China hopes picture-perfect wedding spots will halt falling births

Bangkok Post Group

China is making it easier for couples to marry anywhere in the country, from temples to subway stations, in a bid to reverse its falling birth rate. The policy has sparked a wave of “marriage tourism,” but experts say deeper social issues may still hinder a baby boom. - REUTERS

Transcript

00:00China is taking steps to boost marriage numbers as the country grapples with a demographic crisis.

00:06In May, authorities started allowing couples to get married anywhere in the country, not just their place of residence.

00:12That was to attract young couples to tie the knot by making the process more convenient and the event more special.

00:19Since then, local governments have been scrambling to cater to marriage tourists,

00:23setting up registration offices around scenic spots and even subway stations.

00:27In the capital, Beijing, 20 couples turned up at the Hugo Guanyin Temple last Tuesday to get married.

00:34Among them were Wang Jieyi and Zhang Yongchang, who work in Beijing but are originally from Shandong province.

00:41I think it's not exactly that this policy has fast-tracked our plans to get married or made us decide to get married.

00:48It has rather made the process of getting married much more convenient.

00:52There's no need to go back and forth between the two places.

00:57here at the local office. It's really, really convenient as it simplifies the process of obtaining the necessary documents

01:03for a marriage registration and other things we need to do so it does provide a lot of benefits.

01:08For now, the government's efforts seem to be working.

01:11Marriages, which demographers use as a proxy for the country's birth rate,

01:15rose 22.5 percent from a year earlier, the third quarter of 2025.

01:19That puts China on track to halt a downward trend in annual nuptials, which has gone almost uninterrupted for more than a decade.

01:29But demographer and University of Michigan assistant professor Yongzhuo says this effort might not lead to a sustained turnaround.

01:35The removal of geographic restrictions indeed make getting married easier,

01:41but that is impacting people who are already in the process of wanting to get married or in the process of planning weddings.

01:51So the change in policy about removing geographic restriction alone will be unlikely to lead to any sustained rebound

02:02or change or uptick. And among young Chinese adults, there are complex feelings about marriage and childbearing transitions,

02:14in part driven by senses of economic uncertainties and financial stress.

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