Island carves niche as exotic wedding venue

Gulangyu Island in Xiamen, East China's Fujian province, has developed an economic sweet spot following the launch of the country's first park-style marriage registration center at the tranquil destination known for its focus on culture, music and romance.

The center began operations on June 16, and 402 couples had registered to get married there in the two-month period since its launch.

Gulangyu, also known as Kulangsu in the local dialect, is a historic international settlement with a global community, and has seen the launch of a venue for marriage registrations that combine Chinese and Western architectural features located inside a park.

Besides providing marriage registrations for Chinese mainland residents, the center also offers the service to foreign nationals, as well as residents of Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan and other overseas Chinese.

"I have heard that Gulangyu is a romantic place, and that the scenery is also beautiful. I'm truly happy to have found my love," said Huo Jianhong, who registered to marry his wife, a Vietnamese national, at the center recently.

Inside the venue, besides rooms for registration services, a wedding customs exhibition room and a few rooms for immersive experiences — as well as photography — have been set up for newly married couples. The center said it accepts appointments in advance and walk-ins without prior reservations.

For the traditional Qixi Festival, known as Chinese Valentine's Day, which fell last Friday this year, the venue saw advance bookings of marriage registration appointments, as well as on-the-spot bookings of people who arrived to wait in line.

"We think this is a romantic place to get the certificates, and it has given more meaning to the process of marriage registration," said Wang Cailian, a drummer. Wang and his newly married wife Zhang Jianyin, a pianist, have been living in Xiamen. Their marriage was registered on Aug 23.

The number of couples who registered to get married in Xiamen in the first seven months of this year exceeded 14,000, up 16.9 percent year-on-year. The number of couples who registered in July topped 1,600, 42.3 percent higher on a yearly basis, according to the local civil affairs bureau.

Besides, the city has seen more cross-Strait couples opting to get married, with nearly 3,300 pairs registered so far. In 1989, the first cross-Strait marriage on the Chinese mainland was registered in Xiamen, according to the local civil affairs bureau.

Nationwide, the total number of cross-Strait marriages has entered a period of relative stability in terms of total volume in recent years, following a period of rapid growth previously, according to the Xiamen Wedding and Tourism Association.

"Still, one notable change is that those marriage registrations have been increasingly concentrated in Fujian, particularly in coastal cities such as Xiamen and Fuzhou. Despite a slowdown in the national growth rate, the relative number and influence of cross-Strait marriages in Fujian have continued to rise," said Wu Yongjun, chairman of the association.

The popularity of the new registration venue has also driven the business growth of some related services on the island.

Ahpia Lim, a local pastry shop in Gulangyu, has seen its sales climb recently. Every month, about two to three couples order traditional wedding cakes at the shop.

"More couples have been taking honeymoons and wedding photographs at Gulangyu, and they like to hold Western-style weddings and lawn weddings on the island and get some interesting experiences without traveling abroad," said Lin Conghai, chairman of the Gulangyu Family Hotel Merchants Association.

"Besides, more young couples are taking vacations on the island. We have seen a growing number of young foreign couples, especially those who come from South Korea, Japan and Southeast Asia," Lin said.

Meanwhile, Xiamen has welcomed an increasing number of inbound travelers, as the city has continued to build itself as an international traveler-friendly destination.

The bustling Zhongshan Road pedestrian street, located in downtown Xiamen, has introduced multilingual volunteer service teams, and provides language services in English, Japanese, French, Russian and Thai to help enhance the experience of international travelers.

A growing number of century-old time-honored Chinese brands and popular domestic brands are also joining the ranks of tax refund services in Xiamen, offering immediate tax refunds upon purchase for eligible international visitors.

Consumption's key role as a driver of economic growth has long been a key focus of China's top leadership. In the Government Work Report delivered in March, boosting consumption was listed as a top priority among this year's major tasks.

China unveiled a set of measures in April to further optimize its departure tax refund policy for eligible overseas visitors.

In the first six months, the number of foreign visitors entering China exceeded 19 million passenger trips, up 30 percent year-on-year. Over the same period, the tax refund sales value surged by 95 percent year-on-year, data from the State Taxation Administration showed.

In Xiamen, major banks such as Bank of China and China Construction Bank have launched partnerships with multiple retailers on Zhongshan Road. More than 70 merchants in the street have introduced payment systems that allow payments through foreign bank cards, further stimulating the consumption vitality of international visitors.

"Zhongshan Road has been providing high-quality international services for global consumers in an all-around way and building itself into an inbound tourism-friendly block," said Huang Huijing, deputy director of the local bureau of commerce in Xiamen.

"Leveraging the advantages of Xiamen's 240-hour visa-free transit policy, a special program named '240 hours and discover Zhongshan Road' has been launched. We aim to create a high-quality and convenient consumption environment for international travelers," Huang said.

Zakaria El Marraki, a doctor from Morocco, recently arrived in Xiamen to participate in a six-month training and exchange program, his first visit to China.

"I think Xiamen is a very beautiful city, and the people here are friendly and enthusiastic. I have downloaded many Chinese mini-programs such as WeChat and Alipay. Using mobile payments for the first time feels very convenient," he said.

Warren Stratford, a Canadian who arrived in China in the 1990s, lives in Xiamen with his family. Stratford, a designer, said Xiamen is green, beautiful and peaceful, and that life in the city is both interesting and convenient.