China has more than 1.33 million couples say goodbye last year, with an increase of 154,000 cases than the previous year, according to a recent report issued by China's Ministry of Civil Affairs (MCA).

In the report of development and statistic of civil affairs in 2003, more than 8.11 million couples tie the knot by the end of 2003, 0.4 per thousand points higher than 2002, however, the divorce rate last year also rise 0.3 per thousand points.

Since Oct. 1 last year, a new marriage registration regulations has taken effect, couples in China can marry without a health examination or a letter from their employers testifying their unmarried status.

Meanwhile, a requirement for divorce also abolished in the new regulations.

The number of Chinese registering for marriage dropped from some 8.92 million couples in 1998 to 7.86 million in 2002, according to the All-China Women's Federation. But the number of divorces has remained stable in the past five years, at about 1.2 million each year.

(Xinhua News  Agency  May 4, 2004)