As China’s all-out campaign to boost its marriage rate continues, the government is deploying a new method to tempt couples into tying the knot: letting them register their marriage in more social media-friendly locations.

Until recently, couples signing their marriage papers in China usually had to make a trip to a drab government office. But officials across the country are now being pushed to set up registration sites in local parks, beaches, and historic landmarks to provide “a beautiful environment and high-quality services,” Zhu Yujun, an official at the Ministry of Civil Affairs, told a press conference on Wednesday.

The ministry has already made it possible for couples to get married at more than 270 new venues, according to Zhu. These range from an island off the coast of eastern China’s Zhejiang province to Shanghai’s Art Deco former City Hall.

The move is part of China’s wider push to create a “marriage- and birth-friendly society,” as the government tries to defuse a looming demographic crisis.

China’s marriage rate has plunged over the past decade. In the first half of 2024, the country recorded just 3.4 million new marriages, compared with nearly 7 million during the same period in 2014, according to government data.

The decline is linked to a similarly dramatic fall in the nation’s birth rate, which has left China with one of the world’s fastest-aging populations. By 2040, the number of people aged 60 or over in the country is predicted to soar from 280 million to more than 400 million, putting public services under greater strain.

In a bid to mitigate these issues, the government has launched a renewed effort to convince more couples to settle down and have kids. In August, it passed new regulations that made it easier to register a marriage, such as scrapping the requirement for couples to present their household registration documents.

The government has also been working to allow couples to get married anywhere in the country they want, rather than having to return to their hometowns. These “inter-provincial marriage registration programs” covered 78.5% of China’s population as of the end of 2023, according to Zhu.

Now, the ministry hopes that fancier registration venues may convince more couples to take the plunge. But will it? The idea has received a mixed response on Chinese social media.

On the microblogging platform Weibo, a hashtag related to the new policy has garnered over 55 million views. While many said the picturesque registration sites were a good idea, others expressed skepticism that they would influence couples’ decision-making.

Zhang Xue, a lawyer at Yingke Law Firm in the southern metropolis of Shenzhen, agreed that the policy made it more convenient for couples to register their marriage, but argued that there were many other factors affecting the marriage rate.

“Is this really what young people need? There are more practical issues to address, such as high bride prices,” said Zhang. She acknowledged that authorities are taking steps to bring down bride prices, though more work is needed.

Guo Yi, a 22-year-old from Shanghai, said a more effective policy would be scrapping barriers to couples seeking a divorce, such as the recently introduced mandatory 30-day cooling-off period.

“While it’s easier to get married, the increasingly complex divorce process could actually deter people from rushing into marriage,” she said.

But regardless of its impact on the marriage rate, the policy is undoubtedly proving popular among young couples. Guan Yingshan, a 29-year-old from eastern China’s Jiangsu province, registered her marriage in Suzhou’s historic Ou Garden a few months ago.

For Guan, being able to get married inside the picturesque gardens made the day extra special. “It made our marriage registration photos stand out,” she told Sixth Tone.

Even better, couples who register at Ou Garden are able to enter free of charge, Guan added. “It wasn’t just about registering. We also got to explore the gardens and even had a couple’s photoshoot — totally fulfilling.”

(Header image: A couple poses for photos outside a marriage registration office at a park in Nanning, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Aug. 10, 2024. IC)