When this Case of a Bartered Bride began in November 2001, Hong Yin Gao was only 19 years old. That was when her family sold her to Chen Zhi for the Chinese equivalent of $2,200. Now her case is in the U.S. Supreme Court because Attorney General Alberto Gonzales wants to send her back to China.
Will the high court hear his cold-hearted appeal? Doesn't the A.G. have enough on his hands right now? Tension mounts.
In this real-life melodrama, Gao is cast as the beautiful Belinda. Chen Zhi is the evil Rassendale. The curtain rises on a courtroom in Manhattan.
First, a synopsis: In order to pay off some serious bills, Gao's parents make a deal: Through an agent, they agree to sell their daughter to Zhi for delivery when the lass turns 21. (Evidently this is an old Chinese custom, regularly observed in rural villages of Fujian Province.) The dowry is to be paid up front and in full.
It appears from the record that Zhi was taken in. (Being a sucker is an old worldwide custom.) He pays the $2,200 to Gao's mama. That is the last he sees of it. She pays some bills. Time passes. We learn from the attorney general's petition that Belinda-Gao at first considers Rassendale-Zhi to be a "rather acceptable potential husband."
Drop the comic book metaphor. These are real people in real-world trouble. From Gonzales' brief:
"She changed her mind, however, when she determined that he had a 'bad temperament' and gambled. According to her testimony, the relationship soured. He slapped her and refused to cancel the engagement.
"At that point, Gao decided not to marry Zhi and moved to the city of Mawei, about an hour away by boat from her home. After her departure, Zhi occasionally harassed her family, looking to have either his money returned or the marriage contract fulfilled. On one occasion, Zhi smashed something in the home of Gao's family. Zhi also threatened that, if she refused to marry him, his uncle, a powerful local official, would arrest her."
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