In an initiative to boost marriage rates, a local government in Northwest China set up a civil registration booth at a music festival that allowed couples to tie the knot on the spot.
Music lovers at the Super Strawberry Music Festival on July 12 and 13 in Shuimogou District of Urumqi, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region could marry by just providing valid ID cards and taking three portrait photos for their marriage certificate.
In the past two months, other city governments have also offered marriage registration services at music festivals, such as Chengdu, Sichuan Province and Ningbo, Zhejiang Province, the latter of which saw 10 couples get hitched.
The trend follows a recent revision of China’s Marriage Registration Ordinance that allows couples to marry at any authorized location nationwide without needing to return to their household registration location.
The policy has generated a chorus of support online, where supporters praised it for the convenience and helping modernize a typically bureaucratic procedure and bring a fresh, festive touch to what should be a memorable life event. However, critics sounded off, saying that the emotional highs of a music festival might lead some to make impulsive decisions they may later regret.
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