Divorce - Chinese-Style

[Randy W]

There are a couple of key points that caught my eye here - one is that it's not as easy as many of us may have thought for a Chinese person to get a divorce after an abandoned marriage. Two, that they would accept a court appearance by WeChat.

 

The whole process was dragged out by 20 months awaiting confirmation by the foreign party as to whether she would attend the hearing.

 

In the Sixth Tone

 

Dial D for Divorce: Court Uses WeChat in Moroccan-Chinese Breakup

Judge makes a video call to verify identity of woman who did not attend China court proceedings.

 

The husband filed for divorce in January 2016. A trial date was set for Sept. 12, 2017, but by July this year the court still had not received confirmation from the woman as to whether she would attend. Instead of setting a new hearing date and repeating the complicated process of sending a court summons internationally, Judge Chen Wenjun opted for WeChat, a first for the court.

During the hearing, Chen compared the woman on screen with her photo on the marriage certificate and also verified her other personal information. A camera was set up in the courtroom to record the video call.

Protocol for divorce cases in China recommends that both parties appear in court so judges can question them. But, Chen was quoted as saying, “this can be achieved by WeChat video as well.” He added that using WeChat made it easier to persuade the woman to take part in the trial. One precondition for using WeChat was that the case wasn’t complicated, the article said, adding that the couple did not have any joint property.

 

 

Edited September 28, 2017 by Randy W (see edit history)

[Randy W]

Another one in the Sixth Tone that's probably VERY interesting (I haven't read much of it yet, so I'll just post the headline and a picture).

 

The History Behind China’s Obsession With Hot Water

Parched throats across the country gasp for refreshment served at searing temperatures — but where does this tradition come from?

 

http://image5.sixthtone.com/image/5/5/51.jpg

A tiger stove inside a hot water store in Shanghai April 7, 2003. Ji Guoqiang/IC