damn, billytea. I wonder if anyone has been prosecuted under that law recently. Is it like the FL law against cohabitation where no one has been brought up on charges recently?
No, there have been charges under these laws. They've also been brought against married people who've shacked up with someone else - also defined as bigamy. This arrangement is becoming more common. However, Wallybee's cousin isn't quite square in the sights of the justice system. As I understand it, the reason for this kind of crackdown is twofold. First, there is concern about the rapidly changing social mores of Chinese culture (as the country becomes more prosperous); but the other driver is indicated by this quote from an official:
"We should not fail to see that there are some people who, when they become rich and powerful, become subjected to the obsolete and decadent ways of thinking of the feudalist society in the past. They have also become subjected to the invasion of the decadent way of thinking and living of the Western world, for example there are some problems such as a second wife or a third wife or a concubine."
China experiences tens of thousands of incidents of civil unrest each year. One thing that gets the Chinese people going is perceived injustice. That covers a wide array of problems, including rapidly rising income inequality, high-handed behaviour by the newly wealthy and/or well-connected - and above all, corruption. The Communist Party can hardly wage a credible war against corruption. Instead, it goes after the occasional sacrificial official or businessperson and proclaims them to be an isolated case of a decadent individual.
To make a good scapegoat, the person has to embody China's rising social injustices, which means they need to be seen to have enriched themselves under the new order. Then, the government gets to moralise against them and the average citizen can join in being appalled at their profligate, entitled lifestyle.
In a nutshell, Wallybee's cousin isn't rich enough to make a good scapegoat. (He isn't rich at all.) I think it's unlikely the courts will go after him without some other impetus. ...His wife's family, on the other hand, is well off. If they want to pursue the matter, then he could be in trouble.
DRAMA.