Forced marriage canceled; school chosen instead

A 17-year-old girl who was once forced to marry by her parents is planning to attend a local technical secondary school after passing the zhongkao, the entrance examination for senior high schools, in Maoming, Guangdong province.

She said she wants to study e-commerce, according to a report from Guangzhou Daily. Her name was withheld to protect her privacy.

The girl's mother, surnamed Lu, promised to support her daughter financially as needed. Her grandfather promised to help pay tuition in the future.

Lu said she failed to give enough care to her daughter. The mother and her husband have been employed in the Shenzhen special economic zone for a number of years.

The young scholar said she was glad to be able to pass zhongkao and achieve the score needed to go to the technical secondary school after only a month of exam preparation.

A resident of Maoming's remote Yuntan township, she sought out the local women's federation on June 1 to seek help after she was forced by her parents to marry a local 22-year-old man whom Xiao had met only six times. Their wedding was originally planned for June 2.

With mediation from the women's federation, police and civil affairs department, both sides agreed to break off the engagement.

The girl's parents returned betrothal gifts worth more than 50,000 yuan ($7,143) after canceling the wedding ceremony.

Xiao said she did not want to stay and live in a rural area all her life and always wanted a higher eduction.

The women's federation promised to help in the months to come.

Guo Jingyu contributed to this story.