Don't give up on your happily ever after

A growing number of young Chinese are declining to tie the knot these days, opting instead to focus on their careers or even cohabit without ever going through the nuptials.

A survey conducted during the summer by the Center for Population and Development Policy Studies in Shanghai found that nearly one-in-five men and one-in-eight women born between 1980 and 1989 have never married.

Figures released recently by the Ministry of Civil Affairs reflect this, with marriage rates trending downward from a peak of 9.92 per 1,000 people in 2012, while the number of divorces per 1,000 doubled in the decade through to last year.