ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book provides background information on the phenomenon of intercultural marriage in the People's Republic of China (PRC). It explains print and online media coverage of celebrity intercultural marriages for the simple reason that 'celebrity news', is an increasingly prominent feature of media reportage in China today. Mediated accounts of individual celebrity intercultural divorces are often contradictory and speculative in nature. Chinese citizens for entering into an intercultural marriage, which may be broadly characterized as a shift from 'global hypergamy' to 'romantic love'. Stories of Sinicized foreign spouses internalizing and mastering traditional Chinese art forms and local language conversely serves the assumed superiority of Chinese culture. The concepts of a 'cross-border' and 'mixed' marriage are an accurate analysis of the Chinese case. The book concludes by outlining the potential avenues for further research on the subject of Chinese-foreign marriage in the PRC.
