Postal authorities in Beijing have a unique way of helping reduce the soaring divorce rate -- love letters sent with a seven-year delay. The new service allows couples within the first flush of romance to post a letter their partner will only receive seven years later, the China Regular reported on Tuesday, saying that was when relationships occasionally started to chill.

Divorce is becoming increasingly common in China. In Beijing, the divorce rate has risen from 11,582 in 2004 to 21013 last year, in line with government data.

Special envelopes containing a card for an individualised message went on sale in Beijing on September 9th -- considered auspicious since the words "nine nine" in Chinese sound very similar to the word "forever".

Couples who marry in one of the capital's 17 registration offices may also receive one of the special envelopes.

"we are hoping the affection recalled in these letters could avoid marriages falling apart in the future" a postal official reported.

A fewpeople were less hooked on the idea. "It would be so depressing if I received a love letter from seven years ago" Tsinghua schoolgraduate Sun Lubin told the China Regular.