Couples seeking divorce given some breathing space

A couple visits the Museum of Broken Relationships on Nanjing Road, Shanghai, last year. XING YUN/FOR CHINA DAILY 30-day cooling-off period offers time to reflect After a monthlong "cooling-off" period, a woman surnamed Li, from Chengdu, capital of Sichuan province, obtained her divorce certificate at the end of April. If one party has second thoughts within the 30 days, the application becomes invalid and a new cooling-off period will start, meaning a couple must apply again when this period ends in order to terminate the marriage. Since the new policy took effect in China, Hu Xiaomin, a lawyer from Yuanshi Law Firm in Chengdu, has handled a rising number of inquiries about the cooling-off period through phone calls and visits. The questions asked mainly center on how the cooling-off period is calculated and what should be done if the other party withdraws the application or transfers property within the 30 days.