 |
| Weddings of China, Rizhao | (中文版 Chinese Version) |
|
 Drummers in back of truck leading a wedding procession. |
 |
| These photographs are called Chinese Glamour Wedding Photographs. In her book Framing the Bride: Globalizing Beauty and Romance... anthropologist Bonnie Adrian explains that the "bridal portraits are taken in advance of weddings and displayed at wedding banquets" as well as in homes. "In contrast to old-fashioned wedding photos," she says "modern bridal photographs portray the brides and grooms as emotionally and physically intimate". Some feel these photographs derive from Western wedding photography but the author sees it differently. For example, she says that "the photographic focus on the bride seems to suggest, on the surface, that women predominate in the marriage." |
| Peter Hessler in his book Oracle Bones tells of how two of his former students moved from Sichuan province to the coastal city of Wenzhou, registered with the government and became married, but never had a ceremony because they were so far from home. "They finally decided to skip the wedding and get pictures instead ... They bought an expensive wedding album... and included a dozen photos, each featuring a different costume and background. It was as if they had twelve separate weddings instead of none at all". |
| Weddings are a big part of Chinese culture. On auspicious days fireworks announced wedding processions are common and couples being photographed in wedding attire are everywhere. |
