China Recommends Taking 'Divorce Exam Paper' Prior to Quitting

China’s divorce rates remain high with Beijing topping the list courtesy of 39 percent of all marriages heading to the courts. With no end to the marital turmoil in sight, it’s no wonder that the Chinese government is doing everything it can to slow down the pace of the country's past-their-best couples.

Last month, prior to WeChat launching a divorce registration feature, a post emerged on Weibo detailing the Jiangsu Provincial Department of Civil Affairs' introduction of a “divorce examination paper”, designed for couples to quantify their acrimony before calling it quits. The test is comprised of a verbal test whereby the invigilator asks each person simple questions about their significant other such as: When is your anniversary? When is your child’s birthday? How many family holidays have you been on? For each question answered correctly, the taker will be awarded points. If you achieve more than 60 out of 100, you are advised to try salvage your relationship. But, if you score below 60 points, it may indicate that the relationship is irretrievably sucky.

The introduction of the innovative “Divorce Examination Paper,” which is not mandatory before a divorce, has caused heated discussions among netizens. After Lianyungang Weibo account posted about the pre-divorcement test on May 21, a flurry of comments started flooding in.

Test your Chinese and your marriage with these marital questions

Advocates praise the idea of a relationship questionnaire, suggesting it would help couples to think about ending a lifelong promise rationally. “I think taking the examination paper is not about answering all the questions correctly, but rather a chance to revisit the couple’s journey. If you still love each other, you will automatically reconsider your options. But, if the love is dead, then you will choose to answer the questions incorrectly. I think it’s good because sometimes people are too irrational during a divorce. But it shouldn’t be mandatory,” one user, Xuanyuejingche, commented.   

Despite the overwhelming amount of support, there were also contradicting voices, “We are here to get a divorce, not to talk nonsense. We are all adults here. It's not like we are playing a game,” said one reader.

We are here to get a divorce, not to talk nonsense. We are all adults here. It's not like we are playing a game.

With 2,000 shares and close to 2,000 comments on this post alone, the debate as to whether the authorities should lend a guiding hand in people's knot untying is certainly a heated one. However, it's also not the first time that the "Divorce Examination Paper" has taken the spotlight on Weibo. Last year, after a Sichuan couple took the exam, it was found that the wife got full marks while the husband scored 0, causing heated discussion online given that it was perceived that the results indicated the attitudes of the two parties rather than their actual abilities to answer the questions. It was argued that even an unattentive husband would have been able to get some points on the board, rather than just cheat the system to demonstrate how desperately he wanted the marriage to end.

In that regard, it looks like the introduction of the "Divorce Examination Paper" will do nothing for those who have their minds set on calling it quits. Nevertheless, it's commendable to see that the government is still set on doing their utmost to keep married couples together via a means that is non-compulsory and doesn't deprive the involved parties of personal freedom. That being said, education prior to marriage may just be the best cure for marriage woes.

Despite a large number of couples still heading to the divorce office in the capital, there is no news yet on whether Beijing will soon adopt such a service.

Photo: JapanTimes.co.jp

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