Chinese man files for divorce after paternity tests reveal all three daughters are not his

Man breaks down after finding out he was not the biological father of his daughters

A man in China is seeking to end his marriage of 16 years after paternity tests revealed he was not the biological father of the three daughters he raised.

The 45-year-old man, identified by his surname Chen, went ahead with the paternity tests after he grew suspicious of his wife’s behaviour, South China Morning Post reported, citing China Jiangxi Radio and TV Station.

“None of them was my own child,” said Mr Chen in an interview with the station.

Mr Chen, who is a resident of eastern China’s Jiangxi province, said he used to work away from home but maintained a close relationship with his wife through video and voice calls over the years.

He said red flags were raised when his wife started avoiding his calls and decided to track her location through her mobile phone’s GPS location.

On one occasion, he said he tracked his wife checking into a hotel and the next morning allegedly checking out with a man.

Mr Chen said he first thought of forgiving his wife for the alleged infidelity, but the shocking revelation of the paternity test results devastated him.

He said his wife left him after the results came.

According to the report, the man was seen crying in the interview with the station and sought help from local media to locate his wife.

The wife, identified only as Yi, denied cheating on Mr Chen and said: “I don’t think I cheated on him. Is biological paternity really important? Couples who are sterile adopt kids all the time.”

“Please try to empathise with me. The three children called him ‘dad’ for many years, but now he says the daughters are not his own. What is the difference between him and an animal?”

A lawyer, identified only as Zhou, told China Jiangxi Radio and TV Station that the man can file for divorce and also ask his wife to reimburse support payments and other expenses if he believed his wife’s behaviour severely harmed their relationship.

A controversial law passed in 2021 and enforced from 1 January this year, however, requires couples to wait for 30 days, a so-called “cooling off” period before a couple can formalise their divorce.

The law was passed to discourage couples from breaking up as divorce rates in China continue to rise.