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Free admission to tourist attractions, extended office hours: Chinese cities roll out measures to encourage couples tie the knot on Qixi_我的网站
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From group weddings and free admission to tourist attractions for newlyweds, to extended hours at marriage registration offices, cities across China rolled out a range of measures around Wednesday to make it easier for couples to tie the knot on Qixi Festival, often known as Chinese Valentine's Day.
Tourist attractions in several Chinese cities, including Meishan in Southwest China's Sichuan Province, Zhoukou in Central China's Henan Province, Yueyang in Central China's Hunan Province and Hanzhong in Northwest China's Shaanxi Province, have announced free or discounted admission for newlyweds to mark Qixi Festival.
The Jiangkou Sunken Silver Museum in Meishan is offering free admission from August 19 to 23 to newlyweds who register their marriages in the city between August 19 and 21, an employee surnamed Zhao told the Global Times. She said couples can enter the museum by presenting their marriage certificates and identity documents.
She said the museum also offers interactive activities for couples, including photo opportunities with golden bowls and cups symbolizing a marriage "stronger than gold," as well as a scavenger hunt for artifacts associated with love, such as ancient rings.
Zhao said the initiative was designed to embrace the festive spirit of Qixi while also conveying the museum's best wishes to newlyweds.
At the Taihao Fuxi Mausoleum cultural tourism area in Zhoukou, couples can receive free admission on August 19 by presenting their marriage certificate and identification.
Junshan Island in Yueyang has set up a special marriage registration station for Qixi Festival, where couples can register their marriages and receive their marriage certificates on site. Couples who register on the island that day will also be granted free admission to the attraction for life, media reported.
Meanwhile, the Hanjiangyuan Scenic Area in Shaanxi is offering 99 couples lifetime free admission. The benefit is registered to the two individuals in each couple and, in a playful twist, becomes permanently invalid if either person changes partner.
Qixi Festival has long been a popular date for couples to register their marriages. Marriage registration offices in several Chinese cities have extended their opening hours to accommodate couples hoping to tie the knot on the traditionally romantic occasion.
In Shenzhen, South China's Guangdong Province, marriage registration offices across the city are accepting both online appointments and walk-ins on August 19. Local civil affairs authorities said the offices will remain open until all couples waiting to register have been served, even if online appointment slots are fully booked.
Similar measures have been introduced in Dazhou, Southwest China's Sichuan Province, where registration offices will remain open through the lunch break and extend their hours in the evening. In Dachuan district, staff will arrive an hour early, forgo their lunch break and stay beyond normal closing time until all couples present have completed their marriage registrations.
A Dazhou resident surnamed Mo told the Global Times that she had initially worried about whether she would be able to secure an appointment on August 19, but found there were enough slots available for marriage registration.
"Choosing Qixi to get married makes the day even more meaningful," Mo said, adding that she and her husband wore traditional Chinese hanfu for the occasion.
On August 13, a group wedding was held at Fuxi Cultural Square in Xihe county, Northwest China's Gansu Province, as part of celebrations for Qixi Festival. About 100 couples from across Longnan, including newlyweds and couples celebrating their silver and golden wedding anniversaries, took part in the ceremony, Gansu Daily reported.
During the event, the newlyweds signed pledges promoting simpler wedding customs, including zero or low bride prices, while rejecting excessive bride prices, lavish ceremonies and competitive spending. Participants also jointly read an initiative advocating simpler marriage customs and pledged to embrace commitment and thrift in their married lives.
China registered 3.275 million marriages in the first half of this year, down 264,000 from the same period last year, while 1.383 million divorces were recorded, according to data released by the Ministry of Civil Affairs last week.
According to statistics, China recorded 3.539 million marriages and 1.331 million divorces in the first half of 2025, compared with 3.43 million marriages and 1.274 million divorces in the same period of 2024.
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Chen is a 34-year-old content creator whose job requires him to routinely stay up late and maintain a high-fat, high-salt diet. This unhealthy lifestyle pushed his weight up to 120 kilograms, which prompted him to lose weight.
After conducting online research, Chen turned to an AI tool to devise a "scientific" weight-loss plan. The algorithm recommended that he climb stairs for 90 minutes every day and play badminton twice a week, with each session lasting for two to three hours. It even instructed him to keep exercising without pause, even if his clothes were completely soaked in sweat, Sichuan Daily reported.
On the dietary front, the AI‑generated plan prescribed two eggs, half a steamed bun, and a glass of milk for breakfast; 75 grams of beef and 75 grams of vegetables for lunch; and a single serving of yogurt for dinner.
Forty‑five days into the plan, Chen had shed 20 kilograms. Yet after catching a cold, he continued his workouts, a decision that soon landed him in the emergency room. By the time he arrived at the hospital, he had become incoherent and subsequently slipped into a coma, according to the report.
Test results confirmed that Chen was in septic shock, a severe systemic inflammatory response triggered by infection, which subsequently led to multiple organ dysfunction syndrome, Sichuan Daily reported. "Had he been brought in a few hours later, he might have been beyond rescue," the physician said.
Medical intervention pulled him back from the brink. Still, he was baffled as to how a supposedly scientific approach could have nearly cost him his life.
Cao Lianghai, deputy director of the intensive care unit at the treating hospital, said Chen's chronic sleep deprivation had already weakened his immune system's self‑regulating capacity, adding that extreme calorie restriction further suppressed immune function, while excessive high-intensity exercise triggered persistent inflammatory responses, pushing his immune system toward collapse.
The combination of strenuous exercise and fasting led to severe dehydration, which in turn triggered an acute kidney stone attack, said Cao. This caused a blockage and a urinary tract infection, ultimately culminating in a systemic inflammatory response, he added.
"AI can calculate calorie deficits, yet it cannot gauge the true physiological limits of the human body," the doctor warned.
Global Times
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