Chinese Couple Holds Wedding for Only 30,000 Won... "Satisfied"

Preparing the Wedding Process by Hand
Refusing Even the Expensive 'Jichamgeum'

A young Chinese newlywed couple who held their wedding for just 160 yuan (about 30,000 won) has become a hot topic. In China, where extravagant venues and expensive wedding gift cultures remain, wedding costs have skyrocketed alongside economic development. However, the younger generation has recently expressed resentment toward the soaring wedding expenses.

On the 13th (local time), Chinese media 'Guangmingwang' focused on the wedding preparation process of 20-year-old woman Xie Mo, who lives in Chongqing, China. Xie held her wedding with her groom, government official Tan Mo, on the 8th, and the total cost for the entire process?from the ceremony to the officiant and congratulatory songs?was only 160 yuan.

The wedding was held in the groom’s hometown. To save costs, Xie set up a temporary outdoor stage. The steel frame work for the stage was helped by Tan’s hometown friends. Tables, chairs, tablecloths, and utensils were borrowed from Xie’s acquaintances. The large red cloth, which frequently appears in Chinese weddings, was recycled from the village’s communal warehouse.

A wedding of a Chinese couple. The photo is unrelated to specific expressions in the article. [Image source=Yonhap News]

The couple also personally prepared the banquet food ingredients served to the guests. Key ingredients such as pork and potatoes were purchased cheaply from farms on the outskirts of the village. Thanks to this, the two were able to prepare a fresh buffet at a low cost. Additionally, Xie refused the 'Chaili' (Chinese-style wedding dowry) from the groom’s side and skipped the expensive studio wedding photo shoot.

Is there any regret about holding a simple wedding that will never come again? Regarding this, Tan said, "I realized that what matters most is not showing off to others, but the mental satisfaction of the two of us, the true owners of the wedding." Xie also said, "The reactions of relatives and friends who came to the wedding venue were very positive," adding, "We can see that our choice to hold an inexpensive ceremony was the right one."

China is known as a country that spends a lot on weddings. It is common to rent a huge wedding hall and hold a grand ceremony, and especially the groom’s wedding gift culture known as Chaili still remains. Chaili generally refers to cash, valuables, and other gifts given by the groom’s family to the bride’s family at the time of engagement.

At the end of last year, a man who spent a total of 510,000 yuan (about 96 million won) on Chaili and was notified of separation just one month later staged a 'one-person protest' in front of his wife’s family home, becoming a hot topic in Chinese society.