Want to get divorced in China? Good luck getting an appointment
With demand for divorce appointments far outstripping supply in China, people are even paying ‘booking agents’ to get slots for them
Chinese medical office worker Qin Meng has found a lucrative side hustle: she wakes up before midnight, fills in her clients’ divorce certificate applications on a government website, then hits the confirm button exactly at the top of the hour.
Miss it by seconds and the daily slots are “gone in the blink of an eye”, says the 30-year-old, who charges 400 yuan (US$56) for her service, bringing relief to couples who have sometimes spent six months trying for a slot.
Demographers say the emergence of impromptu agents like Qin, who advertise on Chinese social media, is another sign of how the slowing economy is piling financial stress on married couples and contributing to the breakdown of relationships.
