Using data from China's 6th and 7th Censuses, this study assesses the accuracy of first marriage statistics, applies necessary adjustments, and explores their implications for analyzing marriage patterns. The findings reveal that trends in census-reported first marriages largely align with civil registration records but have been lower than those in civil records since 2010. Comparisons between the 6th and 7th Censuses reveal discrepancies in first marriage counts from 1980 to 2010. According to the 7th Census, the number of first marriages in 2010 was 2.53 times higher for males and 2.34 times higher for females than those recorded in the 6th Census. Data adjustments are crucial, as raw census data consistently underestimate historical first marriage levels nationwide and overestimate mean ages at first marriage. Adjusted data indicate notable shifts in China's first marriage patterns since 1980, with sharper declines in total first marriage rates and faster increases in the mean age at first marriage from 2010 to 2020.

Drawing on data from a questionnaire survey on 566 peasant migrant workers employed in catering in Central China’s Wuhan city, this paper examines the extent to which they are identified with "peasanthood" and the factors affecting this. The survey shows that more than thirty percent of the peasant migrant workers are equivocal on their identity. Multivariate analysis shows that significant factors influencing their identity include: attitude towards living in the city before migration, contact with the mass media, number of jobs done in the city, contentment with salary, the extent to which their families support their work in the city, and duration being engaged in agriculture production. The results confirm to the hypotheses that countryside memory and urban expectation and experience have independent and strong influence on identity of the peasant migrant workers.