State-Sponsored Chinese Dating App Launches to Boost Marriage Rates

China has launched a new state-sponsored dating app to boost marriage rates in the country. Palm Guixi is now available in the Jiangxi province and will use personal data on its single residents there to build its matchmaking platform.

The app itself differs from traditional dating apps like Tinder and Bumble in that the state-run operation picks your matches out based on tracking data, and sets matches up via the app’s blind dates platform according to Gizmodo.

Local governments in the province are organizing in-person matchmaking events as well, encouraging single attendees to wear traditional clothes and play games as a way to break the ice and to celebrate Chinese culture  according to The Guardian.

The Chinese government’s Ministry of Civil Affairs found that fewer residents throughout the country were getting married, and of those that are, about half were 30 years old and older. The country’s marriage rates have fallen from its peak of 9.7 million registered marriages in 2011 to an all-time low of 7.6 million in 2021, according to Gizmodo.

Part of this is due to China’s laws surrounding divorce. The country makes it difficult to pursue a breakup, mandating a 30-day “cooling off” period as part of the process, even if both parties agree to split. After this, the government still must approve the divorce for it to be legal. According to Gizmodo, it’s causing young people to reconsider getting married at all.

The Guardian noted that one of the reasons for the app launch is to initiate a marketing campaign against “high bride prices.” The government has discouraged a traditional Chinese practice of a groom’s family offering the bride’s family cash before matching to wed, which is prohibited in the country’s civic code, including in rural areas like Jiangxi. But in reality, the practice remains common in these areas, with an average of 380,000 yuan being paid per bride.

Another incentive that’s fueling the government’s launch of the app, along with encouraging more marriages, is ultimately the country’s concern surrounding the falling birth rates. Last year, the country saw its lowest-ever level of births, a record 6.7 births per 1,000 people. 

The app itself is getting mixed reviews on social platforms including Weibo, with some interested to try and a majority of others skeptical of the process. The South China Morning Post reported that one user said: “Marriage is like a gamble. The problem is that ordinary people can’t afford to lose, so I choose not to take part.”