Abstract: With a new type of urbanization unfolding and the urban-rural relations changing，a marriage dilemma，the coexistence of early marriage and“leftover men，”has appeared in southern rural China. Due to the gender imbalance，it is possible some men cannot find a woman to marry；on the other hand，with the acquiescence or even the maneuver of parents，some young people in rural areas get married before the legal marriageable age and become immature parents. The study explores the special form of rural marriage market in perspective to the overall village relationship of northern Guangdong. Under the structural pressure of economic differentiation and social stratification，the middle and lower groups try to use marriage to rise to a higher stratum；as the marriage pressure is transmitted downward at all levels，the lower-group men become the most vulnerable in the marriage market. However，the basic form of rural acquaintance society has not been changed with the development of rural society，and face is still an important dimension of social evaluation. On the one hand，a face crisis directly connects individual honor and disgrace with the clan；on the other hand，the face culture restrains the behavior of the acquaintances in the community and guarantees the homogeneity of the community. Families adjust their marriage strategies according to the changes in the marriage market. The conclusion of offspring marriage is not entirely for the benefit of the family，but also for the need of face reproduction.

Key words: rural marriage, marriage market, social deprivation, face culture, marital strategy, marriage and family