Love on the assembly line - in pictures

Hong Wang, a plate worker from Zhaotong, Yunnan province, and his girlfriend, Yun Niu, pose for a photo at the Shanghai Ying Feng Industrial Co, Ltd in February 2012 Photograph: Jia Daitengfei/Getty Images

Six months after posing in wedding clothes, Hong Wang, and his girlfriend Yun Niu are still unmarried. Despite being in a relationship for four years, their parents won't let them marry because of the great distance between their home towns Photograph: Jia Daitengfei/Getty Images

Cheng Xu, a worker in a furniture factory, poses with his wife, Yuanyuan Tang Photograph: Jia Daitengfei/Getty Images

Six months later, Yuanyuan Tang is seeing less of her husband as he works night shifts Photograph: Jia Daitengfei/Getty Images

Guang Xia and his wife, Qianqian Li, pose. The couple married in 2010, lost a child to pneumonia in 2011, and planned to have another child Photograph: Jia Daitengfei/Getty Images

Six months later in Shanghai, Qianqian Li is pregnant again Photograph: Jia Daitengfei/Getty Images

Xue Zhang poses at the Shanghai Ying Feng Industrial Co. In 2012, she discovered that she was suffering from a tumour and her husband asked for a divorce Photograph: Jia Daitengfei/Getty Images

Six months later Xue Zhang poses for a photo in Shanghai. Although she doesn't expect to meet anybody new, she hopes to buy a house in three years Photograph: Jia Daitengfei/Getty Images

Hongbin Li and his wife, Lijun Du, both from Nanchong, Sichuan pose for a photo. The couple live with their families in SongJiang Photograph: Jia Daitengfei/Getty Images

Six months later, Hongbin Li and Lijun Du squeeze on to a small bed with their child Photograph: Jia Daitengfei/Getty Images

Guanfu Chen and his wife, Zhimin Lin, pose Photograph: Jia Daitengfei/Getty Images

Zhimin Lin poses in Shanghai six months later. Her husband has started a new job with an increased salary, but it means they can no longer live together Photograph: Jia Daitengfei/Getty Images