Why people in China are pretending to get married

BBC World Service

15 Jul 2025  What in the World in the studio

Across cultures, weddings are usually a big event. Lots of us look forward to dressing up and dancing the night away with the person we love —  but what if you kept all the festivities and got rid of the romance? 

Well, some young people in China are doing exactly that, by looking online for a ‘marriage buddy’. They pretend to be together to please their families, but aren’t actually legally married. So, why are they willing to go to such lengths to meet societal expectations? And how does it all work? 

Wanqing Zhang from the BBC’s Global China Unit talks us through the process — and explains the pressure put on young people in China to tie the knot. And we hear from Linda, a young woman in China who tells us why she’s decided to find a marriage buddy.

00:11 Intro

01:04 What does ‘marriage buddy’ mean?

02:33 The marriage buddy experience 

04:39 Why are people taking this route

07:19 Is this becoming popular?

08:19 How much do parents know?

09:02 Are there legal benefits?

09:55 What if a person falls in love with someone else

10:45 Is this common in other countries?

12:09 Do people use it to hide their sexual orientation? 

13:21 Goodbyes

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