A US woman auctioned herself at the Shanghai marriage market

You've all heard of Shanghai's marriage market at People's Park: the place where keen (sometimes desperate) parents go to try and find their offspring a spouse. They advertise their son or daughter's wares in a variety of ways: word of mouth, with marriage-specific CVs (works well in a team), and sometimes by parading the poor souls around in person for all to see. We imagine being taken to the marriage market by your parents to be the adult equivalent of that day during the summer holidays when your mum dragged you to the shops to buy new school shoes – you don't want to go, you're not interested in the slightest, but she's adamant about finding the right fit.

A suitor's details advertised on an umbrella (photo: Helen Roxburgh)

Last weekend there was something at the marriage market that caused a bit of a stir. In amongst the usual throng of parents-turned-matchmakers, there was a foreign woman that was attracting more than her fair share of attention. Seeing expats and tourists snoop around the market isn't unusual, but this time things were a bit different. An American woman was auctioning herself off, with the prize of US citizenship through marriage going to the highest bidder. Seriously.

The woman in question was brandishing her US passport and wearing a wedding dress – presumably in an effort to prove that she was American and to show everyone that she was already well prepared to be a bride. It seems like she wanted to be noticed and, judging by the crowds flocking around her, it worked.

(Weibo: @ 河边独行)

Weibo users unsurprisingly had their say on the matter, with several commenters confusing the offer with prostitution and one concerned user even going as far as tagging the US Embassy and Consulate, who are yet to respond...

We are yet to find out whether this marriage market stunt was simply a prank, a woman really going out of her way for a good Snapchat story, or a bizarre money-making scheme that will see one lucky Chinese guy get a green card. What we do know is that paying to marry a stranger probably isn't a great idea. But you know, each to their own.

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