History, Reality and Conflicts of Sino-Western Intercultural Marriages : An Exploratory Study from a Social-Anthropological & Oriental Perspective

Intimate relationships between two people from different cultures generate a degree of excitement and intrigue within the couple due to that very difference, however this also brings its own challenges. Intercultural marriage adds an extra set of dynamics to relationships. Although the Chinese culture is very different from Western culture, individuals from both nevertheless meet and fall in love with each other. The existence of intercultural marriages and intimacy between Chinese and Westerners is evident and expanding in societies throughout both China and the Western world. This interesting book aims to present a true picture of Chinese-Western Intercultural Marriage (CWIM) with a focus on the Chinese perspective. By employing a three-dimensional, multi-level theoretical framework based on an integration of theories of migration, sociology and gender and adopting a qualitative research paradigm, the main body of this study combines three theoretical approaches in order to explore CWIM fully using a panoramic view. This study will provide more than an anecdotal description of CWIM, but will present a profound analysis of the forces underpinning this cross-cultural phenomenon.