(Ecns.cn)--Single men in Yaolu County, the smallest county in southwest China's Guizhou Province, become eligible for a reward of up to 3,000 yuan (US$471.48) from the local government if they marry women from outside the county, according to China News Service on Monday.
Currently there are more than 1,500 villagers living in the county, where nearly 300 males are of marriageable age, but due to poor economic conditions over half of the local girls choose to marry men from other more well-off places.
In order to help the men find wives, the county government issued a policy in September of 2009 which allows the first five men to marry girls from outside the county to receive a subsidy of 3,000 yuan. The next five would receive 2,000 yuan (US$314.32) and the next five would receive 1,000 yuan (US$157.16), according to the policy.
These are large sums of money for people living in Yaolu, where average annual earnings are only about 2,000 yuan per person. However, so far only five men have managed to find wives from other counties, three of which have received the subsidy of 3,000 yuan.
"This government allowance will not help bring the situation under permanent control," said a professor from Guizhou University. "The poor economic conditions are the reason why girls do not want to marry men here."
"Only finding a solution to help economic development will finally cure the situation," added the professor.
