Finding a husband is one thing, keeping him is another.[File photo]

Finding a husband is one thing, keeping him is another.

According to the latest statistics from the Ministry of Civil Affairs, 4.5 million couples divorced in 2010, an 11-percent increase from 2009. The situation has prompted some people to suggest it is now harder than ever for couples to stick together.

For women looking to work things out with their men, help is at hand.

The Good Wife Happy School and the Beijing Moral Education Center for Women are just two of the many schools that have popped up to offer marriage guidance: some of it free, some of it extremely expensive.

"There are too many unmarried women now, and most don't have the necessary skills to manage marriage," said Jia, a human resources worker at Good Wife Happy School in the capital's Dongcheng district. She declined to give her full name.

"We have a range of marriage management courses online and offline that advise women on how to prevent or fix a broken marriage," she said.

For 100,000 yuan (US$16,000), women can listen to four lectures, including one that is about getting rid of a mistress. Jia refused to give more details about the curriculum, saying it is a trade secret.

However, she did reveal that most students are in their 20s, and must go through a strict examination and interview process before they can enroll. "Those who meet our qualifications are usually from good family backgrounds," she added, without elaborating on the qualifications.

At the Moral Education Center in Chaoyang district, which opened in July, staff promise to better equip singles and wives for marriage by nurturing their internal qualities.

Among its services, the center offers a 30-hour course for 20,000 yuan on how to snare a millionaire, which features modules on makeup, conversational skills, personality development and traditional tea-pouring techniques.

Gu Xiuqin, secretary-general of the China Association of Social Workers' marriage and family affairs committee, said the emergence of marriage management schools shows the demand among couples - particularly women - for relationship advice.

"The number of boys exceeds that of girls in China, yet there are still many unmarried women," he said. "It's because some people just don't understand marriage clearly, so it's necessary for them to get help from experts."

He warned that it is important such courses are offered in the interests of the public, not just for profit.

However, many citizens were not so enthusiastic about the trend.

Zhou Yan, an English teacher at the New Oriental School in Nanjing, Jiangsu province, said he believes such schools are a rip-off.

"No one can turn into the perfect wife or snare a millionaire after attending one quick workshop," he said. "It might help if the courses teach about interpersonal relationships, but for me these schools are just looking to make a profit."

Chang Ning, a Chinese student attending British Columbia University in Canada, said schools in the West often teach home economics, which is an introduction to food, clothing and consumerism, but raised doubts over whether the new marriage management centers in China can have an effect.

"I can't believe the courses are even more expensive than some culinary arts schools teaching French cooking," Chang said.

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