中國離婚率飆升:一時衝動還是脱離苦海?
The divorce rate is rising rapidly. In 2014, 3.6 million Chinese couples broke up, alMost double the number from a decade previously. In the past, couples required permission from employers or community committees to divorce, and many put up with their spouses just to avoid public embarrassment.
離婚率近年來迅速飆升。2014年，中國有360萬對夫妻離婚，比10年前幾乎增長了一倍。在過去，夫妻離婚需要獲得工作單位和社區委員會的許可，因而很多夫妻為了避免公共尷尬，只好對配偶忍氣吞聲。A 2003 regulation on marriage and divorce simplified the divorce procedure and allowed couples to divorce the same day at a cost of 10 yuan (1.53 dollars).
2003年頒佈的婚姻和離婚法簡化了離婚程序，當天即允許夫妻離婚，花費僅為10元人民幣（摺合1.53美元）。Reservations and appointments began in Dali on Feb 1, 2015. By the end of last year, 9,571 couples made reservations, but 4,531 of them, 47 percent, did not end up in divorce. In many other cities, similar reservation systems are in place.
大理在2015年2月1日開始實行保留和預約制度。截止到去年年底，有9571對夫妻進行預約離婚，但其中約佔47%的4531對夫妻最終沒有離婚。其他許多城市也準備實行類似的預約體系。
These measures are not without their critics. "It is not proper for governments to put obstacles in front of people wanting a divorce, because Chinese citizens enjoy freedom of marriage," said Nie Aiping of Jiangxi Academy of Social Sciences. He suggests that interventions should be conducted by an impartial organization.
但這樣的方式也引來了一些批評。“政府給想要離婚的人設置障礙的方式是不妥的，因為中國公民享受婚姻自由。”江西社科院的聶愛平表示。他建議應由一個公正的組織來實行相關干預。
Liu Min in East China's Anhui province has been a divorce attorney for years. She believes that not all broken marriages can be repaired, because the causes of divorce vary.
中國東部安徽省的劉敏多年來一直從事離婚律師職業。她認為並不是所有破碎的婚姻都能夠修復，因為導致離婚的原因各不相同。"In the past people wanted to divorce mostly because of domestic violence and affairs, now it is increasingly common among young couples to separate after trivial disputes or interference of their parents," she said.
她説：“過去人們離婚主要由於家庭暴力和風流韻事，現在年輕夫妻由於小事爭吵或父母干預而離婚這一現象變得越來越普遍。”Most people born in the 1980s and 1990s are only children whose parents tend to interfere too much in their lives, Liu said. What's more, unlike their parents, they attach more importance to individuality and the quality of life.
劉敏表示，大部分80後和90後都是獨生子女，父母往往喜歡干涉他們的生活。而且與他們父母不同的是，這些年輕人更加關注個性化和生活質量。For the couples careering into divorce without careful forethought, marriage guidance offices have been set up next to registry offices in Beijing, Chongqing, Shanghai and other provinces. Psychologists are available.
對於那些沒有慎重考慮就急着離婚的夫妻，北京、重慶、上海及其他省份均在登記處旁邊設立了婚姻指導辦公室，有心理學家提供諮詢服務。The registrars who handle dissolutions in Anhui province have been trained to tell whether a marriage can be saved or not, according to their statement and emotional state, according to Gao Jiamei of Anhui Provincial Civil Affairs Department.
安徽省離婚處的登記員接受過培訓，能根據夫妻的陳述和情緒狀態辨別這段婚姻是否能夠被挽救，安徽省民政廳的高佳梅説。A local government in the provincial capital Hefei has invited professional counselors to work alongside registrars. They help couples calm down and think over their relations, establishing a sense of responsibility leading to a rational choice.
在省會城市合肥，地方政府邀請了專業諮詢師在登記處旁邊工作。他們幫助夫妻冷靜下來，仔細思考他們的關係，建立責任感，引導他們做出理性選擇。But marriage is, after all, deeply personal. To divorce or not, the choice finally lies with the couple themselves.
但婚姻畢竟是和個人緊密相關的。離或者不離，決定權最終還是在於夫妻本人。
