A new interesting service is initiated by the Bureau of Civil Affairs, allowing couples to write letters that they will receive 7 years after marriage. It is hoped that such measure will promote more stable marriages and lower divorce rates. This article presents the initiation of such service in Beijing.
领取红色结婚证[1]同时，给自己和爱人写一封信，收信日期则是7年之后。昨天起，市民政局[2]和各区县婚姻登记部门[3]推出这项免费的新服务，让新人的"鸿雁传情"[4]跨越7年时间距离，鼓励他们信守对爱情、婚姻的承诺。
记者昨天看到，这份邮寄给7年后的信件，由一个大信封和两个小信封组成。新人写完信件后，先封入小信封、填上自己的收信地址，然后一起装入特制的大信封，投进普通邮筒[5]即可。
"我们写下的都是对自己未来生活的美好期待，希望7年后再看到它时，其中的一些愿望已经实现了。"昨天，新人[6]郑斐和郭彦宏正式在海淀婚姻登记处[7]登记结婚，婚登处向新人免费赠送"爱情寄语"信封。领婚姻证后，小两口[8]就迫不及待[9]地在粉红色的信纸上写下了各自的新婚祝福[10]，然后放入特制的印有"囍"[11]字的大信封中。
记者发现，"爱情邮局"的邮政编码也是特设的，"100099"祝福新人"爱情天长地久[12]"的寓意。各区县婚登处未同时开通这一服务，但预计在今后一周内都能提供足够的特制信封。
据了解，近年来本市离婚[13]数量逐年上升，"闪离"[14]的现象也时常出现。《二○一○年北京市民政事业发展统计报告》[15]显示，2010年有138104对新人登记结婚，32595对夫妻登记离婚，比例为4：1。2010年离婚夫妻对数比2004年的21013对多出11582对，增长数量超过50%。
市民政局婚姻登处处长[16]吴蓓表示，希望通过这一简单、浪漫的服务，新人会更重视婚姻中的责任，记住自己对将来、对爱人的承诺，促进和谐婚姻家庭建设。
Obtaining a red marriage certificate, writing oneself and one's spouse a letter, which will be received seven years later: Since yesterday, the Municipal Bureau of Civil Affairs and Marriage Registration Departments in each county are promoting a new free-of-charge service, allowing the 'swan-goose warm feeling' of newly-married couples to leap over a distance of seven years, encouraging them to abide by their love and the marriage promise.
Reporters noticed yesterday that this letter sent by post to a time of seven years later, is formed of one big envelope and two small envelopes. After the newly-married couple writes the letters, they first put them in small envelopes, filling out one's letter receiving address, and after, they insert them into a special big envelope and throw it into a normal mailbox, as simple as that.
"What we write down is glorious expectations for our future life, hoping that when we read it again, 7 years later, some of our aspiration would have already been fulfilled." Yesterday, the newly married couple, Zheng Fei and Guo Yanhong, have officially married in the Haidian Marriage Registration Office. The Marriage Registration Office offered them the free-of-charge gift of 'love message' stamped letter. After obtaining the marriage certificate, the young married couple could not wait to write their newly-married blessings on the pink writing paper and then put it in the special envelope with a 'double happiness' stamp.
Reporters found out that the zip code of the 'love post' is 100099, blessing the newly-married with the message of 'everlasting (love)'. Marriage Registration Offices in each county have not opened this service simultaneously, but it is planned that within a week from today all of them will supply enough special envelopes.
According to what is understood, the divorce rate in this city is growing year by year. The phenomenon of 'flash marriage' is also appearing frequently. 'The Beijing Municipality Civil Administration Statistic Report for 2011' show that among 138104 newly married couples from 2010, 32595 couples have filed for a divorce, in a 4:1 ration. The number of divorcing couples in 2010 is 11582 more than the 21013 couples in 2004, a growth of more than 50%.
Head of the Marriage Registration Office in the Municipal Bureau of Civil Affairs, Wu Bei, says that it is hoped that through this simple and romantic service, newly-married couples will attach more importance to the responsibility in marriage and remember one's promise for the future and to one's spouse, thereby promoting the construction of a harmonious marriage family.
Original article published by Beijing Daily 北京日报
[1] 结婚证 jiéhūn zhèng - Marriage certificate
[2] 市民政局 shìmín zhèngjú - Municipal Bureau of Civil Affairs
[3] 婚姻登记部门 hūnyīn dēngjì bùmén - Marriage Registration Department/office
[4] "鸿雁传情" hóng yàn chuán qíng - 'Swan and goose express emotions', romantic feelings
[5] 邮筒 yóu tǒng - Mailbox
[6] 新人 xīnrén - Newly married couple, bride & groom
[7] 婚姻登记处 hūnyīn dēngjì chù - Marriage Registration Office
[8] 小两口 xiǎo liǎng kǒu - Young married couple
[9] 迫不及待 pò bù jí dài - Cannot wait, too impatient
[10] 祝福 zhùfú - Blessing
[11] "囍" xǐ - 'Double happiness character'; a lucky sign which is marked (or hanged) as a bless of happiness
[12] 天长地久 tiān cháng dì jiǔ - 'The sky is wide the earth is long lasting'; everlasting, often expressed within a romantic couple, as a devotion for an everlasting love
[13] 离婚 líhūn - Divorce
[14] "闪离" shǎn lí - 'Flash divorce', referring to couples who divorce fast after getting married in a 'flash' speed ('闪婚' ('flash marriage') refers to couples who marry soon after first meetig).
[15] 《二○一○年北京市民政事业发展统计报告》2011 nián běijīng shìmín zhèng shìyè fāzhǎn tǒngjì bàogà - 'The Beijing Municipality Civil Administration Statistic Report for 2011', a report on certain civil affairs in the Beijing area, including marriage and divorce stats.
[16] 处长 chù zhǎng - Head of office
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