Chinese man proposes with house certificate as property prices surge

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A young man in China is setting a high bar for his contemporaries after proposing to his girlfriend using a home ownership certificate instead of a diamond ring.

The home ownership document is binding for up to 70 years. It may not last as long as a diamond, but it was enough to get that all-important yes.

The proposal was filmed in the city of Changchun in China’s northeast Jilin Province on Sunday and posted online shortly after. It shows the man, identified only as Chen, at a party celebrating his graduation from the Changchun Institute of Technology.

Standing in the hall for all to see, Chen knelt down in front of his girlfriend. Their friends are heard screaming.

A screenshot from the original video clip circulating online shows Mr Chen brandishing a copy of his house certificate to other students and teachers during his graduation celebration before proposing to his girlfriend on Sunday night, June 18, 2017, Changchun City, Jilin Province.

“This is a copy of my house certificate,” Chen said. “With this all I want to show is that I’m fully prepared (for marriage).”

It’s not clear at first how the lucky lady replied, but she and Chen are seen hugging in the video. She said yes.

“We have been together for 844 days and she is the woman that I want to marry,” Chen told Pear Video, a Chinese video service, in an interview.

According to Chinese law, home buyers in China can gain the rights to property for 70 years. This includes claims over the land on which homes are built.

Happy ending

New homes have become increasingly harder to afford for people in China, particularly young men and women. Home prices continued to rise in 2016, albeit at a slower pace than previous years. The problem is amplified in big cities, where the cost of one square meter can be more than triple the average monthly salary of workers.

Reactions were mixed online, especially after Chen’s admission his parents bought him the home that he used to snag his soon-to-be wife.

“A house bought by your parents doesn’t show that YOU are ready for anything,” said one person on China’s Twitter-like service Weibo.

“True love may be not set in a house,” another Weibo user said. “But telling your girlfriend that you have got for her a shelter is better than just lip-service.”

“I’m grateful to my dad for helping me with the house,” Chen said, adding that not being able to afford one’s home is just part of the status quo these days.