More Chinese men marrying foreign women in Shanghai

In Shanghai, where the number of residents marrying foreigners hasn't changed much over the past decade, but the couples themselves are changing. That's because a growing number of Chinese men are finding spouses from overseas, something that was once almost exclusive to women.

Yang Qingqing's German husband Alexander Brandt has bought her a flower every day since they met in Shanghai in 1998. At that time, Yang was an artist specializing in image design, and one-year-younger Brandt was a creative designer new to the city. A newspaper invited Yang to interview some artists in Shanghai, and she started with Brandt. That interview was the start of their relationship.

"The first minute I saw her, I just thought to myself, this could be my wife. So I decided instead of her interviewing me, I decided to interview her. And my first question was, do you have a lover. And so that's how our relation started," Brandt said.

Yang, a professor at Shanghai Theater Academy, said her parents strongly opposed their relationship at first.

"The first time he came to my home, he gave my father a globe as a gift. He turned the globe around and pointed at a place, and said I want to take your daughter there. My father turned around without saying a word. My mother asked him, 'will you sell my daughter to others when you take her overseas?'" Yang said.

Despite the opposition, Yang married Brandt in 1999. They spent years in Paris and then returned to Shanghai to set up their own company. With the help of Yang, Brandt became more familiar with Chinese culture and successfully won a number of projects including the chance to design multi-media shows for China's national pavillion at the Shanghai Expo.

Relationships like Brandt and Yang's have been common for years. Less common is the marriage between 30-year-old Chinese man Li Ming and 25-year-old French woman Alice Garcia. Li met Garcia at a party in Barcelona when he was studying overseas.

"The fact that he was Chinese first was interesting for me. Really gentle, really nice, and really want to take care of you and take charge of the dinner. They will pay, they will invite you - just the way he is different from French guys or European guys," Garcia said.

After becoming a couple, Li returned to China for his career, and Garcia followed. They got married last May. Li says his family had no problem accepting Garcia as long as they enjoy their lives together.

"You know sometimes it's difficult to communicate, but it's OK. You know without a lot of lauguage problem, without any fighting," said Li, a salesman.

Local civil affair officials say more than 3,000 Chinese nationals registered to marry foreigners in Shanghai last year. That number hasn't changed much over the past ten years. But more local men are marrying foreign women.

"There is a decreasing number of Shanghai women marrying foreign men. In 2004, more than 60 percent of such marriages are Shanghai women marrying foreign men. That number fell to 52 percent last year. But the percetage of Shanghai men marrying foreign women has increased from more than 10 to 21.5 percent during the same period," said Xu Ying, director at Shanghai Marriage Registration Center.

Both Li and Brandt say they still encounter cultural differences from time to time. But they say those problems can be solved through love and communication.