Demand for private detectives grows amid rising affairs

China's divorce rate has been growing and extramarital affairs have become the main cause of the splits. To obtain evidence of adultery – to teach partners a lesson or to get more money in the divorce – more and more heartbroken spouses are turning to illicit private detectives.

近年来，中国的离婚率一直在增长，而婚外情已经成为了夫妻感情破裂的主要原因。为掌握出轨证据以教训对方、或者在离婚时分得更多的财产，越来越多婚姻破裂的人向非法私人侦探寻求帮助。

Waiting, tracking and secret filming has been Afeng's job for the last five years. Neither a police officer, nor a paparazzo, he is paid to catch cheating spouses in the act.

监视、跟踪和秘密拍摄已经成为了阿峰这五年来的全部工作内容。阿峰既不是警察，也不是狗仔队，他是收费替人搜集配偶出轨证据的私人侦探。

There may be thousands of people who do this job. Even though China has banned private detectives, demand for their services is growing.

在中国，也许有成千上万的人正在从事这份工作。尽管中国政府禁止私人侦探的存在，但是市场对于私人侦探的需求却在不断增加。

Due to the popularity of mobile chat apps, such as WeChat and Momo, extramarital affairs are increasingly common, according to Shu Xin, director of the National Research Center for Marriage Counseling Services, who also leads the Shanghai Weiqing Marriage Company marriage counselors.

据国家婚姻咨询服务研究中心主任、上海为情婚恋公司婚姻咨询顾问舒欣（音）的看法，由于微信和陌陌等手机聊天软件的普及，婚外情变得越来越普遍了。

Shu told the Global Times Monday that in the cases they have dealt with, 23 percent of extramarital affairs involved these apps, according to the Xinmin Evening News.

据新民晚报的报道，舒欣在周一的时候告诉《环球时报》，说在他们处理的事务中，有23%的婚外情案例和这些手机软件的使用有关。

He disclosed that extramarital affairs have become the top marriage killer – accounting for 75 percent of divorces, followed by domestic violence and long-term separation.

他透露说婚外情已经成为导致婚姻破裂的首要原因，导致了大约75%的离婚案件的发生，其次是家庭暴力和长期分居。

Getting proof of a partner's affairs can give one a great advantage in divorce proceedings. According to the Chinese Marriage Law, if one party's bigamy or affair leads to the divorce, the unerring party has the right to claim compensation if they can prove the other's misdeeds. In addition, the unerring party can win more support from family members and seize the moral high ground to gain a greater share of the couple's property.

如果婚姻中的一方掌握了另一方的出轨证据，那么在离婚诉讼中，这个人就将具有很大的优势。根据中国婚姻法的规定，如果因为一方的重婚或婚外情导致离婚的，在能够证明对方有过错的情况下，无过错方可以要求赔偿。另外，无过错方可以得到家人更多的支持，在道德伦理上更有利，从而获得更多的夫妻共同财产。

The work is well paid, with Afeng raking in at least 40,000 yuan (6,160 dollars) on each job, but he still finds it hard to take pride in his career. "The feeling is complex. Every successful capture will likely mean a broken home," Afeng told the Beijing Times.

这项工作的收入很客观，阿峰每笔业务收费至少4万元（约合6160美元），但他还是很难为他的事业感到骄傲。阿峰告诉《北京时报》说：“这种感觉很复杂。每一次任务成功都有可能意味着一个家庭的破裂。”