More than a third of Hong Kong men who were married last year
tied the knot with a woman from the mainland, Hong Kong government
statistics show.
Of the 50,300 marriages registered in Hong Kong in 2006, 18,000
Hong Kong men married mainland women. In 1996 only 2,215 Hong Kong
men married mainland women, according to the Census and Statistics
Department of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region
(HKSAR)?government.
The department says another 10,000 Hong Kong men applied last
year for certificates proving they are not currently married, which
is a requirement of the Chinese mainland.
Only 3,400 Hong Kong women married men from the mainland last
year.
Earlier reports suggested the growing trend of cross-border
marriage between Hong Kong men and mainland women was the result of
Hong Kong women becoming better educated and financially
independent, making them less likely to look for a spouse.
In addition, the Census and Statistics Department noted a gender
imbalance in 2006, with the ratio of men to women at 961:1,000.
(Xinhua News Agency February 25, 2007)