The traditional concept of obtaining a marriage certificate is being quietly reimagined in Zengcheng District, at a marriage registration service point nestled within an ancient town's old street.
This place is called Zhengguo. The name "Zhengguo" itself carries the beautiful and romantic connotation of "achieving a positive outcome," a sentiment no ordinary marriage registry can replicate. On May 18th of this year, the Marriage Registration Office of Zengcheng District Civil Affairs Bureau's service point in Zhengguo Town was officially launched.
Since its opening, this small service window, with the "Achieving a Positive Outcome" IP as its soul, optimizing marriage services as its foundation, and the integrated development of "marriage + tourism + consumption" as its pathway, is accelerating its growth into a distinctive sweet economy destination within the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.
Leveraging Local Heritage to Polish the "Achieving a Positive Outcome" Brand
"Come to Zhengguo, let love achieve a positive outcome." This is not a fabricated slogan but the inherent romantic endowment of Zhengguo Town.
Against the backdrop of nationwide marriage custom reform and the construction of youth-friendly cities, Zengcheng District astutely recognized this unique cultural resource embedded in the place name and systematically developed it into a regional marriage-themed IP.
For an IP to materialize, it requires a physical entity. The Zhengguo Town marriage registration service point is precisely this core vessel. Located in the Yuanjiao Building within the Zhengguo Old Street scenic area, the first floor features a marriage culture exhibition hall displaying Chinese and Western wedding attire and cultural products, showcasing new trends in marriage custom reform. The second floor houses the marriage registration office, scientifically divided into four functional areas: waiting area, registration room, certification room, and archives room, equipped with smart office facilities to create a registration scene that balances practicality with a sense of ceremony. The design of both indoor and outdoor photo spots deeply integrates traditional marriage culture with the auspicious meaning of "achieving a positive outcome," immersing every couple in a unique ceremonial atmosphere from the moment they step into the Yuanjiao Building.
On the day the service point opened, 88 young couples from various professions gathered in Zhengguo to pledge their vows. This "Sweet Candy, Achieving a Positive Outcome" Guangzhou Youth Collective Wedding was a high-profile debut for the IP, not only bringing Zhengguo into the public eye but also transforming "getting registered in Zhengguo" from a novelty into an aspiration.
Optimizing Marriage Services to Enhance Public Convenience
From its inception, the Zhengguo Town marriage registration service point has made "optimizing service" its core principle.
In terms of service standards, it strictly adheres to marriage registration work norms, promoting standardized venue construction while simultaneously deploying professional marriage registration personnel to handle procedures legally and normatively. For convenience, it has opened three main booking channels: the "Guangdong Civil Affairs" official account, the "Yueshengshi" mini-program, and the Guangdong Province Marriage Registration Online Booking System, along with a published service hotline, guiding the public to book in advance and stagger appointments to reduce on-site waiting times. Regarding service hours, it designates every Friday to Sunday as regular service days, with statutory holidays open flexibly based on circumstances, forming a complementary linkage with the district marriage registration office and truly bridging the "last mile" of convenient marriage registration services.
Service extends beyond efficiency to warmth. The service point has set up a marriage custom reform promotion area and a wedding supplies display area on the first floor, exhibiting traditional items like wedding invitations and marriage certificates, guiding couples to establish healthy views on marriage, childbirth, and family, and supporting the construction of a childbirth-friendly society. Details such as joint support during peak periods, on-site volunteer guidance, and exclusive benefits for "Sweet Partners" all convey the same message: this is not just a service window but a happiness station.
Extending the Consumption Chain to Grow the Sweet Economy Ecosystem
Currently, Zengcheng District is using marriage registration as a traffic entry point and the "Achieving a Positive Outcome" IP as an emotional link, connecting diverse sectors such as scenic areas, dining, accommodation, cultural products, and agricultural products to build a sweet economy closed loop of "daytime eco-tours + nighttime cultural feasts + all-area sweet shopping."
This sweet map is already unfolding. Relying on carefully planned activity-based routes like the "Candy in Zhengguo · Honey BINGO" tour route from the collective wedding, "Sweet Encounter in Paitan · Forest Leisure" connecting Baishuizhai, beautiful courtyards, and sweet markets, and "Seeking Fate in Zhengguo · Old Street Sweetheart" covering old street photo spots and the marriage culture exhibition hall, these have transitioned from event-specific offerings to regular recommendations, providing couples with a one-stop sweet experience of "registration + wedding photography + cuisine + cultural products." Enterprises in Paitan and Zhengguo have also become sweet partners, offering exclusive discounts and benefits, converting festive traffic into sustained consumption momentum.
As the marriage registration service point's operations normalize, this sweet industry chain is rapidly taking shape. Couples coming to register on weekends, holding their marriage certificates, naturally flow into the consumption scene of Zhengguo Old Street: browsing sweet shops, tasting Zhengguo wontons, experiencing intangible cultural heritage indigo dyeing, and ascending observation towers for panoramic views of the Zeng River. A marriage certificate is driving the qualitative improvement and efficiency of consumption for an entire town, injecting tangible youthful energy into rural revitalization.
Elevating Brand Value to Create a Greater Bay Area Sweet Landmark
The practice of Zhengguo Town is a vivid example of the "Hundreds of Thousands of Projects" taking root in the field of civil affairs.
It accurately captures contemporary young people's pursuit of ceremony, photogenic appeal, and personalized experiences, transforming marriage registration services into a "youth product" that is warm, experiential, and shareable. When young groups are attracted by the meaning of "achieving a positive outcome," they bring not only happy smiles but also considerable consumption vitality and revitalizing momentum. This aligns with the goals of building youth-friendly cities and serves as a forward touchpoint for constructing a childbirth-friendly society.
Path Forward for the Initiative
Moving forward, the Zengcheng District civil affairs department will continue to optimize service processes, enhance staff professionalism, improve marriage custom promotion settings, enrich integrated tourism and cultural formats, deepen marriage custom reform, and systematically summarize operational experience, making the "Achieving a Positive Outcome" IP more distinctive, influential, and impactful.
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