Extravagant banquets ‘wiped out villagers’ income’
A county in Southwest China's Guizhou Province has banned residents who remarry or are on their second marriage from having a wedding reception.
The rule bans receptions for almost every occasion, except for first marriages. It applies to all residents, including migrants in Tianzhu county, according to a document sent by the Tianzhu county commission for guiding cultural and ethical progress to the Global Times on Tuesday.
Residents are required to sign a commitment letter. Those who violate the regulation will be punished, and could be penalized by the public security department, the document said.
Chen Shouzhen, the director of the Tianzhu county commission, on Tuesday told the Global Times: "The rule was made following a village survey and public opinion. Most people think numerous receptions have wiped out the limited income workers earn. People in the village are financially and emotionally drained from those receptions."
There is a saying in Guizhou Province: Receptions could lead to bankruptcy. There are many reasons for holding a reception - at least 10. They include "going to college, joining the army, moving to a new house, or buying a car."
The rule aims to relieve residents of financial burden and to promote frugality, Chen explained.
The Tianzhu government said the wedding and funeral receptions should have no more than 20 tables and 10 people on each table.
Residents need to apply 15 days before the planned reception.
"The regulation is far greater than the local government's scope. It is absurd. The local government is entitled to regulate civil servants on this matter but not ordinary residents," Zhi Zhenfeng, a legal expert at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences in Beijing, told Global Times.
Banning receptions for those remarrying and on their second marriage is also "discriminatory," Zhi said.
The local government can guide the public through publicity or make Party members role models, Zhi said, adding "a formal regulation on personal matters is improper."
The move is among many similar policies in China's countryside aimed at curbing the holding of extravagant receptions.
Local governments in Guizhou Province, including Kaili city, Zhenyuan county, Jinping county and Luodian county, have issued their local-level regulations, Nandu Daily reported.
Guizhou's Sansui county also encouraged locals to report those who fail to implement their local regulation on receptions. The informant would be rewarded with up to 2,000 yuan ($295), the Nandu Daily report said.
