A wedding ceremony without a bridegroom

A wedding ceremony without the presence of a bridegroom has recently gone viral online.

A wedding ceremony without the presence of a bridegroom has recently gone viral online.

Zhu Junzai, the bridegroom, who is a commando of the local police force in Tongren, Guizhou Province, was asked to join in a tournament on behalf of his squad the very day that he and his girlfriend planned to hold their wedding ceremony.

Pondering over the pros and cons, Zhu decided to participate in the contest, a decision fully supported by Zhang Dongfang, his fiancée. However, since the date they chose for their wedding ceremony is considered a very lucky day, Zhang insisted on holding the ceremony even without the companion of her bridegroom. She wrote in her Weibo account (China's equivalent to twitter): "Our wedding ceremony was held as it had been scheduled. Although you could not accompany me to finish the ritual, as long as we are together, I will appreciate the wedding with the presence of me only."

Yet the bride-only ceremony has drawn considerable attention online and divided people's opinions: commentators have either applauded the sacrifice and courage or questioned their real motivations.

"I was deeply impressed by the bridegroom's sacrifice and dedication to his job, which kept him from attending the wedding ceremony where his fiancée finished the ceremony alone," wrote a friend on the bride's WeChat account (The Chinese equivalent to Facebook).

However, in addition to people's admiration and blessings, skeptics announced their doubts:

"The groom can either call for leave or postpone their wedding ceremony. Why should he bother to leave the bride alone in the ceremony?" questioned "Philosophical Farmer Wang Yong Quan."