Banning feasts well-intentioned but goes too far

A GOVERNMENT department of Tianzhu county in Southwest China's Guizhou province recently issued a document banning local residents from holding banquets if they are marrying for the second time. Fawan.com comments:

The guideline is rather detailed, but it states that local residents are allowed to hold feasts only when a family member dies or gets married, someone marrying for the second time is forbidden from holding a celebratory banquet.

The guideline has aroused fierce discussion online with the government department receiving much criticism. It responded by saying the move was intended to help ease the financial burden on local residents, since according to local customs those invited to attend a wedding banquet are supposed to give the host large sums of money as a gift. This is an increasingly heavier financial burden for them, and the local government department concerned said it issued the guideline because an increasing number of local residents were complaining about the custom.