HONG KONG — Liu Zhenfeng got married at 25.

香港——刘振凤在25岁结了婚。

The usual trappings of family life followed — a daughter, a home, furniture, toys.

婚姻的标配也随之而来——女儿、住宅、家具、玩具。

That daughter, Song Zongpei, now 28, is taking a different path.

如今，她28岁的女儿宋宗佩则在选择一条不同的路。

Ms Song shares a rented apartment in Beijing with two roommates and is focusing on her career and her finances.

宋宗佩在北京与两名室友合租了一套公寓，目前将精力放在职业发展和财力累积上。

She does not see marriage or motherhood in her immediate² future.

她觉得自己短时间内不会结婚生子。

At this stage, the most important thing for me is personal development, Ms Song said.

在目前这个阶段，对我来说最重要的是个人发展，宋宗佩说。

Fewer Chinese people are getting married, a shift with profound implications for China’s economic and social life.

选择结婚的中国人正在变少。对中国的经济、社会生活而言，这是一个影响深远的转变。

The decline in marriages means a decline in the number of babies, and potentially less spending on homes, appliances and other family-related purchases — the kind of spending China needs to drive economic growth.

结婚人数下降，意味着婴儿人数减少，住宅、家电及其他与家庭相关的消费就可能会随之收缩，而这类消费正是推动中国经济增长所需要的。

Already some businesses are thinking single.

一些企业已经把目光瞄准了单身人士。

Jewelry³ makers⁵ are offering cheaper baubles⁶ for unmarried sweethearts.

珠宝商在给未婚情侣提供价格更合算的首饰。

One appliance maker⁴ is selling smaller rice cookers.

一个家电生产商推出了容量更小的电饭煲。

Foreign fertility services are advertising⁷ for Chinese women who want to freeze their eggs — a process that is prohibited for single women in China — to have children later.

境外生育服务机构开始向想要冷冻卵子以便将来生育孩子的中国女性做广告。法规禁止单身女性在国内接受这项服务。

But the marriage slump⁸ — caused in large part by China’s aging population and the legacy⁹ of its harsh one-child policy — has a silver lining¹⁰.

但结婚人数下降也有积极的一面。

It also stems from the rise of an educated population of women.

引起这种状况的很大一部分原因，在于中国人口老龄化和严厉的独生子女政策，但它也与中国受教育女性群体的壮大有关。

Specialists in economics, demography¹¹ and sociology say some of those women are delaying marriage to build careers and establish financial footing, resulting in a more empowered female population that no longer views marriage as the only route to security.

经济学、人口学和社会学领域的专家表示，其中一些女性在推迟结婚时间，以便发展事业和建立财务根基，结果出现了力量更强大的女性人口，她们不再将婚姻作为获得安全感的唯一途径。

Because they are highly educated, they hold well-paid jobs, they lose the financial incentive¹² to get married, says Zhang Xiaobo, a professor of economics at Peking University’s National School of Development.

因为她们受教育程度比较高，又有不错的收入，就失去了结婚的经济动力，北京大学国家发展研究院经济学教授张晓波说。

China continues to emphasize marriage in its official media, entreating¹³ women not to wait for Mr Right.

中国持续在其官方媒体上强调婚姻的重要性，恳求女性不要干等自己的白马王子。

But demographics and changing social mores¹⁴ make that a tough sell.

但人口结构和不断变化的社会状况令女性很难接受这种宣传。

Last year, 12 million Chinese couples registered for marriage, making it the second consecutive¹⁵ year the number has declined.

去年有1200万对中国情侣注册结婚，这一数字连续第二年出现下降。

Divorces, which stem from some of the same trends, reached 3.8 million last year, more than twice the level of a decade ago.

与这一趋势一致的是，去年离婚的夫妇达到380万对，比10年前的两倍还多。

Much of the marriage decline results from China’s one-child policy.

新婚人数下降，很大程度上要归因于中国的独生子女政策。

Ended formally in January after 35 years, the policy accelerated a decline in the country’s birthrate.

在推行35年之后，该政策于今年1月正式终止。

As a consequence¹⁶, people between 20 and 29 — prime marrying age — make up a declining share of the population compared with two decades ago.

它加快了中国生育率下降的速度，由此导致20至29岁——主要的适婚年龄段——的人口比例较20年前不断下降。

And because families often preferred male babies, China has a surplus of men, further complicating¹⁷ marriage prospects¹⁸.

此外，因为中国家庭往往倾向于要男孩，导致男性人口过多，令结婚的前景变得更加复杂。

Those trends test cultural notions of family that go back hundreds of years.

这些趋势考验着延续了数百年的家庭文化观念。

While arranged marriages have largely faded in China, parents remain deeply involved in the nuptials¹⁹ of their offspring, chasing down leads on potential suitors and hounding their children during holiday visits about marriage plans.

尽管包办婚姻在中国大体已经逐渐消失，但中国父母依然深度介入儿女婚姻，他们追查可能为潜在追求者的线索，在儿女在节假日回家时缠问其婚姻计划。

Ms Liu, Ms Song’s mother, agrees that her daughter should wait for the right match, but she still hopes that she finds someone.

宋宗佩的母亲刘振凤也认为女儿应该等待那个合适自己的人，但她仍然希望女儿有个伴。

I want her to have a happy life, Ms Liu said, and I think it’s more secure to have a family.

我希望她能过得幸福，刘贞凤说，我觉得有个家庭更保险。

On the economic front, the impact could be double-edged.

在经济方面，这种影响是一把双刃剑。

Single people generally buy fewer houses, have fewer children and buy fewer toys and gadgets²⁰ than married couples.

通常而言，单身人士会比已婚夫妇更少买房，生更少的孩子，购入更少的玩具和设备。

That could complicate²¹ China’s efforts to turn its traditionally tightfisted population into American-style spenders, to offset²² its economy’s dependence²³ on exports and big-ticket government projects.

中国正努力把本国向来吝于花钱的人口变成美式消费者，以便让经济不那么依赖出口和大型政府项目，这些努力可能会因此而复杂化。

It could also lead Chinese consumers to put more money away in the bank or under mattresses²⁴.

它还可能导致中国消费者把更多钱放在银行里或床垫下。

Families of prospective²⁵ grooms²⁶ in China often save money for years to buy a home for a couple before they marry to give them financial stability.

在中国，准新郎家常常要存很多年钱，在一对新人婚前为其买下婚房，保障其财务的稳定性。

Families save more, to buy bigger homes, if brides are hard to find, said Mr Zhang, the Peking University professor.

北京大学教授张晓波说，如果新娘很难找，新郎家就要存更多的钱，买更大的房子。

But Chinese consumers could simply spend money on something else — with single young people leading the pack.

但是中国消费者完全可以把钱花在别的地方——这其中带头的就是单身年轻人。

Some of the decline in marriage stems from the growth of a group of young, educated urban women who no longer need to wed¹ to achieve financial security.

结婚率的下降在一定程度上是由于受过教育的城市年轻女性群体在增长，她们不再需要通过婚姻实现稳定的经济状况。

China still faces yawning gaps in wages and employment between men and women, according to surveys.

调查研究表明，中国的工资和就业仍存在性别鸿沟。

But women made up more than half of undergraduate students in 2014, compared with about 46 percent a decade earlier, and accounted for nearly half of graduate students, government figures show.

但是政府数据显示，2014年大学本科生中女性占比超过一半，相比之下10年前只占46%，而研究生中占比接近一半。

Cheng Guping, a 30-year-old from Hangzhou in eastern China who works at a start-up and is pursuing a doctorate²⁷ in economics, is one of those women.

现年30岁的程谷萍来自中国东部城市杭州，在一家创业公司上班，同时还在攻读经济学博士，她就属于这样一种女性。

She cited her professional and educational obligations as the reason she and a recent boyfriend broke up.

她说自己在职业和教育上的责任是近日与男朋友分手的原因。

I felt that our level of affection wasn’t enough yet, she said.

我感觉我们之间的感情还不够，她说。

I want to see how far I can go on my own.

我想看看我一个人能走多远。

Suitable mates are simply hard to find, said Ms Cheng, who describes many men her age as not mature or irresponsible.

程谷萍说找到合适的伴侣实在太难了，她说许多她这个年龄的男性不够成熟，不够有责任感。

Referring to another former boyfriend, she said: When we wanted to do something, or go for food, he only liked to act cute and say with a smile, ‘We’ll do whatever you like.’ It made me feel like I had a son.

在提到另一位前男友时，她说：当我们一起想要做点什么或者吃饭的时候，他只会卖萌地笑，说‘你想怎么样都好’，这让我感觉像有个儿子一样。

Businesses are preparing for the shift.

商业正在准备迎接这种转变。

The jewelry industry expects sales growth to slow in China as marriage declines.

随着中国的结婚率下降，珠宝产业预计会出现增长放缓。

In response, many stores are offering a greater variety of jewelry, such as cheaper gems²⁸ to entice²⁹ dating couples who have less money.

为此许多商铺在增加珠宝的品类，比如更廉价的宝石，以吸引那些正在约会但财力有限的情侣。

Even though they are not getting married, said Annie Yau Tse, the chief executive of Tse Sui Luen, a jewelry chain based in Hong Kong, people still need someone to be with them, and they still want love.

即使不结婚，香港珠宝连锁谢瑞麟的行政总裁谢邱安仪说，人们还是需要找个人在一起，还是需要爱。

Jiajiashun, an online property agent, said it was planning to sell less expensive housing to cater³⁰ to single buyers.

在线房地产中介公司家家顺称其计划面向单身买家出售一些较便宜的住房。

Midea, a Chinese appliance maker, has been expanding its range of smaller rice cookers — giving singles a way to make fresh rice and avoid the refrigerated leftovers³¹ that leave many Chinese cold.

在过去一段时间，中国电器生产商美的扩充了小型电饭煲的产品线——让单身人士可以烹制新鲜的米饭，并且不会吃不完，很多中国人不喜欢吃冰箱冷藏过的剩饭。

We are concerned about the changes in family structures in China, according to Huang Bing, chief product manager of Midea’s small domestic appliances division.

我们对中国家庭结构的改变是很关注的，美的生活电器事业部首席产品经理黄兵说。

In Chinese homes, the shift raises questions about family ties and filial responsibilities.

这场转变，给中国家庭带来了家庭纽带和赡养义务方面的困惑。

For example, married couples in China traditionally care for aging parents.

例如，中国已婚夫妇传统上是需要照料老人的。

Wu Jingjing, 29, can see the burden that the aging population could be for her generation.

现年29岁的武京京看到，人口老龄化可能会成为她这一代人的负担。

There’s a group of people who will feel very much crushed by being in the middle layer, being the pillar of a family while raising both the children and their parents, said Ms Wu, who works for an internet company.

中间有一个夹层会很崩溃，当他们成为家里的支柱的时候，他们又要养育子女又要赡养老人，在一家互联网公司工作的吴晶晶说。

I think that sense of collapse³² will happen in 10 or 20 years.

我认为这种崩溃感在10年或20年之后就会发生。

Her mother worries about who will care for her daughter if she does not marry.

她的母亲担心如果她不结婚，到时候就没人照料了。

We can still care for her now, but we won’t be here forever, Zhai Liping, 53, said.

我们现在还能关心她，但是我们也不会永远在这儿，现年53岁的翟利萍说。

We hope she will find someone who cares for her, so we can feel more reassured³³.

我们还是希望她能找到一个人去关心她，这样我们也会更放心。

Still, Ms Wu is single and she said she is still determined³⁴ to wait until she meets the right person.

目前仍单身的武京京说，她一定要等遇到合适的人再说。

Back in the old times, many people met because they were introduced and just wanted to find a partner to live through everyday life, she said.

他们那个年代，很多人是通过介绍认识的，他们就是搭伙过日子为主，她说。

There were very few people who had a free relationship based on love.

自由恋爱的人很少。

Now lots of people reject that kind of old attitude and want to find the suitable person.

现在这代人可能都比较排斥这种搭伙过日子的态度，大家都比较想找到一个更合适的人。