The supposed materialism of Chinese women is putting off some Chinese men and driving them into the arms of Western women.

Chinese men looking West

"Chinese man fancies Western woman" was the title of the personal ad Li Lei posted online, in which he asked if any Western "ladies (in Beijing) are open to a long-term and serious relationship with a Chinese guy". And by "long-term and serious", Li meant marriage.

Marriages between Chinese men and Western women in China are noticeably fewer than vice versa, so why is Li taking the road less traveled?

After studying for a combined five years in the Netherlands and United Kingdom, the 30-year-old Beijinger discovered he preferred the personality of Western European women. He considers them more independent than their Chinese counterparts, less girlish and more straightforward.

Li puts extra emphasis on the last attribute.

"That's something I really love. If they want something, they just tell you," he says in British-accented English, his boyish face lighting up. "Although it is the nature of a woman to want somebody to figure them out, the key factor is the degree."

Besides writing personals, the trading company project manager also participates in speed-dating parties with foreigners and frequents international networking events.

Tony, a 28-year-old native of Hunan who asked not to use his real name, is also keen on Western women.

After two serious relationships with Chinese women, in which he got exasperated trying to figure out the reason why his girlfriends got upset, he decided two years ago that a North American or European woman would suit him better.

"Let's adjust the preferences," he remembers thinking at that point. Tony has worked as a data analyst at a multinational company for five years and has regular interactions with female foreign co-workers.

Tony and Li's preference for Western women, the men say, is also due to the growing materialism of Chinese women and the pressure to provide a new apartment for one's bride-to-be.

"In this situation, a foreign girl will say, 'OK, we can marry first before we have a house. We can work together to buy a house. There's not so much pressure on you. Both of us can bear this,'" Tony says, citing conversations with female foreign acquaintances.

Li says the spotlight on newlyweds' possessions is something that "distorts love in China".

Li and Tony's taste in women may put them in the minority, but their numbers are growing as more foreign women come to China and more Chinese men learn foreign languages and experience life overseas.