Using Money to Fool the Masses! Cash Rewards for Marriage Ridiculed as a Superficial Fix

Photo: On May 12, 2021, a couple walks with their newborn baby in a local park in Beijing, China. ( Photo by Kevin Frayer/Getty Images.)

[People News] Recently, several local governments in China have announced cash incentives to encourage young people to get married. This policy quickly became a hot topic of public debate. Due to economic downturns and difficulty finding jobs, many young people have chosen to “lie flat,” living a frugal life without marriage or children. As a result, the number of marriages in 2024 dropped to a 45-year low, and the first quarter of 2025 saw a further decline. These cash incentives are seen as a desperate move by local governments, though many believe they will have little real effect.

According to the Chinese Ministry of Civil Affairs website, on April 25, it published its "2025 Q1 Civil Affairs Statistical Data", showing that during the first quarter of this year, there were 1.81 million marriage registrations and 630,000 divorce registrations. Compared to the first quarter of 2024, marriage registrations decreased by 159,000 pairs, while divorces increased by 57,000.

Earlier reports by The Paper indicated that in 2024, national marriage registrations fell to 6.106 million couples — a 20.5% year-on-year drop — marking the largest decline since records began in 1978.

To address young people’s reluctance to date and marry, Chinese local governments have rolled out various measures. For example, couples can now register their marriages at subway stations and shopping malls, and household registration restrictions have been lifted, so migrant workers no longer need to return to their hometowns to get a marriage certificate. Recently, some local governments have even started offering cash rewards for marriage. However, many believe this strategy is ineffective. Some netizens have bluntly stated that this is just another way for the local government to “use money to fool the masses.”

A video shared online on April 15 shows that Naling Village in Longgui, Baiyun District of Guangzhou issued a “Trial Marriage Reward Implementation Plan”, stipulating that newlywed couples where one or both parties are registered shareholders in the village can receive up to 40,000 yuan (approx. $5,500 USD).

In Zhejiang Province, a March 2025 provincial notice titled "Measures to Improve the Birth Support Policy System" encouraged regions with the capacity to offer marriage bonuses or consumer coupons to eligible couples. Even earlier, some parts of Zhejiang had already implemented marriage incentive policies. For instance, in April 2023, Shangyu District of Shaoxing City introduced 13 policy measures to optimise childbirth support, including a 1,000-yuan gift package for each couple who registered their marriage locally. In August of the same year, Changshan County in Quzhou City announced a 1,000-yuan reward for first-time married couples where the bride is 25 or younger and at least one spouse has local household registration.

Starting January 1 this year, Lüliang City in Shanxi Province began offering a 1,500-yuan cash bonus, given on the spot as a red envelope at the registration window, to first-time married couples where the bride is 35 or younger.

As the wave of marriage-promotion measures grew, the topic “Many Regions Announce Cash Incentives for Marriage” surged on social media on April 26. Due to the government's reputation for being untrustworthy, many netizens mocked the move, saying things like: “Hope they implement it quickly — I need to give the money to my wife,” and “Whatever the CCP says, it always turns out the opposite.”

Some netizens commented: “Ten thousand yuan isn’t much of an incentive. No one is that desperate for a few thousand bucks. If the root problem isn’t addressed, this won’t help.”

“If we’ve reached the point where people need incentives to get married, the authorities must know what’s really behind this! It’s treating the symptom, not the cause.”

“Make education free, provide universal healthcare, and ensure retirement — then let’s see what happens! Solving just one of those problems could make a huge difference. Giving a sweet date doesn’t make people want to be your ox or horse — it’s unrealistic.”

“Lower housing prices and raise incomes — that’s how you relieve the anxiety around marriage and childbirth.”

“I remember when I was a kid, the most common stories were: someone’s wife was forced into an abortion for having a second child; someone had their house torn down for violating family planning policies; women were forcibly sterilised. Now, it’s all about encouraging births, and nobody wants to do it. What an irony!”

“Seeing all the current marriage and childbirth propaganda reminds me of the old days chasing people for family planning. Fines, destruction, punishment — how times have changed. It's truly ironic.”

Back in March 2024, an article titled "The Ten Don'ts of the New Era Youth" went viral. It listed ten behaviours reflecting the "lying flat" mindset of young people. According to Radio Free Asia, the ten “don’ts” are: 1. Don’t donate blood. 2. Don’t donate money. 3. Don’t get married. 4. Don’t have kids. 5. Don’t buy a house. 6. Don’t buy lottery tickets. 7. Don’t invest in the stock market. 8. Don’t buy mutual funds. 9. Don’t help fallen elderly people. 10. Don’t be emotionally moved. This “Ten Don’ts Youth” phenomenon sparked heated discussion.

A netizen from Shandong, Ms. Lu, commented: “People don’t donate blood because it’s linked to organ transplants — what if they match a patient and then something happens to them later? They don’t donate money because they can’t even support themselves. Many donations get embezzled anyway.”

She believes the “Ten Don’ts Youth” movement mainly applies to those born after 2000. Young people today face tremendous life pressure, so they choose not to marry, have kids, or buy homes.

A Weibo user asked in a comment: “When society forces youth into this kind of mindset, do you think they will still support the government? This is a very serious issue — it’s an alternative form of protest against the CCP’s social system.”