BEIJING - China's economic hub Shanghai has trained its first group of marriage counselors, the Xinhua News Agency reported, as the city experiences one of the highest divorce rates in the country.

Wedding couples rest on park benches as they wait for their turn to be photographed, in Beijing in 2003. China's economic hub Shanghai has trained its first group of marriage counselors, state media said, as the city experiences one of the highest divorce rates in the country. [AFP]

On Saturday, 140 people obtained certificates for the new career, ready to offer professional consulting services on marriage and family life in the city of 17 million people, Xinhua said.

The training was jointly sponsored by the human resources development center of the women's advocacy group, All China Women's Federation, and the China International Marriage and Family Association.

The counselors will serve as volunteers and consultants in three local marriage consulting companies, Xinhua said.

They are not only trained in psychology, marriage law and child welfare, but also received training on how to deal with problems in cross-cultural marriages, which are increasingly common.

Divorce rates in China are rising rapidly, with the highest rates seen in big cities such as Beijing and Shanghai.

According to the Ministry of Civil Affairs, 1.78 million couples separated nationwide last year, up 7.25 percent over the previous year.

In 2004, 27,374 couples in Shanghai filed for divorce, averaging 75 couples per day, up 38.9 percent over the previous year, state media cited a survey of the city's 19 district marriage registration offices.

Among the divorcing couples, 7.2 percent were married for less than one year, the survey showed, according to the news website China.org.cn.

Social stigma against divorcees is less strong in big cities like Shanghai.

Young people meanwhile are less shy about ending an unhappy marriage, as they are not bound by the constraints of the older generation.