Young Chinese facing ‘life pressure’ resist government push to boost marriage rate

The streets around Beijing’s iconic Forbidden City are often filled with brides and grooms, posing for wedding photos against auspicious red backdrops in a place that strongly reflects Chinese culture and tradition.

BEIJING — The streets around Beijing’s iconic Forbidden City are often filled with brides and grooms, posing for wedding photos against auspicious red backdrops in a place that strongly reflects Chinese culture and tradition. But the tradition of marriage itself is in sharp decline and is spurring a demographic crisis in what was once the world’s most populous nation.

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Though Ding Ying, 29, has Forbidden City photos with her husband, she told NBC News she “wasn’t too keen” on getting married until she happened to meet the right person.

As for what dissuaded her and her peers from tying the knot, she said the answer was simple: “Life pressure.”