Chinese husband allows wife to attack him once a week
A Chinese man has signed a contract with his wife that entitles her to attack him once a week.
By Malcolm Moore in Shanghai Published: 6:00AM GMT 02 Dec 2009
The 32-year-old man, who was named by the Chongqing Evening News as Mr Zhang, took the unusual step after suffering intense abuse from his wife, who studies kung fu.
"I don't want to beat him, but arguments are inevitable and I can't help myself," his wife told the newspaper. She added that in the week before they signed the deal, she had beaten him up three times.
Mr Zhang said his wife, who is a sales manager at a trading company, had studied kung fu since her childhood and that he was attracted to her "strong and independent temperament".
He also admitted that he had suffered at her hands throughout their six-month courtship. "Before we got married, she had a wild hairstyle and I teased that it made her look like a tigress. During the argument that followed, I said some bad words and I got a taste of her kung fu for the first time."
He said that he had tried to bite his lip in order to avoid being punished, but that he "never wants to lose an argument" and so always ends up with "bruises and scars all over".
In order to curb his wife's aggression, Mr Zhang proposed signing a contract in front of his in-laws. If his wife breaches the contract, she has to return to her parents' home for three days. "She is very obedient to her parents, and her parents will support me and blame her," he said.
His wife said that she always feels regret when she sees her husband with a black eye. "Now that we have a contract, I will force myself to drop the use of force," she said.
Mr Zhang's parents told the newspaper that although they felt bad that their son was regularly attacked, the couple were a good match. "They have a good marriage, so we can say nothing about it," said his father.