Chinese spend at least 120,000 yuan on wedding

How much will ordinary Chinese people spend for marriage? The answer is 120,000 yuan, according to the "Investigation Report on the Development of the Chinese Wedding Industry 2006-2007" released on March 4.

The survey was conducted by the Organizing Committee of the China Wedding Expo on 60,000 pairs of newlyweds over the last whole year. It shows the average cost on marriage hits 125,081 yuan. If expenditure on housing and car purchases is included, the figure will reach up to 557,478 yuan.

The report reveals that residents in the East China region spend most in marriage, with at least 130,000 yuan on wedding, excluding car and house purchase.

Shanghainese, leading the newlyweds in the East China region, are more willing to spend most on new residence's facelifts, while Beijingers, leading those from the North China region, are fascinated with wedding photos, feasts, and honeymoons.

However, such high expenditure has gone far beyond the newlyweds' sustainability. Statistics show 86% of the respondents earn less than 8,000 yuan every month. Parents are the financial supporters for their children's weddings, said Liao Junguo, director of the Data Center of the China Wedding Expo.

According to the survey, 47% of the newlyweds will seek 20% to 60% of their wedding expenditure from their parents, while 14% even gain 80% to 100% of the financial aid from their parents.