The hashtag swiftly popped up in the top-searched list of Weibo hot topics, but many read it as the government’s attempt to put pressure on them. “Who dares to get married these days? Don’t we need to make money?” one questioned. “Stop nagging me!” said another.

Under Chinese law, men can marry from 22 and women from 20. Young Chinese people’s mixed response to state media’s message came as the country faces what some analysts described as a “demographic timebomb”. Last week, China’s government reported its population growth rate had fallen to a 61-year low, with births barely outnumbering deaths in 2021, despite efforts to encourage Chinese couples to have babies in the last few years.

“Young Chinese’s attitude towards marriage poses a big threat to Beijing’s effort to alter the looming demographic crisis,” said Dr Ye Liu, a senior lecturer at King’s College London’s Lau China Institute. “Coupled with a higher level of education and economic betterment, this will become a bigger headache in the years to come.”