The Note: following only applies to Sino-foreign marriages.
Note: The following only applies to Sino-foreign marriages. Local-level marriage registration
offices are the governmental bodies responsible for legally uniting under Chinese law man and
woman as husband and wife.
Step 1: Submit the Required Documents
The Sino-foreign couple must go together, in person to the appropriate marriage registration office
and submit a (1) completed marriage registration application form (available at the marriage
registration office). (The appropriate marriage registration office will be the one in the jurisdiction
in which the Chinese partner is registered [the location of the hukou].)
Together with the application form, the couple must submit a number of other documents:
Chinese Partner
(2) A certificate of marriageability (obtainable from his/her danwei)
(3) A certificate of birth
(4) Household registration book (hukou)
(5) A health certificate (obtainable from a regional-level local hospital)
(6) A letter from the parents of the Chinese partner giving permission for their child to marry a
foreigner (this letter should include the index fingerprint of both parents below their signatures
and date)
Foreign Partner
(7) A current passport
(8) Chinese residence permit
(9) A health certificate from a local hospital designated by the marriage registration office
(10) Three photos of the marrying couple, taken together
(11) A registration fee
(12) A certification of marriageability
Item 12 requires further explanation. Basically, the marriage registration office needs a form from
the foreign partners home government stating he/she is not already married in his/her home
country. Every foreign government has its own version of this type of form with its own
requirements for obtaining one. Couples will need to check the embassy website of the foreign
partners home country in China for details on how to obtain this kind of certification. (Chinese
translations must accompany foreign-language documents.)
Note: Application requirements may vary from office to office. When an individual visits the
appropriate marriage registration office to pick up an application form and find out which local
hospital(s) the foreign partner must get checked at, he/she should also check to see if the offices
requirements differ from those listed here.
Step 2: Wait for the Good News
After the establishment of the new marriage law, it now takes the marriage registration office
about an hour or so to review the submitted documents and approve of the application.
Step 3: Congratulations
Once the marriage registration office approves of the application and registers the marriage, it will
issue a marriage certificate to be picked up by the couple.
InChinesesociety,theweddingreceptionisknownasx ju(,literallyjoyfulwine),andisfar
moreimportantthantheweddingitselfwhichtendstobeabriefcivilceremony.Thetiming
andthecharacteristicsofthereceptionvarystronglyfromlocaletolocale.Theyareoften
extremelyelaborateandexpensive,oftencostingseveralyears'salaryofthegroom'sfamily.
asweddingpresents,andbecausetheweddinghostskeepverycarefultrackofthecostof
However,becausecashintheformofredenvelopesandjewelry(particularlygold)aregiven
thegifts(jewelryisgivenwithareceiptwhichindicatestheactualcostofthegift),thecostof
thereceptioniseffectivelysplitamongtheweddingguests.Weddingreceptionsalsobuild
localcommunitysolidarity.Aseachcoupleweds,theirweddingreceptionisineffectfinanced
withgiftsfromtheothermembersofthecommunitywiththeexpectationthatthenewcouple
andtheirfamilywillgivegiftsinfutureweddingreceptionswithinthevillage.
Theamountofmoneycontainedintheenvelopeusuallyendswithanevendigit,forinstance
88,168arebothluckynumbers,asoddnumberedmoneygiftsaretraditionallyassociated
withfunerals.Atweddings,theamountofferedisusuallyintendedtocoverthecostofthe
attendeesaswellasagoodwilltothenewlyweds.
Roleofthebrideandbridegroom
1.Barricadethedoor
Thebridegroommustpickupthebrideatherhomearoundnoon.Thebanquetitselfstartsin
theevening.
Uponarriving,thebridegroom'spartywillbebarredbythebride'sfriends,whowillnotopen
thedoorand"surrender"thebrideuntiltheyaregivenhongbao(redenvelopofmoney).This
istheoccasionofmuchgoodnaturedhagglingbeforethetwopartiesagree.
2.Servingtea
Afterthebridegroomentersthebride'shouse,thenewlywedstogetherwillkneeldownto
serveteatothebride'sparents.
Thebrideexpressesherappreciationforherparents'care,andthebridegroompromisesto
takegoodcareoftheirdaughter.
3.Sweetsoup
Thenthecouplewilleatsweetsoupmadeoflotusseeds(lianzi)andjujubes(hongzao).In
Chinese,thecombinationoflotusseedsandjujubesmeans"havingasonsoon."
4.Leavethewealth
Whenthebrideisabouttoleaveherhome,shewillbecarriedonthebackofherbrother,
cousinoruncle(amalerelative,notherfather).Thissignifiesthatbyjoininganotherfamily
thebridewillnottakeluckandwealthawayfromherparents'home.
5.Threebows
Duringtheveryimportantweddingceremony,usuallyatthebanquet,thecouplebowsthree
times:firsttoHeavenandEarth,thentotheirparents,finallytoeachother.Thentheyare
reallymarried.
6.Jiaobeijiu(unionofwinecups)
Thebridegroomandthebrideeachtakeaglassofwineandstandfacingeachother.Then,
withtheirarmsintertwined,theydrink.Thismeansthemarriagehasbondedthetwotightly
together.
7.Toastingandcigarettelighting
Everybodyagreesthisisthemosttiringpartofthewedding.Thenewlywedsmustgotoeach
table(ofatleast10people)andtoasteveryonetothankthemforcoming.Morethanonetipsy
bridehastoppled.
Thebride mustlightcigarettesforall menpresent,becausetheword for "light"(yang)in
Chinesesoundslikethewordfor"luck."Theideaismakingitdifficulttolight,sothebride
mustkeeptryingandtheguestsmustrepeatedlyusetheword.
8.Naodongfang(teaseinthebridalchamber)
Aftertheweddingbanquet,whichusuallytakesaroundthreehours,thenewlywed'srelatives
andfriendscrowdintothebridalchambertoteasethecouple.
Forguests,itisoftenthemostfun,butcanbedifficultforthebrideandbridegroom,especially
since they have been drinking. The guests will come up with funny and sometimes
embarrassingtricks,gamesorskitsthatthecouplewillperforminfrontofeveryone.