In Beijing's historic Qianmen area, a marriage registration office opened on Saturday in the bustling Dashilan shopping area, amid a cluster of photo studios and shops offering wedding-related services.
在北京历史悠久的前门地区，一家婚姻登记处上周六在大栅栏商业街区正式启用，周边聚集着众多摄影工作室和婚庆服务机构。
On the same day, a revised version of marriage registration rules started to take effect in China, historically leaving out the former requirement that both the bride and groom need to present their hukou, or the certificate of household registration status, which had been in place since the 1980s.
与此同时，新修订的《婚姻登记条例》于当日在全国正式施行，具有历史意义地取消了自上世纪80年代起实施的新娘和新郎都需持户口簿办理登记的要求。
Foreseeing that the policy revision—mainly to make marriage registrations and related services more convenient—would bring a surging number of registrants, the civil affairs authority set up the new registry to better serve couples.
为应对此次以提升婚姻登记便民服务水平为核心的政策调整可能带来的登记量激增，民政部门特别增设了这处全新登记场所，以更好地为夫妻提供服务。
"Previously, the newlyweds needed to go to the places of their household registration and take the hukou booklets for marriage registration. From now on, they just need to show their ID cards to tie the knot at marriage registration offices anywhere in the country," said Bian Zhihui, a registrar at the new office in downtown Beijing.
工作人员边志辉（Bian Zhihui）介绍：“以往新人必须返回户籍所在地，并携带户口簿才能办理结婚登记。新政实施后，全国范围内任一婚姻登记处只需查验身份证即可为新人办理结婚登记。”
From checking ID cards and photos of the newlyweds and guiding them to fill in the forms, to verifying the information through a nationalized computer network, the whole registration process takes about only 10 minutes.
从核验新人身份证件及合影照片、指导填写申请表，到通过全国联网的信息系统进行数据比对，整个过程仅需约十分钟即可完成。
Bian said the new rule is among a slew of pro-marriage and childbearing policies promulgated by the Chinese government to streamline procedures and give incentives for people aiming to start families.
边志辉（Bian Zhihui）表示，这项新规是中国政府为简化行政流程、提升婚育激励而推出的系列政策之一，旨在通过制度优化鼓励适婚人群组建家庭。
China recorded 1.81 million marriage registrations in the first quarter of this year, marking an 8 percent drop from the same period in 2024, according to data from the Ministry of Civil Affairs.
民政部数据显示，今年第一季度全国结婚登记量为181万对，较去年同期下降8%。
After nine consecutive years of decline, China's marriage registration numbers saw a brief rebound in 2023. However, the downward trend resumed last year, with registrations falling to their lowest level since 1980.
在经历连续九年下滑后，我国结婚登记量曾在2023年出现短暂回升，但去年这一下降趋势再度延续，登记人数已降至1980年以来历史新低。
The new marriage registration office is located in a traditional courtyard building and boasts a one-stop service, allowing couples to choose wedding dresses and suits, take wedding photos or purchase marriage souvenirs.
新设立的婚姻登记处坐落于传统四合院建筑群中，提供从婚纱礼服挑选、结婚照拍摄到婚庆纪念品购置的一站式服务。
A 15-minute walk from the office is the marriage registration service center of the Civil Affairs Bureau of Beijing's Xicheng district. The center has registered more marriages than anywhere else in the capital.
该登记处与西城区民政局婚姻登记服务中心仅相距15分钟步程，是北京市婚姻登记量最大的服务机构。
Xu Zongyi said the center, of which he is a deputy director, recorded nearly 20,000 marriage registrations last year.
其副主任徐宗义（Xu Zongyi）透露，2023年该中心办理结婚登记近2万对。
Xu expects the latest rule change to boost marriage registration by 20 to 30 percent.
徐主任预计，此次政策调整将使辖区婚姻登记量实现20%至30%的增幅。
On Saturday, there were approximately 1,700 marriage registrations recorded in Beijing, among which about 900 pairs were not permanent residents of the capital. Various Chinese provinces and cities have done more than just cut red tape to boost marriage and fertility rates.
上周六，北京市共办理约1700对结婚登记，其中约900对新人非本市户籍居民。中国各地政府为提升结婚率和生育率，已推出一系列超越简化行政程序的创新举措。
In March this year, the provincial government of Zhejiang issued a notice calling local authorities to improve marriage and fertility support policies, with recommended incentives including the distribution of cash in the form of "wedding red envelopes" or consumption vouchers to newlyweds.
今年3月，浙江省政府发布通知，要求各级地方政府完善婚姻及生育支持政策，鼓励采取多种激励措施，其中包括向新婚夫妇发放“婚庆红包”或消费券等。
Yan Yan from the Civil Affairs Bureau of Shenyang, capital of Liaoning province, told Xinhua News Agency that a government-sponsored group wedding for 52 couples is slated for May 22, with the ceremony to be held in the historic Shenyang Palace Museum.
辽宁省会沈阳市民政局婚姻登记处负责人闫岩（Yan Yan）向新华社透露，一场由政府主导的集体婚礼盛典定于5月22日在沈阳故宫博物院举行，届时将有52对新人参与这场文化底蕴深厚的仪式。
"Through the group wedding, we advocate new ways of getting married by infusing traditional customs with the new trend of thrifty practices," Yan said.
“通过将传统婚俗与新时代节俭风尚有机融合，我们旨在通过集体婚礼形式倡导文明简约的婚庆新风尚。”闫岩（Yan Yan）在接受采访时强调。
Liu Qing and Yao Wenjiu, both working in Shenyang away from their home cities, plan to get married this month.
在沈工作的异地青年刘清（Liu Qing）与姚文久（Yao Wenjiu）计划本月完成婚姻登记。
"The new rule allows us to do it more conveniently in the city where we work—you don't have to go back home to 'steal' hukou booklets from parents," Liu said.
刘清（Liu Qing）表示：“新规实施后在工作地就能办理婚姻登记，再也不用像过去那样专程回老家找父母'借'户口簿了。”
While marriage is legally determined and executed autonomously by the parties involved, parental approval and endorsement remain culturally paramount in Chinese marital traditions. For young adults whose household registration remains jointly registered with their parents—even if they live and work elsewhere—previous regulations required them to obtain the family's hukou booklet to complete marriage registration. This effectively meant that registering a marriage first necessitated parental awareness and consent.
在中国传统婚姻文化中，尽管婚姻关系的缔结在法律层面由当事人自主决定，但父母的认可与祝福仍具有至关重要的文化意义。值得注意的是，对于户籍仍与父母共同登记（即便其本人在异地工作生活）的适婚青年群体，既往政策要求婚姻登记必须提交家庭户口簿，这实际上意味着需要父母知情且同意后才能登记结婚。
Wang Jun, a marriage and family counselor, said marriage registration reform eliminates the mandatory household registration booklet requirement, granting individuals full autonomy in marital decisions.
资深婚姻家庭咨询师王君（Wang Jun）表示，此次婚姻登记制度改革废除了户籍簿的硬性规定，切实保障了公民在婚姻决策中的充分自主权。
With more than 10 years of experience, Wang volunteers as a counselor at the Xicheng district marriage registration service center.
拥有十余年从业经验的王君（Wang Jun）目前在西城区婚姻登记服务中心担任志愿咨询师。
"Parents' opinions are traditionally deemed authoritative to help their children choose the 'right' spouses and avoid risks in future marriage. Nowadays, many young people are more inclined to seek help through counseling," Wang said.
她分析道：“传统观念认为父母的意见具有权威性，能帮助子女甄选'合适'的婚配对象，规避未来婚姻风险。但如今更多年轻人倾向于通过专业咨询寻求婚恋指导。”
However, she warned that under the rule, there might be a higher possibility of impulsive "flash marriages" and divorces, especially among young people who lack experience in intimate relationships and family issues.
不过她特别指出，新规实施后冲动型“闪婚”及后续离婚现象可能增多，尤其在缺乏亲密关系经营能力和家庭矛盾处理经验的青年群体当中。
marriage registration office
婚姻登记处
take effect
生效
household registration
户籍;户口登记
newlyweds
/'nju:lɪˌwed/
n. 新婚夫妇; 新婚的人
flash marriages
闪婚
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