[Photo/Sina Weibo]

'Troubleshooters'

Measures are being considered to tackle China's rapidly rising divorce rate, according to the Department of Social Affairs at the Ministry of Civil Affairs. In an interview conducted on March 30, Zhang Shifeng, the head of the department, said the measures under consideration include improved counseling services.

In 2013, approximately 164,000 couples married in Beijing, but 55,000 couples divorced, and the capital experienced a 65 percent rise in divorce between 2011 and 2013, according to the Beijing Marriage Registration Office. Other major cities such as Shanghai and Tianjin have experienced similar trends.

Ge Dongsheng, deputy director of the office, said that earlier this year the authorities launched a program that involved inviting trained mediators to tackle marital problems. "The 'troubleshooters' will try to help couples that still love each other, but have irrationally decided to divorce," he said.