CN "Nongchon Nochonggak Baepil Chajumyeon 180,000 Won Deurimnida"

Avoiding Marriage and Childbirth... Village Directly Arranges Youth Marriages
Number of First-Time Newlyweds Last Year 1.06 Million ↓ Record Low

A rural village in China has started offering rewards to find spouses for unmarried men amid a trend of avoiding marriage and childbirth.

According to local media such as Huashangbao on the 25th, the Xiangjiazhuang Village Committee in Sugu Town, Weibin District, Baoji City, Shanxi (陝西) Province recently announced that it will pay a "referral fee" of 1,000 yuan (about 182,000 won) to anyone who introduces a spouse for unmarried men in the village.

Chinese Wedding Ceremony Held on July 7th, the Day of Chilseok
Photo by Xinhua News Agency, Yonhap News Agency

The village committee stated, "This is to promote the marriage of the increasing number of unmarried young people in the village," and added, "It will be piloted for three years starting from January next year."

A village committee official said, "Although there are only about 1,000 permanent residents in 243 households, it is a livable village that has received honorary titles such as 'Advanced Grassroots Party Organization,'" and added, "The village itself has stepped in to help the youth get married."

Earlier, the Caozhuang Village Committee in Wuzhi County, Jiaozuo City, Henan Province also announced earlier this year that it would pay a reward of 1,000 yuan to those who find spouses for unmarried men aged 28 and above in the village. In fact, in May, a matchmaker received a reward when a man in the village got married.

Although Chinese authorities have introduced various childbirth encouragement policies such as childbirth subsidies, preferential benefits for college entrance exams and home purchases, and extended maternity leave, the trend of avoiding not only childbirth but also marriage continues to spread among young people, becoming a social issue.

According to the National Bureau of Statistics of China, the number of first marriages last year was 10,517,600, a decrease of 1.06 million from the previous year, which was the lowest ever. The number of first marriages falling below 11 million is the first time in 37 years since related statistics began to be collected in 1985.

Among them, the number of newborns last year was only 9.56 million, falling below 10 million annually for the first time in 73 years since 1949. Due to the continuous decline in newborns, 5,610 kindergartens across China closed last year.