Fines for Love: A Village Committee in China Tried to Regulate Marriages and Children (4 photos)

Look at all this hanky-panky! This is out of order!





In the small village of Lincang in Yunnan Province in southwest China, the local government committee has introduced unusual rules regulating the personal lives of residents.

According to a notice posted in December 2025, marrying someone from another province would result in a fine of 1,500 yuan. Pregnancy out of wedlock or giving birth less than nine months after the wedding would result in a fine of 3,000 yuan. Living together without officially registering the marriage was subject to an annual fine of 500 yuan. Immorality must be paid for.



The village rules and regulations provide for equality for everyone. 1. A fee of 1,500 yuan is charged for registering a marriage outside the province. 2. A fine of 3,000 yuan will be imposed if the period from the marriage to the birth of the child is less than one month. 3. If a security officer intervenes in a quarrel between a married couple, they will be fined 500 yuan per person. 4. Drinking alcohol and making noise outside the village: 3,000-5,000 yuan. 5. Pregnancy before marriage will be fined 3,000 yuan. 6. Unmarried couples living in the village: 500 yuan per year. 7. Bragging without a license or supporting documents in the village (or in online groups): Fine 500-1,000 yuan.

These measures sparked a storm of indignation on Chinese social media. Users accused local authorities of excessively invading their privacy, violating freedom of marriage, and violating human rights. The announcement quickly went viral, and was covered by numerous media outlets, including the South China Morning Post and NDTV.

In response to the public outcry, authorities in Mengding, the city to which the village belongs, quickly responded. They claimed the regulations were the initiative of a local committee without coordination with higher authorities and were contrary to Chinese national law. Such fines are legally invalid, as freedom of marriage and privacy are protected by the country's Civil Code.





The ad was removed, and officials emphasized that such regulations do not and cannot officially exist. They said they couldn't expect anything from villagers.