The SARS outbreak has prompted some Chinese couples to scrap their traditional wedding gatherings, opting instead to tie the knot in cyberspace.

Spring, which is normally the golden season for weddings, was marred this year by SARS, with 90 percent of long-planned wedding parties in Beijing being postponed until later in the year.

Some cancelled their wedding parties and simply got married.

And for some, the Internet is turning out to be a wonderful place to hold wedding ceremonies during this unusual period.

Miss Xu and Mr Chen, both aged 25 and working at a middle school in Xicheng District of the capital, originally planned their wedding for May 1, but the plan was hindered by the SARS outbreak.

They instead turned to the Internet, holding their wedding on the net.

A small-scale gathering was organized and it was broadcast online.

Relatives and friends sent their greetings via e-mail and watched their wedding online.

"We experienced a special occasion at the special time and it was created by modern technology," said the couple.

Besides weddings, many other activities have also been hindered by the SARS outbreak.

Recruitment fairs have been suspended in most Chinese provinces and regions due to the SARS epidemic, and some graduates have been unable to undergo interviews, medical examinations or sign contracts with their employers.

The Ministry of Education recently called on local administrations to make full use of the Internet and other media sources to release job information and to organize online recruitment.

The ministry said universities should collect job information through different channels and carry out recruitment activities in line with SARS prevention requirements. Employment agencies should also offer online consulting services to students.

Statistics show China has a total of 2.12 million university graduates this year, 670,000 more than 2002.

According to the ministry, an official website offering guidance to graduates will be launched in the next few days.

In Beijing, which was severely hit by SARS, the communications sector saw a sharp surge in business in April as residents turned to telephones and the Internet to keep in touch during the SARS outbreak.

Local telephone business volume in Beijing rose 60 percent over March, while long-distance telephone operations increased by 50 percent, said the Beijing Communications Corporation.

The corporation said Internet services also reported a 40 percent jump in April, while the demand for television and telephone meetings has increased rapidly since SARS hit Beijing.

Increasing numbers of companies had restricted staff business trips and turned to telephones and the Internet to carry out their business, which greatly stimulated the sharp rise in the communications business.

Long-distance telephone calls in Beijing used to peak from 8 pm to 10 pm, but the period has moved to 9 am to 11 am amid the SARS outbreak.

Meanwhile, more residents in Beijing have asked Internet service providers to open broadband network services as they stay indoors more.

(China Daily May 20, 2003)