Thousands Participate in Traditional Group Weddings Across China
President Xi Jinping's big announcement to combat the declining birthrate Government-sponsored, free of charge participation and in some cases, luxurious gifts
Anxiety” among young people
Will government-sponsored mass wedding ceremonies really be the answer to the declining birthrate? Mr. Zhou is skeptical.
The bottleneck is the expensive wedding gifts, such as cars and precious metals, given by men to women, which are customary in China. The total cost of these gifts can run into the millions of yen, so how can young people, who are suffering from high unemployment, come up with the money? Marriage will only increase their hardships and provide few benefits. In the first place, young people are cold toward government policies. In China, many things are subject to government regulation, including education and speech. They would probably prefer that the government not interfere in the ultimate private decisions, such as marriage and childbirth.”
In order to increase the birth rate, we should make it a priority to relieve the anxiety of young people rather than holding lavish mass weddings. ……
From the November 1-8, 2024 issue of FRIDAY
PHOTO： Afro VCG/Afro
