September 22, 2024, was a very special day for 5,105 Chinese couples. Why? They tied the knot, at the same time, on that day to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China. The large, Chinese-style group wedding was organized by the All-China Women's Federation (ACWF), the National Ethnic Affairs Commission, the Ministry of Civil Affairs (MOCA), the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, and the Political Work Department of the Central Military Commission. The couples celebrated their love during the wedding ceremony; at the same time, they began a new, and significant, chapter in their lives.

The group wedding, with the theme "a celebration by families and the nation to witness happiness together," was held simultaneously (via video link) in Beijing and 49 other sites, in 31 provinces, municipalities, autonomous regions, and the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps. Huang Xiaowei, Vice-President and First Member of the Secretariat of ACWF, was chief witness during the wedding ceremony. In her remarks, Huang said the newlyweds took the lead in promoting family ethics, and they were practitioners and advocates of the new perception of marriage. 

Lu Zhiyuan, Minister of MOCA, presided over the wedding ceremony. Lu encouraged the newlyweds to foster sound family ties, values and traditions, and to contribute to building a great country and moving toward national rejuvenation.

The main venue for the wedding, in Beijing, was heavily decorated in red, symbolizing auspiciousness in Chinese culture. During the ceremony, the couples, wearing traditional Chinese wedding clothing, performed a three-bow ritual — to the prosperity of the motherland, to their parents and relatives, and to each other. Then, the newlyweds read their wedding vows — to stay together and grow old together. They also issued a proposal to simplify wedding procedures, oppose high betrothal gifts, inherit traditional Chinese virtues, advocate the new perception of marriage, and foster family ethics. 

As representatives of couples who have been married more than 50 years, Wang Yuming, an academician with the Chinese Academy of Engineering and a professor with Tsinghua University, and Ma Wanqing, Wang's wife, sent their blessings to the newlyweds. They said the group wedding would help the couples better understand marriage, childbirth and family. They also suggested the group wedding would help young people comprehend the meaning of love and responsibilities, and would foster their pursuit of family happiness.

Xiao Wenpeng and Guo Qiong, newlyweds from Ji'an, a city in East China's Jiangxi Province, said the essence of marriage lies in the love and commitment between two people, whereas high betrothal gifts often place a financial burden on young people, and can even affect their happiness as a married couple. "We have gone through thick and thin together, and each other's company has strengthened our determination to get married," said Guo. 

Their opinion was echoed by Yan Huiyin, a bride from Jixi, a city in Northeast China's Heilongjiang Province. Yan said she believed finding a soulmate, with whom one can share the rest of his/her life, is the most important aspect of marriage. 

The wedding venues outside Beijing had unique, local characteristics. Nearly 300 of the couples attended the ceremony at the venue on Chilechuan Grassland, in North China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. Of those participants, 87 couples were interracial, meaning they were marrying someone from another ethnic group (including Han, Mongolian, Manchu, Hui, Ewenki and Oroqen). 

Liu Jiachen, President of Shenzhen Women's Federation, noted some of the couples at the venue in Shenzhen, a city in South China's Guangdong Province, were from the Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions. "Many young people who work in Shenzhen are from other areas of the country. They work and live in this beautiful city. The group wedding helps the newlyweds cherish their families, and create a better life," Liu said. 

Source: ACWF Publicity Department

(Women of China English Monthly October 2024)

Editor: Wang Shasha