Last week, a couple in their 40s came to a marriage registration office asking for a divorce.

In five minutes the two completed all of the necessary procedures and obtained their divorce certificates.

With all of the office workers present, the husband opened two large bags and took out piles of banknotes, which he said totalled 10 million yuan (US$1.23 million).

The wife calmly checked the banknotes in front of the office workers before quickly taking the bags away.

An employee at the office recalled that there was another man who paid his former wife one million yuan (US$123,456) in cash immediately after their divorce last June.