Source: CCTV.com

04-24-2008 13:20

The BIG DAY….the wedding day. It's said to be the most important day of a person's life, a day when family and friends congregate to celebrate the beginning of a couple's new life together. Cultures and countries around the world celebrate this day in very different ways and today as we celebrate the 30th anniversary of China's opening up, we will be talking about how this special day has changed in China. This time, we have various guests to discuss the topic.

Our first group of guests is a newlywed couple. A couple with a romantic courtship, they met at a supermarket in Beijing. In 2005, Lin Jiaojiao hurried to a supermarket. She wanted to get something to eat but didn't have much time because she had a Chinese lesson to teach. In the market, she saw Jake, a young American, and as they passed each other, she politely smiled. Not thinking much of the exchange, she was surprised that as she went to pay the bill, Jake came over to her and said he will wait for her at the gate. There, they exchanged phone numbers and started dating. It seems a little strange to Chinese, but it is an American-style story of "love at first sight." A romantic relationship requires a romantic wedding, and Jiaojiao and Jake's wedding was different from ordinary weddings. Instead of using a wedding planner, Jiaojiao made all the decisions by herself, from choosing the restaurant, to the decorations. Their wedding was a fusion of their cultures: Chinese and Western.

Our second guest is Gwo Lee, CEO of iXi. On her website, Gwo receives many questions from future brides and grooms. The questions deal with all facets of a wedding and life after, including: Jewelry—How to select engagement rings? Personal life—after they get married, how should they plan their daily life? Chocolate—is chocolate necessary in a western style wedding? But the letter that left her the deepest impression was from a girl asking for help: how could she maintain a good relationship with her mother-in-law…