ABSTRACT
This chapter addresses issues pertaining to partner choice and marriage as well as the ensuing family disputes these decisions often entail. The intrinsic structural conditions of China and Taiwan and the enormous changes in the urban environments of Beijing and Taipei do not impact only on parents’ authority over the choice of their offspring’s spouses but also affect wedding rituals, marital relationships and residence practices. In this chapter I will present case studies from Beijing and Taipei that illustrate how the different urban environments affect parents’ and children’s expectations on married life, relationships with in-laws and post-marital cohabitation.
