The rise in divorce cases in China has fostered the birth of companies that mainly serve married couples in crisis.

A Shanghai company, widely known as the first "divorce company" in China, opened its 28th office in Hangzhou last Sunday. Its main business is to provide legal counsel to people who are about to get divorced and help them get the biggest possible share of property out of the divorce. By the end of last year, the company had helped more than 1,000 couples reconcile and 300 divorce peacefully. The number of divorced people younger than 35 in Hangzhou increased by 30 percent in 2005 compared with the figure in 2004.

(Hangzhou Daily)