Photo: Screenshot from Sina Weibo

As China’s traditional Valentine's Day, Qixi Festival, is approaching, lovebirds in North China’s Tianjin found they can now register their marriage at a local bank, one more new option for local couples to tie the knot. Apart from banks, Chinese newlyweds now have a variety of choices on marriage registration venues across the country as authorities in localities step up their efforts to encourage young people to get married. 

News that couples can now register their marriage at a bank was widely discussed on China’s X-like Sina Weibo. The civil affairs bureau in Hexi district, Tianjin, associated with a local branch of the Postal Savings Bank of China, set up a love-themed bank service site where marriage registration service is offered on every Wednesday and Thursday mornings, the first of its kind across the country, domestic news portal yicai.com reported on Friday. 

According to a staff member at the Hexi district marriage registration office, combined with convenience and a more festive atmosphere, including a flower wall where couples can take photos and check in, the marriage registration site offers a ceremonial experience tailored to the preferences of younger couples, Beijing Youth Daily reported. 

In recent years, marriage registration is moving beyond traditional offices, with some places now setting up service centers in parks, tourist attractions, shopping malls, subway stations, cruise boats, music festivals, banks and even on snow-capped mountains, allowing couples to exchange vows in settings of their choice. 

In Beijing, three outdoor marriage registration sites were set up at Beijing Grand Canal Cultural Scenic Area, Jinghua Fumanyuan, and the Grand Canal Cruise on May 20 this year. They provide couples with a one-stop experience to let couples register their marriage, take photos, enjoy cultural experiences and create lasting keepsakes. Whereas the marriage registration site set up at the Suzhou Museum of Imperial Kiln Brick in Suzhou, East China’s Jiangsu Province, uses the durability of imperial kiln bricks to symbolize lasting love and enduring marriage. 

To promote convenience of marriage registration, starting May 10, 2025, couples will no longer need to register marriages in the location of their hukou, or household registration. 

Since then, couples can get married on the spot while traveling. Many cities and tourist attractions have created new landmark venues for marriage registration, promoting marriage-registration tourism and opening up a new niche service by combining marriage registration with cultural tourism, yicai.com reported. 

Per previous media reports, travel spots including Sayram Lake in Northwest China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region and Yulong Snow Mountain in Southwest China’s Yunnan Province, have offered such services, allowing lovers to make special memory of marriage registration. 

According to He Yafu, an independent demography expert, diversified marriage registration venues are a valuable complement to marriage customs reform and a gateway to the “romance economy.” They make getting married more attractive, convenient and flexible for young people, potentially giving a short-term boost to marriage registrations, He told the Global Times on Sunday.