University to offer marriage majors

China is recruiting its first college undergraduates majoring in marriage services in an effort to bridge the gap in talent supply for high quality wedding services. Vocational University of Civil Affairs, a new entity affiliated to the Ministry of Civil Affairs, will enroll 70 freshmen from across the country this year to study marriage service and management, with courses ranging from family ethics and wedding planning to the design of online matchmaking products. Yu Xiaohui, dean of the marriage culture and media arts school at the university, says the course is a response to social needs, with China attaching greater importance to building happy families at a time when the country is still short of education options for those wanting to offer marriage-related professional counseling services. Lin Xianping, a researcher with Hangzhou City University, says Chinese people are now more focused on the quality of marriage and family life than previous generations, creating a market need for upgraded wedding services. Researchers suggest college graduates take on the roles of premarital and marriage counseling and gradually build up work experience and skills, in addition to working for civil affairs departments and community-level management offices.