Include left-over men in poverty relief campaign

THE "LEFT-OVER" MEN in rural areas who remain unmarried in their 30s, will only find a partner when their livelihoods improve, said Gao Chunfang, president of a hospital in Jinan, East China's Shandong province and a member of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference National Committee. Rednet.cn said on Thursday:

Like it or not, whether an adult male in remote and underdeveloped regions can get married largely depends on his financial status. In other words, a man who can afford a traditionally extravagant wedding, which often involves a costly dowry for his would-be bride, is more likely to get married in rural China than those who cannot.

In fact, that most "left-over" men are unable to get a wife in their 30s even 40s, has a lot to do with their financial situation, not any physical defects. It will take more than basic infrastructure, such as roads and clean water, to help them start a family.