The Xi’an Civil Affairs Bureau planned to carry out the activity of “getting married and blessed with welfare lottery,” allowing every couple who receives a marriage license in Xi’an, Northwest China’s Shaanxi Province, to have the chance to get a free welfare lottery scratch-off with a nominal value of 10 yuan ($1.4) from March 1. Photo: web

The Xi'an Civil Affairs Bureau planned to carry out the activity of "getting married and blessed with welfare lottery," allowing every couple who receives a marriage license in Xi'an, Northwest China's Shaanxi Province, to have the chance to get a free welfare lottery scratch-off with a nominal value of 10 yuan ($1.4) from March 1, according to the official WeChat account of local government.

The event will run until November 30, at an overall cost of 700,000 yuan for the city, and is predicted to end early when the quota is fully delivered, according to staff from the Civil Affairs Bureau of Weiyang district in Xi'an. The tickets given away during this period are not necessarily of the same type, and the top prizes may be different.

This activity is designed for further enhancing the sense of rite of passage and accessibility for couples obtaining a marriage license, and the intention is to send blessing to new couples. Many netizens thought this is a very creative and interesting action. The staff also said they have learned from practices of other cities, and they will continue to learn from new attempts.