Self- service wedding terminals spark debate by Chinese netizens

Some cities in East China’s Jiangsu Province sparked debate on social media on Thursday by offering self- service terminals for local marriage registration procedures, a move that can shorten the process from 15- 20 minutes to about five minutes. Netizens worry it may weaken the sense of ceremony of marriage, leading to hasty weddings.

To get a marriage certificate, a new couple need only scan their identity documents, including ID cards and hukou ( household registration) booklets, and then input their basic information, said a staffer at the Xinghua marriage registration center in the city of Taizhou.

“It’s as convenient as buying a train ticket,” the staffer told the Global Times on Thursday.

Chinese netizens nonetheless had a cold response to the machine, with many Weibo users grumbling that such an overly simple process “kills the sense of sacredness in getting married.”

The self- service terminal also sparked concerns on possible hasty, impulsive marriages. Some netizens worried as well that the process may lead to fraud.

“What if people who have intellectual or psychological disorders are deceived into scanning their materials?” one wrote.

Xu Shanshan, a female lawyer, said she doesn’t support the self- service machine or similar simplifications of marriage registration. “The lack of careful consideration before marriage may bring potential risks to a couple’s life after marriage.”

In the Xinghua center, more than 200 couples have used the system since it opened at the beginning of February. Applicants will initially have their identity documents checked by the center’s staffers before using the machine, the center told the Global Times.