“New Asia College 75^th Anniversary Lecture in Celebration of the 70th Anniversary of Partnership between New Asia College and Yale-China Association” was held on 13 December 2024, at Yasumoto International Academic Park, CUHK. Professor Deborah Davis, Professor Emerita of Sociology, Yale University, was invited as the speaker. Moderated by Professor Sealing Cheng, Chairperson of the Department of Anthropology, CUHK, the lecture was titled “The Future of Marriage in China”. Our College also welcomed the Yale-China delegation from New Haven which was led by Mr. Laurence Bates (Chair of Board of Trustees) and Mr. John Frisbie (President).

Professor Davis traced how legal and policy changes transformed the institution and experience of marriage, childbearing, and sexuality in Mao and post-1970s China. Against the current trends of sustained sub-replacement total fertility rate, massive internal migration, normalisation of no-fault divorces, and weakened stigma on extramarital intimacy, Professor Davis assessed the prospect of its government’s recent efforts in building a “new culture of marriage and childbearing”, a widening gender gap in expectations from marriage, and parents’ changing view towards their children’s marriage. To reflect on the future of marriage in China, Professor Davis argued that it is necessary to consider gender and generational factors behind the varied standpoints on marriage, instead of assuming marriage as one coherent experience.

The lecture attracted more than 230 attendees, both on-site and via Webinar. Following Professor Davis’s overview and outlook of marriage in China, specialists in Chinese society and other participants had an extensive and informed discussions with the speaker during the Q&A session.