China Segment

A few days ago I was privileged to attend the wedding of my wife’s cousin and his fiancée, who had been engaged for about 9 months. It was held in the home of the groom’s father’s mother (his grandmother). She has a farmhouse in Fengxian district 奉贤区, in the countryside of Shanghai. [...]

Bookmark It

[Read more →]

Marriage in China still befuddles me. It is for sons (and daughters, but preferably the former). It is for joining families. It is for the good of the bride and groom.
I witnessed an engagement party today. It was a banquet-style luncheon in what can only be described as the [...]

Bookmark It

[Read more →]

I’ve been to 3 weddings now in China, and I’ve noticed something about the clothing worn: it doesn’t quite add up.
The bride and groom, their parents, and most of the relatives that are close to them all dress to the nines. But a lot of the other guests just show up with whatever they [...]

Bookmark It

[Read more →]

The main event at all Chinese weddings is the banquet, which is very much like the Western wedding reception, without the dance. There are speeches, food, wine, and more food. It’s a good time and I highly recommend cozying up to some local friends to get invited. In fact, in Shanghai some [...]

Bookmark It

[Read more →]

Check it out - Western women are not the only ones who take the veil on their wedding day.   Chinese women traditionally wear veils too - red ones, and they’re much tougher to see out of.
Pictured above, myself and my bride, Rachel, as our host leads us into the banquet hall.  Chinese weddings are really [...]

Bookmark It

[Read more →]

My best man, Aric, doing the robot for a good cause.
In China, the groom and his men (male relatives and best men) pick up the bride to take her to the groom’s family home or their new apartment. In our case, since my family doesn’t live in China, we were taking Rachel, my bride, [...]

Bookmark It

[Read more →]

In China, money goes far.
Ceremony and ritual go even further.
At our wedding in Shanghai, Rachel’s aunt prepped me outside the apartment for how to give hongbaos (read: bribe) to Rachel’s family members inside. She had kindly gone to the bank for me to get crisp 20 RMB notes - yes, her family was kind [...]

Bookmark It

[Read more →]

Well, I wore a Tang Zhuang for my wedding in Shanghai. My wife, Rachel, and I had two weddings, one here in Shanghai and the other in my hometown, Saskatoon, in Canada. Since I was wearing a tux for our Canadian wedding I figured I’d wear whatever was traditional here. Thus, the [...]

Bookmark It

[Read more →]

Before a traditional wedding in Shanghai, there is something akin to an Easter Egg hunt. The relatives come over with quilts, often very colorful ones, especially including red. They are stacked together and tied with a string. Hidden inside are raw eggs (in plastic bags in case they break). A baby [...]

Bookmark It

[Read more →]

Yes, it’s true… I got married in China.
I managed to find myself a wonderful girl, named Fang Lian, or Rachel, as I call her. She has been more than just my great love, she has been my window into her family, her culture and this beautiful country. Despite my constant complaints, living in [...]

Bookmark It

[Read more →]