Divorce is on the rise in China. For some, that means new businesses

Beijing/Hong Kong
CNN
—

Tan Mengmeng is a wedding photographer whose work largely revolves around photographing couples getting married, as well as capturing the joy and happiness that comes from the love between two people.

But China’s marriage rate has been steadily declining, and the 28-year-old, who runs a photography studio in the central province of Henan, felt the need to increase her source of income to capitalize on a growing trend: divorce.

In addition to photographing couples exchanging vows, he now also photographs couples who want to commemorate, and in many cases celebrate, the end of their marriage.

Official figures show that China’s marriage rate has been falling rapidly, falling from about 13 million per year in 2013 to below 7 million in 2022, the lowest since records began in 1985, according to China’s National Bureau of Statistics.

The country’s population grew slightly last year, approaching 8 million, but authorities remain concerned about the trend.

Meanwhile, divorce rates have soared to a record 4.7 million in 2019, more than four times higher than two decades earlier, according to the data.

The government tried to reverse the rise by introducing a new law in 2021 requiring couples to go through a 30-day “cooling off” period before splitting. That led to a temporary drop, but divorce rates have since risen again, up 25% in 2023 compared with the previous year, the data showed.

These two changes have contributed to a deepening demographic crisis facing the world’s second-largest economy, a crisis compounded by an economic slowdown, a rapidly aging population and the fact that, after decades of a one-child policy, fewer women are choosing to have children.

Tan says she started offering her photography services to divorcees after she noticed long lines outside government offices that handle divorces.

Since last year, Tan has photographed about 30 couples, capturing moments of despair and joy as their marriages break up.

“It’s good business. After all, the joy and sadness are worth noting,” Tan said.

Her journey through China’s evolving divorce situation reveals much about the country’s changing approach to marriage.

While divorce was once stigmatized in Chinese society, which has always placed great emphasis on family unity and stability, many young people now choose not to marry. For those who do, there is greater acceptance if the marriage does not work out.

The cultural shift has led to a boom in the divorce photography business, not only for Tan but for other photographers looking to cash in.

Photos shared on Chinese social media by Xiaohongshu show couples signing divorce papers and couples posing with their divorce certificate.

“29 years old. Happy divorce,” one user wrote alongside a photo of her marriage and divorce certificates side by side.

Companies are now also offering services that involve the ceremonial disposal of divorcees’ old wedding mementos and other unwanted keepsakes.

Peng Xiujian, a senior research fellow at Victoria University in Australia, says the changing times reflect the fact that the younger generation is prioritising personal freedom and professional development.

“The idea of ​​staying in an unhappy marriage ‘for the sake of appearances’ or out of a sense of duty is losing its appeal,” she said.

Peng, who studies demographic trends in China, attributes the decline in marriage rates to economic and social factors, including a high-stress work environment, a competitive job market and a high cost of living.

Tan says there is no longer anything to be ashamed of for those who decide to divorce.

“There’s no shame in being brave enough to get divorced,” Tan said. “Both parties still have feelings… and they want to commemorate the relationship.”

One couple who hired Tan chose the restaurant where they had their first date. The pair ordered a few nostalgic dishes while sitting across from each other without moving. “By the end of the photoshoot, they were both crying,” Tan said.

Tan said that although they cared for each other, the wife could not stand the arguments with her in-laws and her husband was too busy with work to help resolve the conflicts.

Of course, some breakups are not so mutual.

Tan said the man spent the entire photoshoot playing with his phone. The woman started crying.

When the woman got the photos back, she noticed there wasn’t much of her ex-husband in them. “I didn’t dare tell her it was a man who asked me to try not to take pictures of his face,” Tan said.

Shortly after, Tan learned the man had booked another photographer to take wedding photos of his new partner.

While most of the orders go to women, Tan says she also makes sure that men contribute to the costs.

In a factory 60 miles outside the Chinese capital, Beijing, Liu Wei and his team run a business that helps divorced couples destroy evidence of their marriage.

The faces on old wedding photos are spray-painted to provide privacy and then thrown into the crusher along with other memorabilia.

For those desperately seeking closure and moving forward, the entire process is filmed.

Liu said he sometimes feels like a doctor who has to cope with a separation without getting carried away by his emotions.

“Divorce is not necessarily a bad thing. It can be a good thing. So there is no reason to be sad about it,” Liu told CNN.

His services, which cost between $8 and $28, are in such high demand that business is booming, he said. He has destroyed the wedding photos of about 2,500 couples since opening his factory in 2021.

Gary Ng, an economist at French investment bank Natixis, said that while it was difficult to predict the market’s size and growth opportunities, the rising divorce rate in China meant “there will definitely be more economic activity around it.”

Tan, a photographer, is already thinking about how to expand her business. Her latest plan is to lure in returning clients in case fate brings divorced couples back together.

“I’ll give them an 18% discount if these two people get married again and ask me to take their photos,” she said.