The suburban court of Ruijin City, Jiangxi Province, China, handled an unexpected issue in a recent special divorce case. A female Buddhist monk named Chen filed a divorce petition against her spouse, Zhang, because she wished to devote herself entirely to the monastic life. After receiving the divorce papers, Zhang showed his outrage, claiming that he would “definitely not divorce and will drag her into old age!” Zhang eventually agreed to the divorce after receiving advice from the judge, and Chen rewarded him with 2,000 yuan (about 1,265 Malaysian Ringgit).
According to Chinese media accounts, Chen, 32, married Zhang, whom she had known for six years, in June 2011. Chen learned after marriage that her spouse was sluggish and indolent, completely different from the guy he was before they married. They constantly fought over trivial topics, and Zhang even used physical aggression during their fights. Chen opted to leave their house and become a nun in a temple in another county just five days after their wedding.
Chen returned from her journey in November 2021 and obtained legal assistance from a local lawyer before applying for divorce at the Ruijin court. The court determined that Zhang’s former phone number was no longer in use, so the judge proceeded to Zhang’s village committee, escorted by local officials, to deliver the legal paperwork to him. Zhang was astonished and enraged when he received the divorce papers, and he expressed his strong objection to the divorce, claiming that his wife’s sudden departure had caused him injury and that there was no need for her to file for divorce.
Zhang constantly phoned the managing judge before the court hearing, expressing his dissatisfaction with the divorce, and claimed that he would not participate in the court’s proceedings. When the judge learned about this, he promptly contacted the local justice department and village comprehensive governance office and went to Zhang’s house with their personnel to provide psychological counseling and explanations. They educated him on key legal requirements, advised him on how to address the matter through mediation and the legal process, and analyzed each of Zhang’s thoughts and demands, suggesting answers and mediation alternatives.
Following past mediation efforts, both parties came to court on time on the day of the hearing. Zhang eventually agreed to the divorce after more counseling from the judge before the trial, and Chen rewarded him with 2,000 yuan as a settlement.
