Rich men turn to 'hunting' for Eastern European wives

More and more Ukrainian women are yearning to marry a Chinese husband. Mei Aisi, an “ugly, careerless young man,” is now making a fortune as a matchmaker.

Mei Aisi and his wife Daria - Photo: Weibo

Aisi, a Chinese man from Hebei province, became famous on Chinese social media a few years ago after posting photos of him with his beautiful Ukrainian wife.

"People don't believe that an ugly, uneducated guy like me could marry such a beautiful wife," Aisi told the newspaper.Shanghainese.

Coming from a working-class family in Hebei, in 2001, after failing the university entrance exam, Aisi packed her bags and headed to Ukraine in search of new opportunities, even though at that time she knew nothing about this Eastern European country.

Now, at the age of 35, Aisi has what many men dream of: a beautiful wife, good children, and a stable career.

Aisi's wife, a girl named Daria, is only 23 years old this year, and is considered by many to be a stroke of luck for Aisi.

They met while playing table tennis 7 years ago. Aisi was 28 years old at that time and Daria was still 16. Fate brought them together and they became husband and wife.

"Chinese men are better than Ukrainian men"

The responses from Chinese netizens to the couple's photos pushed Aisi to a bold business idea, even though she was already the owner of a copper products company in Ukraine at the time.

Aisi said that every day people text him asking for his advice on finding a beautiful wife. But instead of getting angry, this has motivated him to decide to open a marriage brokerage company called Ulove.

"Chinese men are much better-natured and know how to take care of their families. Ukrainian men often get drunk and then beat their wives. My sister is one such victim," Aisi explained to the newspaper.Shanghainese.

Ulove service (Can be seen as finding love in Ukraine) was born to meet the needs of Chinese men to find beautiful wives and a worthy husband of many Ukrainian women.

Based in Kharkov, Ukraine's second largest city, Ulove holds several dating events each year, where dozens of Ukrainian girls are introduced to a group of Chinese men looking for wives or girlfriends.

During those dates, each girl took turns walking down the stairs, in front of the men. The next "procedure" was conversation and dancing.

An event of Ulove - Photo: Weibo.

To join Aisi’s club, each Chinese man must first pay 96,000 yuan (about $14,500) as an annual membership fee. If he wants to become a VIP, he must shell out 300,000 yuan (more than $45,000).

Not to mention that to attend the above-mentioned dating events at luxury resorts, each member has to pay an additional 69,000 yuan (about 10,000 USD).

But it seems money is not an issue for the members of Ulove.

Aisi once became an involuntary stylist for a member who wore a gold belt to a Ulove event. The man said he wanted to use it to attract attention, but Aisi advised him that it was too flashy and then helped the man choose an appropriate outfit.

A female member of Ulove holds a Chinese sign introducing herself - Photo: Weibo

To help the Ukrainian girls recruited to the club prepare for their future lives in China, Aisi's company also runs language and culture classes.

Ulove's Chinese Weibi account often features photos of young Ukrainian women (including university students) dressed elegantly and modestly, holding self-introduction signs written in Chinese.

Karalina, a 21-year-old Ukrainian student who recently found a Chinese boyfriend through Ulove, was full of praise: "He is very caring and spends a lot of time with me."

Ulove boss Mei Aisi at an event - Photo: Weibo

On the other side of the story, Aisi dismissed suggestions that his dating club was actually an international prostitution ring, insisting that Ulove promoted true love rather than materialistic business relationships.

Aisi hopes to grow the business into a successful international brand in the coming years, by opening additional branches in Belarus and Russia.

According to TTO