Majdi Alhmah, a Syrian expat living in Changchun, Jilin province, says that "The Chinese are rather family-oriented, and I love that. My greatest gain in China is my Chinese wife and our son."

Alhmah came to China alone seven years ago, now he Director General Manager - BFG International China. Last year, he was awarded the Friendship Award by the Chinese government, the highest level of recognition awarded to expats who have made great contributions in China. Ma said he is half a Chinese, and he that "loves to chat with the Chinese here in Changchun."

Transnational marriages in China are changing through the years, they are no longer simply about marrying a gentle and obedient Chinese wife or a handsome and romantic foreign man, as the survey showed a clear positive correlation between the time a foreigner spent in China and the possibility of marrying a Chinese.

According to the survey, 21.9 percent aged between 18 and 30 working in China would like to live in China, and 42.5 percent for those over 50. Respectively, their tendency to marry a Chinese climbs from 56.5 percent to 78 percent.

With more foreigners speaking better Chinese and assimilating themselves to the Chinese culture, it seems that transnational marriages in China are more about finding true love: someone that you can talk to and share things with rather than someone you live and bear with.

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