Source: Zhang Zhenzhong, reporter of Farmer's Daily, China Rural Net
In mid-May, when the small fruits of crystal pears were hanging branches, Lin Taijin, a large planter in Yushe Village, Zhongzhai Township, Quannan County, Jiangxi Province, was busy organizing farmers to hoe and fertilize.
The 50 acres of navel orange and crystal pear base bear fruit, and these industrial fruits are also Lin Taijin's "fruit of marriage". Jeonnam County has introduced a "zero bride price" family courtesy mechanism, and Lin Taijin has become the first batch to enjoy the local "zero bride price" courtesy mechanism. Because of Lin Taijin's "zero bride price" wedding, he not only became an advanced model of the "five 100" in Jiangxi Province, but more importantly, he and his wife enjoyed a business discount loan, and since last year, they have focused on developing the agricultural industry.
High-priced bride price is not advisable, and changing customs has entered the hearts of the people. Since last year, such "low bride price, zero bride price" has gradually increased in Quannan County. Driven by the Propaganda Department of the Jiangxi Provincial Party Committee and the Provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs jointly carrying out the "Five 100" series of mass recommendation and evaluation activities in Jiangxi Province, Quannan is committed to promoting the reform of marriage customs, breaking the stereotypes and bad habits such as high-priced bride price, extravagance and waste, and comparing with each other, innovating the marriage courtesy model, and giving "low bride price, zero bride price" family wedding event assistance, special invitation to witness marriage, positive incentives and other courtesy and preferential treatment, and promoting the obvious change of the concept of marriage, love and marriage among the masses. The marriage process has been reduced from the original 13 to 5, the average cost of marriage has decreased by 28,000 yuan, the county's "low bride price" and "zero bride price" account for 73%, and the proportion of low (zero) bride price in Yao villages in the territory is as high as more than 90%.
The new marriage custom of "wanting happiness without bride price" has become a common practice in Quannan County, and more young people are calling for changing customs, starting from "me", doing new happy events, and reducing the burden of love. The new-style marriage customs of "I formulate, I promise, and I implement" are pouring from Quannan County to all parts of Jiangxi.
How?
-- Establish a "happy event steward" service mechanism
In January 2023, the topic of "Jiangxi girlfriend asked her Shanghai boyfriend for a sky-high bride price of 18.88 million yuan" spread on the whole network, and was subsequently confirmed to be fake news, but the negative binding of the network made Jiangxi be labeled as a "sky-high bride price".
Although the Internet has gone viral and the rumors are exaggerated, it is an indisputable fact that the high bride price was once in some places in Jiangxi. In order to get rid of the hat of "high dowry", in recent years, many policies have been introduced in various parts of Jiangxi, and Quannan County, which is committed to changing customs and customs, has taken the lead.
For example, in 2020, Chen Mou of Yaxi Village, Longyuanba Town, because he was in business and had good family conditions, held dozens of banquets when he got married in the village.
How to cure bad marriage customs? How to manage marriage customs? After in-depth research and soliciting opinions, Quannan County established a "happy event steward" service mechanism. The county's 97 villages (residences) have set up "happy event stewards" to help the masses handle wedding affairs. The "happy event housekeeper" is composed of the secretary of the village party branch, the chairman of the women's federation and the people elected by the masses who are highly respected, enthusiastic about service, and have certain etiquette expertise, generally 5-9 people, with 1 housekeeper and more than 50% female members. On the basis of brainstorming, consultation and voluntary decision, the "happy event steward" took the lead in formulating specific standards for the village's wedding gifts, the number of tables, the number of service days, the scope of hospitality, and the procedures and processes, and implemented a list-based "height limit" and included it in the village rules and regulations.
After the election, Chen Lianping, vice president of the Red and White Council of Yaxi Village, was elected as the village's "steward of happy events". Through the village rules and regulations, Yaxi Village stipulates that the bride price is less than 60,000 yuan, the wedding banquet is limited to 10 tables, each table does not exceed 500 yuan, the number of days of service is 1 day, and the scope of hospitality is within the immediate family of the main family and the family (three generations), and the procedure is streamlined from 13 items to 5 items.
The "happy event steward" is not only good at management, but also happy to help. Relying on the village-level new era civilization practice position, Quannan has built a "happy event butler" matchmaker hall, comprehensively surveyed the school-age single youth in the village through "online + offline", established the "Moon Old Book", established the "Youth Alliance" online exchange group, regularly organized single youth friendship activities, and convened "matchmaker" volunteers in the jurisdiction to match the bridge in the museum. Since the beginning of this year, a total of 52 social activities have been organized by villages in Quannan County, with more than 3,000 people participating.
What to do?
-- Establish a mechanism for witnessing marriages and handle new marriages
With the "marriage rules", how should the new wedding be done? Quannan County has established a "special guest" marriage witness mechanism, advocating new marriages and simple happy events.
In order to achieve new marriages and simple happy events, Quannan County implemented the "two modernizations". The first is the normalization of the special invitation certificate. Introduce the certificate awarding ceremony into the marriage registration process, establish a directory of specially invited certificate awarders, hold certificate awarding ceremonies for the newlyweds' representatives on special festivals and festive days such as "Qixi Festival", guide the newlyweds to sign the "Commitment to Change Customs", read the marriage vows, and strengthen the sense of marriage registration ceremony and sacredness. Since 2022, 100% of newcomers in Quannan County have participated in the issuance of certificates; The second is the specialization of specially invited witness marriages. Jeonnam introduces the marriage witness system into the collective wedding, holds a group wedding on a regular basis every year, establishes a "low bride price" and "zero bride price" newlyweds' marriage witness system, and invites moral models and five rural elders as special guests to attend the collective wedding scene, and send a family style and family motto inheritance card and a new blessing card for happy events. On May 20, 2023, two county leaders were invited to witness the marriage of the newlyweds at the collective wedding of "Inheriting the Red Gene and Advocating a New Style of Civilization" hosted by the Quannan County Marriage Customs Reform Leading Group. Since last year, Quannan County has held 22 group weddings and tree-planting weddings, which not only make the newlyweds more worry-free, trouble-free, and money-saving, but also make the wedding more connotative, more meaningful, and more memorable.
The new marriage should be simple and distinctive, where should it be done? Combined with the actual situation of the county, Quannan County has integrated the local cultural connotations such as Hakka culture, Yao culture, and military reclamation culture into the construction of 38 marriage customs demonstration sites in the county, as an important platform for marriage certificates, collective weddings, publicity and education, and promoted simple, civilized and healthy wedding customs and etiquette, so that the masses can immerse themselves in civilized marriage customs.
The Yaxi Ancient Village Tourist Attraction is one of the marriage customs demonstration sites built in it. Yaxi Ancient Village integrates Hakka culture into the elements of marriage customs reform, sets up a collective wedding certificate awarding base, outdoor photo check-in points, holds marriage customs reform, young talent networking activities, etc., to create a new era of marriage customs experience route.
The reporter walked into Yaxi Ancient Village, and the elements of marriage customs reform such as the collective certificate awarding base, the Hakka marriage customs exhibition hall, and the family style and family motto plaque were particularly eye-catching. The Chen Ancestral Hall, Yaxi Academy and other places in the scenic area of Yaxi Ancient Village can be used for red affairs, and the town organizes the main party and government leaders and five old people to witness marriages.
Villager Chen Hongyuan is one of the responders and beneficiaries. In July last year, she and her husband Wen Zhixiang held a wedding, and the family only symbolically accepted the man's bride price, and on the day of the wedding, four or five tables were set up in a small restaurant at the entrance of the village, and relatives were invited to have a simple meal. Now, Chen Hongyuan has also welcomed her first child, and she is full of expectations for the future. "The bride price is less, and it also reduces the burden on our small family, and now I feel very happy." Chen Hongyuan said with a smile.
How to win?
-- Establish a "zero bride price" courtesy mechanism
After the new marriage and the happy event are simple, not only do you save money and reduce debts, but you also have a prize.
Quannan County has established a "zero dowry" courtesy mechanism to promote positive incentives and think alike. Give full play to the positive incentive role of "zero bride price" families, and promote the masses to respect virtue and goodness, and think of the wise.
Who is eligible for the benefits? Quannan County guides the rural agreement, clarifying that "zero bride price" couples and "zero bride price" parents-in-law are the objects of courtesy. The standard of "zero bride price" is agreed upon, which specifically means that the bride price or gift money given by the man to the woman is zero, excluding the return of the gift money and the discount of the dowry.
What kind of benefits do you enjoy? In this regard, Quannan County has formulated a list of courtesies, and has studied and formulated 8 preferential policies, including children in pre-school education and compulsory education can study in the nearest public school in the county, can get a maximum of 100,000 yuan of entrepreneurial discount loans, free admission fees for relevant scenic spots in the county, free health examination in the county people's hospital, and priority employment as civilized practitioners and public welfare positions under the same conditions.
Zhongzhai Township has done a good example in this regard. In addition to allowing the advanced reform of marriage customs to enjoy all the contents of the county-level "zero bride price" husband and wife courtesy list, Zhongzhai Township has also explored the following courtesy mechanisms: discount cards for wedding supplies, preferential banquets for hotels, real policy preferences such as inviting party and government leaders in Zhongzhai Township to be witnesses for marriage, and giving priority to recommending advanced models of civilization. Under the influence of Lin Taijin, more than 20 typical cases of "low bride price and zero bride price" have also emerged in the township, such as Han Yongqiang and his wife who reduce the burden of love, Tan Fengmei and his wife who add to a happy life, and Zhu Jiapei and his wife who put true love first...... By the end of April this year, a total of 25 couples in Zhongzhai Township had enjoyed the courtesy. Their deeds have gradually led to the change of the atmosphere, allowing many young people to establish a civilized and rational view of marriage and love, and constantly promoting the change of customs.