An old Chinese saying goes that "any grown-up man or woman must get married".
In the past, it was viewed as a violation of filial piety to remain single as an adult, for every man had the responsibility to carry on the family name by begetting sons.
That belongs to the past, of course.
Nowadays, things have greatly changed.
In my opinion, marriage is not longer a priority for contemporary Chinese youth.
First of all, they are not under much pressure to get married.
Though many parents are still much concerned about their children's marriage, they can, at most, advise them not to get married too late.
Unlike parents in traditional Chinese society, they do not have the legal right to compel their children to marry whoever they think suitable and at whatever age they deem appropriate.
Since they are free to choose when to get married and whom to marry, many of today's youth, especially those who have had higher education, prefer not to marry early.
It is nothing extraordinary today for a man to marry at around 30, or for a woman not to do so before 25.
One major reason for delaying marriage is that today's youth are more concerned about achieving success in their careers.
A young man or woman typically has to spend up to 18 years or so in schools and colleges.
So they are most likely to be over 25 when they get their first job.
To have a good start in their careers, they will usually work for a few years before getting married.
Another reason for the reduced importance of marriage is that young people no longer see marriage as the only destination of a romantic relationship.
Many see marriage more as the grave than as the consummation of love.
Furthermore, with divorce rate rapidly going higher, many youth have grown more skeptical about marriage.
Bitterness on both sides and legal disputes that typically accompany divorces add to their reluctance to get married.
Many young men and women today prefer live-in partners to spouses.
It is true that in many parts of China, especially in rural areas, young people are still urged to get married early.
However, as a huge number of young farmers become migrant workers, they, too, are buying into urban youth's perception of marriage.
It may be safe to assume that, like many other traditional Chinese ideas, the priority of marriage is on the way to extinction.
In the past, it was viewed as a violation of filial piety to remain single as an adult, for every man had the responsibility to carry on the family name by begetting sons.
That belongs to the past, of course.
Nowadays, things have greatly changed.
In my opinion, marriage is not longer a priority for contemporary Chinese youth.
First of all, they are not under much pressure to get married.
Though many parents are still much concerned about their children's marriage, they can, at most, advise them not to get married too late.
Unlike parents in traditional Chinese society, they do not have the legal right to compel their children to marry whoever they think suitable and at whatever age they deem appropriate.
Since they are free to choose when to get married and whom to marry, many of today's youth, especially those who have had higher education, prefer not to marry early.
It is nothing extraordinary today for a man to marry at around 30, or for a woman not to do so before 25.
One major reason for delaying marriage is that today's youth are more concerned about achieving success in their careers.
A young man or woman typically has to spend up to 18 years or so in schools and colleges.
So they are most likely to be over 25 when they get their first job.
To have a good start in their careers, they will usually work for a few years before getting married.
Another reason for the reduced importance of marriage is that young people no longer see marriage as the only destination of a romantic relationship.
Many see marriage more as the grave than as the consummation of love.
Furthermore, with divorce rate rapidly going higher, many youth have grown more skeptical about marriage.
Bitterness on both sides and legal disputes that typically accompany divorces add to their reluctance to get married.
Many young men and women today prefer live-in partners to spouses.
It is true that in many parts of China, especially in rural areas, young people are still urged to get married early.
However, as a huge number of young farmers become migrant workers, they, too, are buying into urban youth's perception of marriage.
It may be safe to assume that, like many other traditional Chinese ideas, the priority of marriage is on the way to extinction.