China hospital joins nightclubs in offering marriage services to fight low wedding rates
Chinese hospitals and banks are now offering marriage registration services to simplify the process and encourage higher marriage rates. This trend follows government deregulation that allows couples to register outside their home provinces, leading to unconventional venues like airports and parks.
Why it matters
It highlights the Chinese government's active efforts to combat demographic decline by reducing bureaucratic friction in marriage registration.
BEIJING (SCMP): Following temples and nightclubs, a Chinese bank and a hospital have recently begun offering marriage registration services, igniting discussions on the Chinese government’s commitment to promoting nuptials.
In August, a branch of the Postal Savings Bank of China, located in the northern municipality of Tianjin, became the country’s first bank to provide marriage registration services.
While online observers mocked the unusual pairing of finance and romance – joking that only nuptials at a hospital could surpass this combination – their humour soon became reality.
On August 20, during this year’s Qixi Festival, also known as Chinese Valentine’s Day, the Maternal and Child Health Hospital of Linzi District in Zibo City, Shandong province in eastern China, announced the introduction of marriage registration services at its facility.
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