Cynthia's Hometown

In the last 30 years, the standard of living has changed tremendously for Cynthia's family. (Along with the majority of people in China) Cynthia's father, who was part of the Red Army and not allowed to finish his schooling, did finally finish his schooling, went to college and is now the Dean of the English department at the local university. Before the family moved to Changsha, Cynthia, her parents and sister grew up in this small village about 3 hours away from Changsha. Her Aunt and Grandmother still live nearby with very few changes in their lifestyle. The photo below is of Cynthia with one of her 'Aunties' in their old village.

Below is a photo of Auntie's bed and bedding. 

Below are the photos of her working kitchen and dining room.

Chinese Wedding - Transportation

I was given the honor of sitting in the Bride's and Groom's car to and from the celebration. Generally after the celebration the Bride and Groom ride around the town with a car in front video taping them. Either this family or town did not have that tradition, but they did set off tons of fireworks when they arrived at the venue and afterwards.

Chinese Wedding Menu

Wedding Food

The restaurants charge by the table. On our table, set for 8, we could choose from all the foods you see on the ‘lazy susan’. And at each place setting there was a milk box, bottle of water, a box of small hard candies, and a paper cup. The paper cup was for toasting the bride and groom and each other with beer or their nasty clear alcohol.  No wedding cake and all the red dishes were very, very spicy.

Pictured below is Cynthia's dad and his brother (I think).

Chinese Wedding Attire

Photos
No problem with seeing the bridal gown before the wedding because all the photos are taken before. The bride and groom spend one or two weekends dressing up in many different outfits and going to various locations to take that perfect picture.  This photo was on display outside the hotel where the lunch was held.
 

Dressing For a Wedding
No shopping dilemmas for the MOB & MOG. Just wear whatever. Pictured are the parents of the bride and groom. At this wedding there were no bridesmaids and groomsmen – so no need to take the “Wedding Party” photos. The bride did change from her rented white dress to a traditional Chinese red dress for the toasting that the couple does at each table. 

Chinese Weddings

Understand that these vary as much as American weddings do, so this is just an example of one type of Chinese wedding from one part of the country. They have adopted some western traditions such as the white wedding dress and bouquets but have kept many Chinese customs such as the red dress, red envelopes and fireworks. Also this and the majority of all other Chinese weddings are really just a celebration because the couples have already signed the marriage papers at the local government office months prior. They usually save up money for the celebration part after they are legally married. 

Wedding Gifts

Easy for the gift giver – put money in the red envelope and give it to a trusted family member at the door. He records your name and the amount you gave. Sounds like his job is a lot more fun than getting stuck with doing the “guest book”.  The 'polite' amount should have a 6 or 8 in it (lucky numbers) 600 yuan or 800 yuan or 6000 yuan or 8000 yuan - you get the idea

Side Note – On the way to JangGangShan we saw a funeral – they were wearing white shirts over their clothes –and there were a bunch of bed comforters by the side of the road. Cynthia said that they give them to the family of the deceased. Funerals – so bedding gifts for funerals and money for weddings.

TIC

TIC (This Is China)- we say this a lot when things shock us - like cars driving on sidewalks - fireworks at 8 in the morning - etc...

This morning with NO prior warning from the office- I hear a noise in my kitchen - I go to investigate and ....surprise.....There is a guy hanging out my kitchen window scrapping something off the outside walls. Please remember I am 6 stories up and there are no locks on the windows. It is a good thing I haven’t taken my shower yet. I have a tendency to walk from the bathroom to the bedroom with very little on.

He is heading down so I warned Kate who is directly below me.  Julie, our local recluse and nudist on the 4^th floor, I didn't warn. (she gets real cranky when you wake her). Hopefully the scrapper won't have a big surprise when he gets there. There was another scrapper/patcher hanging by my bathroom window 3 hours later.  

New Favorite Street Snack

Think – Pita bread – but a little thinner. She rolls out the dough with some sugar in it then slaps it inside this big pot/oven. When it comes out it is a warm, crispy, and slightly sweet treat for 1 yuan (6.4 cents). Not as good as Dunker Donuts but still yummy.