28-year-old female teacher falls to her death on her wedding day; parents force marriage and refuse to return the bride price

In recent days, the news of a 28-year-old female teacher, Wei, from Lushan County, Pingdingshan City, Henan Province, falling from a building on her wedding day has sparked ongoing attention and discussion. On December 10, a 28-year-old high school female teacher in Lushan County fell from the 7th floor of a residential complex on her wedding day. After the incident, her school and classmates confirmed her identity as a teacher. Following the incident, a screenshot of a suspected farewell message from the individual circulated online, showing that she had been pressured into marriage by her parents. Multiple interviewees confirmed to China News Weekly that the account indeed belonged to Wei. The Lushan County funeral home confirmed that it received her remains on the 11th.

On the 14th, a netizen posted revealing that in 2022, the female teacher who fell had been admitted to a high school in Lushan County with excellent grades. Journalists found documents such as the "2022 Recruitment Announcement for Primary and Secondary School Teachers (High School Section) in Lushan County," the "List of Candidates for Physical Examination and Investigation of Primary and Secondary School Teachers in Lushan County 2022," and others indicating that this teacher achieved the highest score in the written examination for the history position at a high school in Lushan County and was hired as a history teacher. An informed source stated that the owner of the first floor demanded compensation, while the female party's family and the groom both shirked responsibility. An informed person told China News Weekly that Wei had sent everyone away under the pretense of changing clothes in the new house, and after posting on her social media, she jumped down into the yard of the first-floor owner. This owner demanded compensation, while the female party's family believed she was already married and that the groom should be responsible; the groom, however, believed they were not yet married and that it should be the female party's responsibility.

Regarding the situation, on December 15, staff from the Lushan County Civil Affairs Bureau stated that they were unclear and had not received any notifications yet. The Women's Federation of Lushan County stated that they had not received any requests for help from the individual before and were paying attention to the matter, having communicated with the county's publicity department for follow-up. "Wei posted a notice to cancel the wedding the day before the wedding," as reported by Jiemian News. 20-year-old Sun Lin had studied at the school where Wei taught, and his sister was a colleague of Wei. According to Sun Lin, Wei had posted a notice to cancel the wedding on her social media the day before the wedding. In that notice, she mentioned, "For some reasons, the wedding will not take place, and the wedding gifts will be returned one by one as soon as possible." Wei's posted notice of cancellation. Provided by interviewees. However, on the following day, the wedding proceeded as planned. Sun Lin heard that Wei's parents did not agree to cancel the engagement, "They were unwilling to return the bride price." A local wedding host told Jiemian News that Wei had an older brother and a younger brother. According to him, Wei's older brother was married, while her younger brother had not yet settled down.