This was oral, rendered into a document, mediated through British officers, so you get a very complicated picture. Since 1656, in China, dowry was used. Even in this country, a girl gets a trousseau.

Some urban couples in China are now going for what is often dubbed a "naked marriage," where people get hitched without the man first securing the dowry, car, apartment, or perhaps even a diamond ...

cash with combined value of US$4.2 million A bride in central China who proudly showed off her self-earned dowry that included a flat in Shenzhen, a holiday villa, a Ferrari, and 9.99 million yuan ...

either for use as a dowry or to fund further education. Female infanticide has existed in China for a long time, and although the One Child per Family policy has added to the problem, it didn't ...