Can you put a price on virginity?

Some young women have found it highly profitable on Ebay and other auction alternatives around the Internet. And while the legal conditions of that vary drastically in the world, in China the price appears to be constitutionally set at almost $5,000.

Okay, so maybe the law doesn’t exactly say that, but a court in Shanghai did order a married man to pay 30,000 yuan (approximately $4,900) for taking a girl’s virginity.

While there’s obviously no set price on any kind of hymen disruption, a Pudong New Area People’s Court awarded the amount to a Chinese woman, after she sued a man she had been dating for “violating her virginity right.”

The woman, who’s only referred to by her last name Chen and is 35 years old (!), alleged she met her ex-boyfriend — also just known by his surname, Li — on the Internet five years ago, and they began dating last September, at which time Li swore he was single. Later, after vowing to marry her soon, and during a romantic trip to Singapore, they had sex.

To Chen’s surprise, three months later Li decided to break up with her and end all contact. A confused and disturbed Chen then broke into his house last February, only to find Li with his wife.

Chen then decided to take legal action, and in March she demanded 500,000 yuan (about $81,500) and a written apology. And although the court deemed that figure excessive, the verdict did favor Chen for 30,000 yuan.

According to the South China Morning Post, the court held that “virginity is a civil right that should be protected, and that perpetrators who violate it can be held liable,” and also added that when he took her virginity, “Li had brought about a negative influence on her health and reputation, and should therefore pay compensation and apologize.”

The South China Morning Post also reported that while this is the first case of its kind in Shanghai, there’s a similar precedent in China from last year, when a court in Xiamen ruled that a married man who had a one night stand with a woman while claiming he was single, had to write a written apology and pay a very symbolic 1 yuan for his deceiving behavior, as the court deemed it a “violation of her chastity rights.”

So, I guess the psychological and physical consequences of the loss of virginity would have a price of about 29,999 yuan. But hey, the apology always stands.