

The notices were carried by papers in several major cities.

The episode highlights the return of some very traditional attitudes towards women, and it raises tough issues for China's media.

Old-fashioned views of women seem to be making a comeback

The big newspaper advertisements placed by a self-described millionaire sought a woman aged 20-25 without sexual experience.

On Thursday, even the newspaper Southern Weekend, which first ran the ad, carried a front page editorial criticising the unnamed 35-year-old bride seeker.

Interestingly, the paper, which is one of China's most progressive publications, avoided the question of whether or not it was right to accept the advertisement.

It was also published by papers in several other big cities.

Eager take-up

Applicants were referred to a Shanghai lawyer, who told the BBC he had been stunned by the media furore and would not comment any further.

Local papers quote him as saying he had received hundreds of email responses.

The whole episode illustrates that some very traditional attitudes towards women seem to be making a comeback in China, even if a lot of today's women are not happy about it.

And it raises important issues for the media industry as it battles to keep abreast of the country's rapid social changes.