BEIJING, May 10 (Xinhua) -- "It took us 45 phone calls before we finally secured an appointment," Lu Wei recalled, describing his marriage registration trip with his wife along the shores of the picturesque Erhai Lake in southwest China's Yunnan Province.
In March, the post-2000s couple from Guangdong Province obtained their marriage certificate at an official registration venue inside the Erhai Lake scenic area.
A pre-booked photographer captured their special moment by the lakeside. For the couple, marriage registration is no longer merely an administrative formality, but a memorable highlight they will cherish for years to come.
Stories like this have become increasingly common across China, one year after a nationwide policy update in May 2025. The reform, the first major revision to China's marriage registration ordinance in more than two decades, allows residents to complete marriage registration at any qualified civil affairs registry nationwide, and abolishes the household registration booklet as a mandatory application document.
The policy revision is designed to adapt to China's highly mobile population. The country is home to around 376 million migrant residents, and cross-provincial employment and intercity living have become the norm. Under the old rules, couples were required to return to the household registration place of either partner to register their marriage, adding both time and financial costs and, in some cases, delaying marriage plans.
The reform -- aimed at lowering institutional thresholds and enabling cross-regional marriage registration -- is driving changes in both marriage choices and related consumption trends.
Data from the Ministry of Civil Affairs shows China registered 6.76 million marriages in 2025, up 657,000 year-on-year.
Simplified registration procedures are conducive to the marriage rebound in many regions, said Yuan Xin, vice president of the China Population Association and professor at Nankai University.
Yang Fan, associate dean of the School of Population and Health at Renmin University of China, echoed the view.
Practical improvements keep rolling out to make registration easier. For instance, online reservation systems and extended service hours have further facilitated the process nationwide, reducing the average registration time to around 15 minutes in many places.
Another notable shift concerns the venues of marriage registration. Nowadays, they could be in marriage registration offices or parks and scenic spots.
A young woman surnamed Chen from Hunan Province in central China is a typical example. She and her partner planned a 20-day road trip spanning Lanzhou, Dunhuang and Xinjiang, tying the knot by Sayram Lake in Xinjiang on May 7.
Her experience encapsulates the trend of integrating marriage registration with tourism. Local authorities nationwide are actively tapping into this potential by integrating marriage services with tourism and wedding-related industries.
In Yiwu, Zhejiang Province, local authorities have set up a full business chain that covers wedding photography, event planning, and commemorative consumption.
In Zhejiang's Taishun County, couples can register for marriage beside ancient covered bridges, try on local ethnic wedding attire, and stay at nearby boutique homestays, turning the registration into a mini honeymoon getaway. The initiative has generated over 20 million yuan in wedding tourism revenue.
On social media platform Xiaohongshu, topics themed on "ceremonial marriage registration" have amassed nearly 700 million views.
The trend is giving strong impetus to China's "sweet economy." Consumption demand has expanded from on-site makeup, styling and photography to accommodation and catering.
From a broader policy perspective, China is steadily improving its marriage and childbearing support policies to foster a more enabling environment amid long-term demographic challenges.
The government has rolled out a range of family benefits, including an annual tax-free childcare subsidy of 3,600 yuan for families with children under three, as well as free tuition for the final year of kindergarten.
Yang Fan noted that policy effects take time to materialize. "It is a gradual process," Yang said, adding that long-term stability and policy continuity are key. ■
