In order to address the high costs of declining marriages and lowering the birth rate

China is fighting a battle to reform marriage traditions and hold mass wedding ceremonies

• Mass weddings are a way for Chinese local governments to cut costs and encourage young people to get married.

  Reuters

• The one-child policy created a demographic imbalance and changed marriage habits.

  archival

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China recently announced the launch of a pioneering three-year experiment to "reform marriage traditions" with the aim of addressing the high costs that led to a decline in the rate of marriages, and thus a decline in the birth rate.

And soon, the couples of engaged and engaged couples in Chongqing, one of China's largest cities, are preparing to participate in a government-sponsored mass wedding, as part of the experiment.

The extravagance, and some of the old traditions of marriage, may become reprehensible, at the official level.

The goal of the reform is to eliminate the high costs and traditions that contribute to the decline in marriage and birth rates in the country, according to a report by journalist Adam Minter, published by Bloomberg News.

Minter says that officials in China hope that these reforms will help in the long run, to stop the looming decline in the population, and the writer believes that this is a risky bet.

For decades, the central government has allowed Chinese families to run their own affairs, with little interference and a few exceptions.

The writer believes that the extension of government regulations to include wedding traditions, represents a major shift, rather than causing a boom in the number of children, is likely to lead to a state of resentment.

The best bonding between families

Historically, marriage procedures were arranged in order to lead to the best possible bonding between families. To secure the arrangement of the marriage, the groom's family was expected to pay a "bride's dowry" which could include anything from jewelry to cash or farm animals. In less affluent circumstances, the price was a compensation for the daughter's loss of work. It was seen elsewhere, as a sign of fidelity and a means of bonding families. This tradition continued openly until the fifties of the last century, when the new communist government banned forced marriage, but it re-emerged again, nevertheless, during the eighties, with the reopening of politics and the economy.

Since Chinese law favors the property rights of men in the event of a divorce, the bride's dowry protects the wife and her family if the marriage fails. In rural societies, where women are relatively scarce (due to the continuing effects of control over the lives of the population), the "bride's dowry" rises rapidly. In some areas, it is not uncommon for a family to ask for $30,000, or more, for one of their daughters, an amount that could wipe out the savings of the groom and his family.

Of course, the "bride's dowry" is often cited as the main reason for the decline in the rate of marriages in the country.

But there are other expenses that also have a strong impact, as the banquets held during wedding ceremonies are symbolic and rich events, they not only celebrate the newlyweds, but also allow the husband's family to demonstrate its respect for the guests and relationships with them.

In order to do this, the family often spends lavishly.

On the level of ambition and social rise, this resulted in a kind of “arms race” in the establishment of banquets, which contributed to the prosperity of the wedding party industry, which amounts to about 130 billion dollars.

demographic crisis

For decades, the authorities have been content to leave such matters to families, but China's looming demographic crisis - along with President Xi Jinping's desire to relieve pressure on the middle class - is about to change the equation.

In April, the Chinese government announced that a plan to reform wedding traditions would begin in 15 cities and regions.

The plan aims, among other goals, to reduce the costs of marriage and eliminate vulgar practices, which are inconsistent with "authentic social values", such as the pranks that the groom is exposed to on the wedding night.

As with most government rules at the national level, the details were left to local governments, and this led to a period of rapid innovation of wedding traditions, with official attempts to advise moderation.

For example, in Chengdu, the government built a romantic corridor for lovers, filled with traffic lights in the shape of hearts, where the bride and groom are asked to meditate on the seriousness of their marriage, as well as on the benefits of mass weddings that take place there from time to time.

Elsewhere, the persuasion process is more straightforward. Guangzhou has launched pre-nuptial counseling services, which, among other things, give the local government the opportunity to dissuade newlyweds from expensive wedding traditions.

In rural Shaanxi province, where women are relatively scarce, a committee of "high-ranking villagers" is pressuring families to reduce the "bride dowry".

In concluding the report, author Minter says that these efforts will not succeed in canceling traditions that, in some cases, go back thousands of years.

More importantly, it is not likely to discourage women who postpone marriage and childbearing for the sake of their careers.

At best, feasting may be ostentatious, but more vigorous efforts would push the expensive ritual out of sight, into the circles of Chinese families who defend it and see it as their own.

• The city of Guangzhou has launched pre-nuptial counseling services, which, among other things, gives the local government the opportunity to dissuade newlyweds from expensive wedding traditions.

• The city of Chengdu built a romantic corridor for lovers, filled with traffic lights in the form of hearts, where the bride and groom are asked to meditate on the seriousness of their marriage, as well as the benefits of group weddings that are held there from time to time.

• For decades, the central government has allowed Chinese families to run their own affairs, with little interference on its part, and some exceptions.

• Expanding government regulations to include wedding traditions is a major shift. Instead of sparking a baby boom, it is likely to lead to resentment.

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