On August 20th, the marriage registration office opened at the Maternal and Child Health Hospital (Qidu Hospital) in Linzi District, Zibo City, Shandong Province, China. This news quickly became a hot topic on August 21st. With this new service, people can now obtain marriage certificates in various places in mainland China, such as banks, subways, and service areas along highways.
According to various media sources including Upstream News, on August 20th, the Linzi District Integrated Media Center in Shandong Province released a video announcing the official establishment of the marriage registration office at the Maternal and Child Health Hospital in Linzi District (Qidu Hospital). Couples can now complete the entire process of obtaining a marriage certificate, pre-marital check-ups, and pregnancy preparations on the same floor, providing a one-stop service for “marriage and parenting.”
It was reported that this marriage registration office operates on weekends and public holidays, ensuring that first-time marriage registrations are processed smoothly.
Furthermore, there is also a marriage registration office at the Maternal and Child Health Hospital in Bozhou City, Anhui Province.
In recent years, not only hospitals but also subway stations and banks in mainland China have started offering marriage registration services. In some places, marriage registration service centers have been set up in parks, tourist attractions, shopping malls, cruise ships, music festivals, and even on snowy mountains.
A report from the “Tianjin Daily” on August 6th revealed that the Donghai Marriage Registration Office in Hexi District officially opened to the public, becoming the first marriage registration point set up at a bank branch in mainland China.
According to the “Yanzhao Evening News,” on June 30th, the Luquan District Marriage Registration Office in Shijiazhuang City was officially inaugurated on the second floor of the Riding Theme Mall in the Shijiazhuang West Service Area along the expressway.
Regarding the trend of moving marriage registration offices out of government offices and into various social venues in mainland China, some commentators believe that these changes not only make obtaining certificates more convenient but also add a sense of ceremony to the process.
However, some internet users feel that these changes make marriage registration seem too casual and lacking in seriousness. There are also concerns that if marriage registration becomes too accessible, divorce might also become too easy.
Yet, some netizens argue that the reason for making marriage registration available everywhere is the significant decrease in the number of people getting married, hoping to encourage more people to tie the knot.
One internet user, named “From Jingxingyan’s naive and romantic Changjinlu,” commented: “With this set-up, everyone is too scared to get married.”
Another user, “hanyang616,” joked: “Just make a marriage registration app, complete the process online, much more convenient.”