Police in China are investigating the disappearance of over 100 Vietnamese women in Hebei, the province surrounding Beijing. What were 100 Vietnamese women doing in Hebei? Well, they were imported brides, naturally.
Over in China, the gender imbalance – brought about by that one-child rule – has been showing up in an excess of men of marrying age. There are 3.8% more men than women, and though that doesn’t seem like a load, remember that China’s got about a billion people in it, and this means there are 20 million more men under 30 than women.
This deficit of women – or excess of men – means men are importing women to marry them.
READ MORE: Some Things To Know About China’s Singles Day. In Celebration Of, Yes, Single People
One person assisting them in this matchmaking/import business is Wu Meiyu, a woman who’s lived in Hebei for more than 20 years.
She charged men in rural areas in the province about 115,000 yuan (£11,800) to get them a wife. However, on 20 November, each of the bought wives told their husbands they would be going along to a dinner with the other wives. Like a sort of get-together among mates.
Anyway, on this night, all of the women, as well as Ms Wu, went missing. One woman returned, reports the BBC via Jinghua Daily. She told the local paper that she had ‘lost consciousness’ following the meal and woke up in a house far away from her village of Quzhou.
READ MORE: Backpacker To Escort Her Way Around China, If Applicants Are Rich And Hot Enough
She says she was told she would be leaving to ‘find another husband’, but the report doesn’t say who told her this. She managed to leave the house (again, no details there), return to Quzhou and file a police report.
The police are now investigating this mysterious en masse disappearance, and something tells us the outcome isn’t going to be pretty – China’s gender imbalance now means that human trafficking of women into the country has risen.
Like this? You might also be interested in:
Why Chinese Women Are Turning To Mobile Boyfriends Instead Of Dating IRL
Meet The Chinese Graduates Going Under The Knife For The Perfect Interview Face
Follow Sophie on Twitter @sophwilkinson
This article originally appeared on The Debrief.