Decline in marriages in China transforming families and finances

Hong Kong

LIU Zhenfeng got married at 25. The usual trappings of family life followed: a daughter, a home, furniture, toys.

That daughter, Song Zongpei, now 28, is taking a different path. She shares a rented apartment in Beijing with two roommates, and is focusing on her career and her finances. She does not see marriage or motherhood in her immediate future. "At this stage, the most important thing for me is personal development," she says.

Fewer Chinese people are getting married - a shift with profound implica…