Chinese ‘cupid’ offers cash to couples who marry

LULIANG, China (AFP) — Moments after registering their marriage, Zhang Gang and Weng Linbin posed in front of a red backdrop adorned with a Chinese government emblem, fanning out the wad of cash they had received as an incentive to wed.

Zhang’s home city of Luliang in northern Shanxi province is one of many places in China where local authorities are offering a slew of inducements to coax couples into tying the knot.

The 1,500-yuan ($205) reward the couple received is part of official efforts to boost the country’s population, which fell for the third straight year in 2024.

The sum is half a month’s average wage for Luliang’s urban population — and more than the monthly average wage for its rural citizens, according to official data.

“I think this policy is quite effective in improving the current marital and romantic situation,” Zhang told Agence France-Presse (AFP).

“When I mentioned this policy to my friends, they all thought it was great.”

More generally, though, authorities are fighting a tide of reluctance from young people.

Last year marriages dropped by a fifth compared to 2023, data released Monday showed.

When it comes to having children, experts say that higher costs — especially for education and childcare — and the challenging employment market for recent graduates are among factors discouraging would-be parents.

When Luliang’s cash incentive for marriage was announced online, many commented that the amount wouldn’t be enough to justify the commitment.

The reward — which has an age cut-off of 35 for women — is just the flashiest part of the package.

The former mining city is also offering subsidies and medical insurance contributions for registering newborns.

Married couples in Luliang are given 2,000 yuan for their first registered child, 5,000 for their second and 8,000 for their third.

At a Luliang marriage registry office on Wednesday, a festival day, a steady stream of couples were taking advantage of the nuptial bounty, which kicked in on 1 January.

The sound of an automatic money counter whirred persistently as lovebirds were handed stacks of fresh 100-yuan bills.

An official at the registry told AFP that since New Year’s Day, their office alone had seen over 400 couples get marriage certificates.

At one point the office ran out of cash, said 36-year-old Wang Yanlong, who came to pick up his money this week after getting married in early January.