The Supreme People’s Court’s Rules on Bride Price: Modern Regulation of a Traditional Chinese Custom

Abstract

On 17 January 2024, the Supreme People’s Court issued provisions on the handling of disputes over bride prices, the provisions came into force on 1 February 2024. The paper first explains the cultural and social background of the legal institution of bride price and the disputes associated with it, before going on to discuss the legal background. The new provisions of the Supreme People’s Court are then examined in greater detail, drawing on an extensive commentary published by the Supreme People’s Court in May 2025. In addition, a number of model cases are taken into account. The cases, announced by the Supreme People’s Court in December 2023 and February 2025 in two groups of four cases each, have been printed in the appendix to the commentary of the Supreme People’s Court. The paper concludes with a summary.