Many places “limit height limits” on individual money

“Except for close relatives, it is advocated that the ‘sui’ gift’ should not exceed 100 yuan in rural areas and the ‘sui’li’ in county areas should not exceed 200 yuan.”

Recently, four departments of Sanjiang Dong Autonomous County in Liuzhou City, Guangxi jointly issued the “Sanjiang Dong Autonomous County Advocacy Standards for Changing Customs and Customs” to continue to rectify old and bad habits such as high betrothal gifts, excessive banquets, poor maintenance and generous burials, and further reduce the burden on the people.

RMB information map. Photo by China News Service reporter Li Jinlei

This standard makes recommendations on the amount of gifts, wedding and funeral times, banquet purchase standards, betrothal gifts, etc. For example, in terms of time, it is recommended that the wedding banquet be held for one day each or jointly for one day, with one banquet and one meal. The wedding banquet hosted by one party should not exceed 25 tables, and the wedding banquet hosted by both parties should not exceed 40 tables. The funeral service generally lasts no longer than 3 days, and is encouraged to be held in centralized funeral venues to reduce the disturbance to the people by leaving coffins at home.

In terms of banquet purchase standards, in principle, the price per table for wedding hotels should be controlled within 800 yuan (including tobacco, alcohol, and beverages), and the price per table for family catering should be within 600 yuan (including tobacco, alcohol, and beverages). For funeral banquets and dinners, the price per table in counties is limited to 500 yuan (including tobacco, alcohol, and drinks); in rural areas, the price per table is limited to 400 yuan (including tobacco, alcohol, and drinks), and excessive drinking and fighting are discouraged.

In terms of wedding customs and etiquette, the number of wedding cars shall not exceed 10, and luxury vehicles shall not be rented. Refuse to prank the bride and groom, groomsmen and bridesmaids and other vulgar wedding dramas.

In terms of wedding gifts, “low or zero gifts” are encouraged, and no comparisons are made with each other or showing off to others.

In October 2025, the relevant person in charge of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs stated that the next step will be to guide all localities to deepen the formulation and revision of village rules and regulations in accordance with legal procedures, and encourage the farmers to put forward advocacy standards for the amount of rural betrothal gifts, gift limits, types of rural banquets, number of tables, and cost of dishes, etc., on the basis of respecting the wishes of the farmers, so that farmers can have evidence to rely on when handling weddings and funerals.

It can be noted that since this year, many places have introduced advocacy standards for changing customs. Recently, many places have also issued proposals to promote a new trend of civility, advocating that neighbors, relatives and friends should exchange small gifts, despise gifts but value affection, consciously control the amount of gifts, and not blindly follow the trend to raise the standard of gifts.

For example, Shangluo City, Shaanxi Province recently issued the “Nine Measures” Initiative for Changing Customs in Shangluo City, which stipulates reference standards for weddings and funerals: the average banquet price per table in rural areas should not exceed 300 yuan, and in urban areas should not exceed 600 yuan; The average price of wine does not exceed 10 yuan, and does not exceed 20 yuan in urban areas; the average price of wine in rural areas does not exceed 50 yuan, and does not exceed 120 yuan in urban areas; favor gifts in rural areas do not exceed 100 yuan, and in urban areas does not exceed 200 yuan. We advocate frugality and eliminate extravagance and waste.

Recently, the Lanzhou High-tech Zone in Gansu Province issued the “Initiative on Resisting Bad Marriage Customs and Promoting Civilized Rural Customs”, advocating that “courtesy should be valued over etiquette but affection over sentiment”. The amount of favor gifts should not exceed 100 yuan, there should be no “gift competition”, and the amount of gifts should not be linked to close relationships.

Many places have “limited” the amount of money that can be paid to individuals, which has attracted many netizens’ praise, saying it “reduces the burden on both parties.”

Gifts are originally a way to convey feelings, but when favors turn into burdens, when the banquet falls into comparison, the original emotional exchange changes. Refining the standards is not to make people become “ruthless”, but to guide the etiquette to truly return to its original meaning, so that everyone will no longer be coerced by bad customs.

From the limit on the amount of money, to the limit on the number of banquet tables and wedding cars, to the encouragement of “low and zero betrothal gifts”, many places have introduced advocacy standards, sending a clear signal: changing customs must be truly implemented in specific life scenes.