Ti Gong
A Chinese-style wedding is held at the Pudong New Area Marriage Registration Center to mark the one-year trial of “cross-province” marriage service in the city.
Ti Gong
Couples read poems at the ceremony.
With lovebirds wearing hanfu (traditional Chinese Han-style attire) and following essence rites of Chinese-style weddings such as hejin (drinking cross-cupped wine) and worshiping the heaven and earth, a group wedding was held at the Pudong New Area Marriage Registration Center on Saturday.
The day marks the one-year trial of a “cross-province” marriage service in the city. Under the trial, even if neither of the couple has a Shanghai hukou, or household registration, they can still marry in the city as long as either side holds a temporary residence permit, or juzhuzheng.
At the center, couples tied the knot and took photos in guofeng (China-chic) style. They also read ancient love poems to whisper their eternal love.
“It is such a unique once-in-a-life-time experience and a sweet delightful surprise,” said a bride surnamed Chen. “From hanfu experience to the ceremony, we have a strong sense of ritual.”
The couple are natives of Anhui and Gansu provinces and currently work in Shanghai.
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The bridegroom shows an ancient-version of a marriage certificate.
“It is also very convenient to tie the knot in Shanghai under the policy as we don’t need to return to our hometowns,” she said.
Another couple said they arrived as early as 7am.
“We made a reservation very early to secure the ceremony,” the bride surnamed Lin said. “We treasured the chance and arrived early to change clothing, have make-up and shoot videos. It is such a perfect day.”
Hosting various activities on popular marriage days has become a tradition of the Pudong New Area Marriage Registration Center to enrich the marriage registration process of lovebirds, raise their sense of responsibility and promote healthy marriage concepts, officials said.
The center has issued “cross-province” marriage certificates to more than 4,790 couples since the trial started.
The practice exempts out-of-town couples from the need to travel back and forth and lowers the cost of marriage registration, officials with Shanghai Civil Affairs Bureau said.
Ti Gong