Leaked Notices Fuel Allegations of Staged Wedding Registration Events in China

‘Our superiors give us targets, but we can’t force people to get married,’ said an employee at a civil affairs bureau in Shenyang.

Two newly-weds holding their marriage certificates. China Photos/Getty Images

Leaked messages and notices related to China’s high-profile “520” marriage registration events have been circulating in Chinese journalist chat groups in recent days, according to internal information obtained by The Epoch Times. Chinese state-run media outlets have avoided covering the allegations.

The materials, reposted online by Chinese netizens, appeared to show recruitment notices seeking young men and women to “pretend to be couples” at marriage registration events organized by local civil affairs bureaus.