It's customary in China to have a wedding album made featuring shots of the bride and groom in a variety of settings. Whereas in industrial Shijiazhuang this is done inside in front of a variety of backdrops, Qingdao provides its lucky couples with a series of picture perfect backgrounds. The most popular location was German concession era church of St Emil, and the square in front was teeming with probably 40 bridal couples plus attendant photographers and assistants. Watching the shoots in progress was far more interesting than looking at the church!
A little historical snippet to finish with: during the Cultural Revolution, it was ordered that the crosses atop the spires be destroyed. However, plucky/suicidal local Christians removed them first and hid them in the ground until it was again politically safe for them to be unearthed.
Posts
A few years ago an ex of mine was showing me photo of himself and his Taiwanese girlfriend and they were very much like these 'wedding' pictures.
ReplyDeleteI said, 'I didn't know you two had actually gotten married!' His reply was, 'oh you do all the photo stuff before you actually get married (in Taiwan)' and I replied, 'but what if you change your mind and don't want to get married?' He sort of went deathly white then, lol, and said, 'hmm guess it makes it a bit more tricky, don't it?'
Is it the same there, J?
Hi J... wow, 40 bridal couples ? Is everything mass produced in China ? (except toasters?)
ReplyDeleteI love these little cultural vignettes.... I guess the old superstition of not having the groom see the wedding dress before the big day doesn't hold in China
ReplyDelete