CHINA> Focus
Four weddings, one country - four Chinese generations
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2008-12-08 16:22

"The 80s was an innocent and conservative age when people took love and marriage very seriously. We barely kissed or hugged in public," added the 46-year-old man.

Sun Shuangding, 58, now a librarian at the eastern Nanjing University of Science and Technology, had a different story to tell. "My wife's parents strongly objected to our marriage though we had been in love for three years. All we could do was to get registered as a couple and continue to live apart."

In 1983, Sun's wife finally persuaded her family, but due to "tight money issues", the couple was unable to hold a wedding. "We only went to nearby Zhenjiang city for a trip."

"By and large, our fathers' dreams of watch and radio came true during the 80s," said Sun, "but we still could only manage to live frugally. Homemade furniture was popular and basic electric appliances such as a TV and refrigerator became common in urban families."

1990s: A western style bridal veil, pink and rented

Zhi Ying, 38, recalled how she fought to be a fashionable bride in 1995. She insisted on wearing a western bridal veil on the freezing winter day despite strong objections from her mother.

"I'd rather go to hospital after the wedding," said the courageous woman. Finally, the mother and the daughter made a compromise: the bride wore her dream veil, but only in pink as white was traditionally used for funerals.

Zhi paid six months of her salary to just rent the veil. "Western style wedding dresses were the trend in the 1990s. Most young people chose to wear western suits and gowns at weddings, at any cost," she said, full of excitement even today.

Also, at that time, a groom had to give his bride a ring, a necklace and a pair of earrings, all gold, as wedding gifts, according to Zhi's husband Wang. Washing machines, stereos and honeymoon trips became hot choices for newly-weds.

Wang added, "Another interesting thing is that professional wedding service companies came into being and became popular very quickly. At first, they only provided dresses for renting and helped brides put on make-ups; later on, they took on everything from car arrangement to ceremony anchoring."

21st century: "A play" vs. "a certificate"

21st century China has seen a division in how people choose to get married, typically the "play" type and the "certificate" type.

The "play" type, such as restaurant owner Wang, put a great deal of effort into planning special weddings. The "certificate" type, such as office worker Li Runya, on the other hand, are happy to live together with their other halves without any ceremony.