With a very small stature, only reaching the groom’s armpit, a 21-year-old bride was rumored to be a 14-year-old girl forced into marriage by her parents. This sparked a comical and tearful incident.
On May 7th, a video of a wedding in Taizhou, China went viral on social media. In the video, a 14-year-old girl was suspected of being forced into marriage. The footage quickly drew attention and sparked a strong reaction.
The video shows the small bride, only reaching the groom’s armpit, crying uncontrollably on what should have been her happy day. Despite the attempts of others to comfort her, she couldn’t stop crying. The uploader even responded to netizens’ inquiries about why the bride was crying, stating: “The 14-year-old bride cried bitterly when her birth mother packaged and sent her to her husband’s house. The mother-in-law hugged the bride and promised to treat her well.”
The end of the video shows the bride crying even louder, calling out for her mother as she sees her family leaving.
Soon after, many netizens expressed their anger in the comments: “If you dare to marry someone who is underage, call the police. This is a violation of the law,” “It’s too heartless to let an underage girl get married. Where can I report to the police?” After learning the location of the wedding, some netizens officially reported it to the police.
It was reported that the wedding took place in a village in Atri Town, Qixing District, Taizhou City, in the province of Jiangsu. After receiving the report, the police quickly launched an investigation and obtained results.
According to the staff of the Taizhou Municipal Network Management Authority, the person who posted the video had lied and distorted the truth. The local police went to the house to verify the identity of the parties involved and confirmed that the bride was 21 years old, not 14 as reported in the video. The person who posted the video quickly admitted that he had deliberately spread false information to gain views, increase interaction, and generate traffic.
An official from the people’s government of Atri Town also stated that, after consulting with the local party secretary, it was learned that the wedding took place on May 6th, with the groom being 22 years old and the bride being 21 years old, and they got married according to local ethnic customs. Police officers went to the village to verify the situation and warn those who spread false rumors, causing harm to the bride and groom and the local culture.