Cross-border marriage is becoming a common phenomenon in Macao nowadays. According to the Statistics and Census Service Macao SAR Government (DSEC), a total of 960 cross-border marriages were registered in 2010, an increase of 7% from end-2009.

As regards to the gender structure of the population, Macao currently has slightly more women than men, accounting for 52% of the total population. Information from DSEC indicated that the total number of marriages between Macao men and mainland women in 2010 went up by 7% to 599, which exceeds the number of marriages between Macao women and mainland men by 238 cases. With a rising number of local men seeking mainland wives, local women are obliged to find marriage partners somewhere else.

The long tradition that people find spouses across the border has thrived among the low income population since the late 1980s. However, this situation has gradually shifted to the middle class as well. When people in the middle class cannot find an appropriate spouse within their requirement in the local market, they tend to seek partners in the mainland, according to Eva Hung, assistant professor of the Department of Sociology, University of Macau (UM).

Statistics revealed that over the past decade, the number of university students in China has increased by 5 times, master students increased by 6 times, and doctoral students by 3.5 times. The number of college graduates is expected to reach 6.91 million in 2015. With the rapid economic growth in China and the improving conditions of mainland men in recent years, it is expected that more local women will turn northward for future husbands. In the fourth quarter of 2010, 21% of Macao women registered marriages with mainlanders, while 10% married Hong Kong men and only 3% with other countries.

In addition, more local women have higher education than the local men these days. In 2010, 57% of females obtained a Bachelor Degree whereas only 43% of males held one. As Macao women are becoming better educated and tend not to "marry down", they now place higher requirements on their future husbands. It is expected that there will be a sustained growth in cross-border marriages between Macao men and mainland women, making it more difficult for local women to find an eligible groom in the local market.

Being in a cross-border relationship is not easy as cultural and language differences are involved. Philip Chau, a junior college student of Macao Polytechnic Institute, is dating with his girlfriend Amy who comes from Guangzhou. Although Chau and Amy both speak Cantonese, somehow there are differences in the way they speak and the form of language used. "My girlfriend sometimes does not understand what I mean if I talk to her in some Cantonese slangs," said Chau.

Many people believe that cross-border relations do not last due to the challenges of geographical separation. According to Chau, however, the distance is not the major barrier of their love. "I can easily keep in touch with Amy by means of the Internet and telecommunication, so distance is not really a big concern to me," said Chau. They have been together for two years. Even though they live far apart, they still meet each other once a month. In fact, the major challenge for Chau is the opposition of his family and friends. He admitted that his parents have once opposed his relationship with Amy. They think that she simply wants to secure a permanent resident status in Macao and it is hard to ensure that the girl does not have another boyfriend in the mainland. Besides, friends' discrimination towards his relationship is another concern to him. "I have been pressured by my friends to rather look for a local girl as a spouse," Chau said.

Lee Man Wai, a fresh graduate from a mainland university also experienced a similar case. "When my family knew that I was going to marry a girl from the mainland, they all opposed it strongly," said Lee. Lee was very determined to marry his girlfriend no matter how strongly his mother opposed their marriage. He even once threatened his mother that he would sever all ties with her if she insisted on deterring their relationship. But Lee is very optimistic regarding their future. "Even though we still cannot get their blessings, I believe that they will give in some day!" Lee added.

There is no doubt that higher economic conditions play a part in the cross-border relations. The monthly salary in the mainland is relatively low compared to Macao. According to Chau, Amy's monthly salary in mainland China is about MOP1600. However, she can earn MOP5500 per month working as a foreign laborer in Macao. "My girlfriend prefers a partner from Hong Kong or Macao because she thinks that those people have a better living standard, higher civilization and better economic conditions," said Chau. Lee also stated that he and his girlfriend will settle down in Macao as the salary in the mainland is too low to start a family.

On the other hand, compared with Macao women, Chau and Lee both share the same opinion that a majority of mainland girls are better than the local ones. Chau used to date local girls before, but he found that girls from the Chinese mainland have better personalities than the locals. "Amy is more introverted and not so materialistic compared with my ex-girlfriends. Her inner beauty attracts me the most. Although we do not have much money but we are happy together," he said cheerfully. Lee, on the other hand, has never dated any local girls because they gave him a negative image. "I get to know more about the personalities of local girls through my friends' complaints, so I decide not to have a try," said Lee. Though it is true that there are some cases that mainland women acquired permanent residency through marriage of convenience, such kind of relations often ended in divorce because of personal intentions.

In general, whether it is Macao men marrying mainland women or the other way round, cross-border marriages have become a social phenomenon and will further increase in number.