News 2

On the 1st of January, new regulations will come into effect which eliminate an annual leave bonus for people who put off marrying until the age of 23 for women, and 25 for men, the South China Morning Post reports. (3) The holiday bonus was designed to encourage young people to delay getting married in line with China’s one child policy. But with that policy now being abolished, this holiday incentive is no longer necessary, the government says.

In Shanghai, a young couple at a marriage registration office told the paper that they decided to register their marriage as soon as possible to take advantage of the existing policy, because an extra holiday was a big deal for them. In Beijing, one registration office had about 300 couples seeking to get married the day after the changes were announced, rather than the usual number of between 70 and 80. (4) But one lawyer tells the paper that the changes still have to be adopted by local governments and these procedures take time, so people who are rushing to register for marriage can relax.

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Question 3: What was the purpose of the annual leave bonus in China?

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Question 4: What do we learn about the new regulations?