From The New York Times, via A Glimpse of the World: Shanghai Journal:

It was only a matter of time before money transformed that most intimate of private domains, love and marriage, as it has almost everything else in this booming country. And it stands to reason that the shock of the new would be felt first here in Shanghai, the throbbing heart of Chinese capitalism.

He Xin, a lawyer in Shanghai, has been retained by billionaires looking for brides. Mr. He claims to have started “lifestyle law” in China.

It all began with an advertiser and a lawyer, sitting around with a friend who had made his fortune in auto parts, distraught over his recent divorce and unable to find a suitable new bride. Place an ad, said the ad man, half in jest, but the lawyer took him seriously, and put an announcement in a newspaper about a billionaire seeking a virgin bride.

In China’s currency, the yuan, a billionaire’s worth shrinks substantially, to about $125 million. But that is still a lot of money, enough in this case to attract a flash flood of 600 applications, complete with photos and detailed personal information. That was whittled down to 100 candidates, of whom 20 were interviewed and one was selected, finally producing man and wife.

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