THOUGH divorce carries a stigma in marriage-until-death China, the divorce rate is rising and that in turn has created a profitable new industry - divorce consultation for both reconciliation and breakup.

Last year, 1.71 million couples divorced in China, 10.3 percent higher than in 2008 and higher than the year's marriage growth rate of 9.1 percent, according to official statistics.

Of those 1.7 million, 14,468 divorced couples are from Hangzhou, where the rate has been increasing by around 10 percent a year for the past five years, according to city records.

And, as in the case of wedding companies and marriage supermarkets, a new divorce industry has sprung up to meet needs, provide counseling and sort out difficult issues of child custody and division of property.

Marriage and intact families are priority No. 1 in China and divorce is strongly discouraged and frowned upon. An old saying goes: "Persuade a couple to remain in harmony rather than to part."

Thus, these so-called "divorce companies" have generated controversy, as critics say they are encouraging breakups, from which they profit.

These companies generally counter that they are objective mediators who neither aim to keep an unhappy couple together at all costs nor to split them up.

They say they aim to analyze a couple's situation and troubling issues and help them resolve problems if possible. If reconciliation is not possible, then they provide legal advice and help couples with custody, property division and other issues.

"Marriage is institutionalized and therefore divorce requires time, energy and knowledge," says sociology professor Gu Xiaoming of Shanghai Fudan University. "The emergence of normative divorce companies helping people cope with the issues represents social progress."

One divorce company is the Hangzhou Weiqing Marriage Consulting Co founded in 2007, which puts the emphasis on the word weiqing, literally meaning "link affection."

The staff include professional marriage analysts, counsellors and lawyers.

Chief consultant Ma Mingyu says the company deals with two kinds of cases: reviving a marriage or helping a couple deal with intricate divorce issues, especially legal disputes over money and property.

As people become wealthier they have more at stake and more to lose, so divorce gets complicated, he says.

During a one-hour interview on a workday, Ma received two calls from prospective clients and set up meetings. Business appears to be brisk in the branch of the company headquartered in Shanghai.

"There's a market and potential in Hangzhou," says Ma, adding that his clients range from migrant workers to entrepreneurs.

Big fees

The company charges 300-800 yuan (US$44-117) an hour for consultation and 1-3 percent of the value of divided property. This property-related commission is the company's major source of income, Ma says.

General Manager Li Peixiang once worked on a difficult case for more than 20 days and collected a commission of more than 120,000 yuan, he says.

The company advises clients on minimizing financial losses to the major earner, usually the husband.

Li says most couples stay together, the ratio being around 3 to 1. Though on their divorce certificate most people cite "personality conflict" as the main reason, Ma cites other problems.

Extramarital affairs by men are the major reason for divorce, he says, followed by men's failure to provide a livelihood.

"Women's improved status and earning power mean they are less economically dependent on their husbands' earnings. Women are not afraid to dissolve a marriage when it is clear their husbands cannot meet their requirements," Ma says.

Women, too, are responsible for unhappy marriages, says Ma, noting that sometimes women are too strong and forceful and sometimes too weak and passive.

"Usually men expect women to be weaker, but they cannot be too weak or simply be housewives without self-confidence and communications skills - that makes them boring and charmless," he says.

Ma offers some advice to couples who have made serious mistakes or considered divorce. "They should never keep mentioning the old mistakes but try to make a fresh start and let time ease the painful memories.

"Each partner should maintain their individuality and give space and privacy to the other," he concludes.

Source: www.hicenter.cn