A newly-wed couple poses for a photo after receiving their marriage certificate at the marriage registration office in Jiyuan City, central China's Henan Province, Aug. 29, 2025. (Photo/Xinhua)

Shanghai - Next Friday, as dusk settles over Shanghai's historically and culturally rich Fuxing Park, the vibrant energy of INS Land will take on a decidedly different feel.

The sprawling entertainment complex, which is usually alive with the buzz of esports and music, will soon play host to couples exchanging vows as part of a groundbreaking government initiative to bring marriage registration ceremonies into the heart of the city's nightlife.

This novel collaboration between the civil affairs bureau of Huangpu District and one of the city's trendiest lifestyle hubs marks the latest attempt to reposition public services for a younger generation, turning marriage registration into the beginning of a greater romance, rather than the end of a gruelling process.

As China confronts a sustained decline in marriage rates, the state is trading the bureaucratic standard for atmospheric ceremonies and WeChat-worthy moments in a bid to integrate marriage into the vibrant night economy.

Friday and Saturday evenings from Nov. 14 to Nov. 22 at INS Land will transform into pop-up marriage-registration points. Couples will be guided through the registration process by a dedicated concierge, receive a custom-design marriage certificate during a themed visual and musical performance, and celebrate afterward with family and friends in a reserved booth area.

This is all about creating unforgettable romantic memories.

Behind the glamour, however, lies a serious national strategy. Marriage registrations in China fell by 20.5 percent in 2024, continuing a years-long slide. Yet recently, something has shifted. In the first half of 2025, the number of couples who tied the knot rose by 109,000 compared to the same period the year before -- a modest but notable rebound.

Key to this momentum is a landmark policy change in the nationwide processing of marriage registration. Couples are no longer required to secure a certificate from their hometown or present a household registration booklet, which is known as a "hukou." An ID card is now sufficient, making the process as flexible as the lives of many young Chinese people today.

"The new system breaks through the restrictions of household registration and geographical limits," said Jin Lihui, director of the marriage management division of Shanghai's civil affairs bureau. "It achieves full applicant, business-type and location coverage."

Experts view the shift as more than administrative. Li Mingshun, a professor at the China Women's University and vice president of the China Association of Marriage and Family Studies, sees it as a substantive transformation of marriage registration work -- from management to services. "It reinforces marriage as a personal civil right," he said.

This change of ideas is visible on the ground across the country. In the eastern coastal Zhejiang Province, local governments offer "wedding red envelopes" or consumption vouchers to newlyweds. In Shenyang, the capital of northeast China's Liaoning Province, city-sponsored group weddings encourage culturally meaningful while frugal ceremonies. In Beijing, a one-stop services center in the bustling Dashilan shopping area of the historic Qianmen district has trimmed the entire marriage registration process to just 10 minutes.

A newly-wed couple is pictured during a group wedding on the south square of the Shenyang Palace Museum in Shenyang, northeast China's Liaoning Province, May 22, 2025. (Photo/Xinhua)

Yet perhaps nowhere is this reinvention of the marriage landscape more vivid than in Huangpu. The Shanghai district has turned marriage registration into a form of experiential entertainment. Previous initiatives have included a themed marriage registration site created in collaboration with renowned jewelry brand Lao Feng Xiang, and a special Qixi Festival nighttime certificate ceremony held near the centuries-old Yuyuan Garden.

And this June, the district upped the ante: Every Saturday night since, three lucky couples have been selected to receive a customized drone show over the Huangpu River, watching their names light up the sky.

The move toward a "sweetness economy" represents a strategic alliance between local governments and private enterprises. By bringing marriage registration to scenic areas, music festivals and lifestyle complexes like INS Land, the state is effectively leveraging the cultural capital of private brands to reconnect with youth.

INS Land -- a seven-story complex billing itself "a one-stop cultural experience center for the next generation" -- fits seamlessly into that vision. From club spaces to live houses, its venues offer an aspirational backdrop far from the glaring lights of civic service halls.

As China's population continues to decline and age, and as young Chinese people are delaying or forgoing marriage -- citing either financial pressures or shifting values -- the country is responding not with persuasion campaigns, but with convenience and aesthetic appeal.

The new energy around marriage registration reflects a broader recalibration of how China is reclaiming dialogue with its youth: through innovation in public services, and with a heartfelt response to the changing lifestyles and aspirations of young people. This approach is pragmatic, personal and deeply integrated with consumer culture.

For the couples set to pose for selfies as the lights dance around them next week, the experience is designed to feel less like a civic duty and more like a milestone -- memorable, shareable, and distinctly theirs.

China's youth-oriented transformation of public services shows no sign of slowing, and marriage registration is likely to take on ever more inventive forms. As cities learn to express the meaning of marriage in a language that resonates with the youth, this ceremony, which was once dreaded as a perfunctory trip to the civil affairs bureau, may yet recover -- and expand -- its former allure.