New Marriage Registration Options Boost China’s “Romance Economy”

Dragon Media News Desk

China’s growing range of wedding venues and services is helping expand an economy built around marriage and tourism. Couples can now register their marriages and celebrate at venues that reflect their interests and personal stories, including sports stadiums, music festivals, university campuses and tourist destinations.

Since May 2025, couples have been able to register their marriages at any qualified civil affairs office across China, without being restricted to the locality where their household is registered. The change has made it easier to combine marriage registration with travel, Chinese media reported.

A temporary registration venue was recently set up outside a football stadium in Wuxi, Jiangsu Province, during a match. One football-loving couple registered their marriage in front of cheering fans and family members. In Nanjing, couples can register in traditional attire, while some cities have held ceremonies at music festivals and university campuses.

By the end of 2025, China had established 1,330 outdoor venues for presenting marriage certificates and 525 registration sites in parks and other landmark locations, according to the Ministry of Civil Affairs. Younger couples increasingly value personal experiences, a sense of ceremony and lasting memories, said Zhou Yongbo, a professor at Soochow University.

Lijiang in Yunnan Province has expanded services combining weddings, photography and honeymoon travel. More than 140,000 couples visited the city in 2025, and its wedding industry generated a market worth over 1.1 billion yuan. A wedding-planning company said it organized more than 280 ceremonies in the first year after shifting its focus to customized weddings.

Wedding photography packages in Lijiang start at around 10,000 yuan and may include costumes, makeup, private transport and accommodation. In Dali, also in Yunnan, businesses have developed more than 30 wedding venues, including lakeside settings and traditional courtyards of the Bai ethnic group. Couples can combine their wedding ceremonies with visits to nearby attractions.

Local governments are also adding health and legal services to the registration process. A premarital health centre has opened inside a marriage registration office in Beijing’s Haidian District. In Chengdu, court staff provide couples with information on marriage rights, jointly owned property and resolving family disputes.

Some localities have introduced wedding-spending vouchers and other incentives for newlyweds. Many provinces have extended marriage leave, with the longest period reaching 30 days. In 2025, China announced 23 measures to support childbirth and child-rearing. Some regions have made childbirth-related medical expenses free or largely free, while Jiangsu Province has introduced childcare service vouchers.

Premarital education and legal advice can help young couples understand their rights and responsibilities, Professor Zhou said. He added that sustaining the economy around romance and marriage requires continued innovation in public services.