the new ‘protest’ of young Chinese

The website Sixth Tone He comments that it is a trend that is spreading due to the prohibitive costs of traditional ceremonies. But it is also a way of marking distance with forms and traditions that generation Z no longer considers theirs.

Beijing (/Agencies) – Young Chinese Generation Z seem less and less interested in traditional wedding ceremonies, which they consider boring, too formal and very expensive. That is why an increasing number of couples today decide to get married in karaoke bars, hot pot restaurants or even fast food like McDonald’s.

The Chinese site Sixth Tone, very attentive to everything that happens in the youth universe, he describes the phenomenon. According to a report published a few days ago, the trend of celebrating unconventional weddings is spreading rapidly in China, and this is also corroborated by a survey carried out in March, according to which 80% of Chinese between the ages of 15 and 24 years old are in favor of “minimalist” ceremonies.

Without a doubt, the economic crisis also influences. A 2020 report estimated that an average wedding in China costs 174,000 yuan ($24,600), equivalent to 8.8 times the average monthly income of a working couple. In 2023 that cost would have increased to 330,000 yuan.

As consumers try to tighten their budgets, popular fast food chains such as McDonald’s, Haidilao and Heytea have launched special wedding packages: in Hong Kong, McDonald’s establishments offer a wedding package starting at $385, which includes a bridal bouquet made with McNuggets.

But it is not just the costs, social changes also influence. Many Chinese Gen Z consider the formality and outdated rituals associated with traditional weddings to be most questionable.

On Chinese social networks, many users have begun to speak out in favor of the “three non-marriage”, that is, ceremonies that do not involve a convoy of limousines, nor bridesmaids and witnesses, nor the ritual in which the groom must obtain entering the bride’s house by completing a series of challenges.

This week, a post about “the non-marriage three” in Weibo had more than 40 million views, and many users commented that they believed traditional wedding rites were not only excessively expensive, but also time-consuming and exhausting for the couple.