Marriage for nothing

While some young Chinese chose to be single, others feel the pressure to marry even though they have little financial security.

These kinds of have marriages have jokingly been named "naked marriages", in which brides and grooms abandon all traditional etiquette and customs and do without wedding banquets, rings, dowries, or owning an apartment.

Their only expense is nine yuan for their marriage certificates.

Zhang Gelin, 27, a graduate student of People's University of China, just had such a marriage. Her bridal chamber was a rented house.

"Every couple wants to have their own house, but there's a big gap between the dream and reality. We will fight to own one and I believe our dream will eventually come true," she said.

Zou Heng, 22, a restaurant employee in southwestern Yunnan Province, spent nothing on his wedding aside from two rings. "We wanted to save for either the mortgage down payment or starting up our own business," he said.

Duan Chengrong, a sociology professor at the People's University of China, said that basic realities would always change culture and people's behaviors.

"As China goes through a tremendous social and economic transformation, a new generation is adjusting some traditional concepts to suit them and managing problems in their own way. It would be good to see true love flourishing while every one seeks to be well-off," Duan said.

(Xinhua News Agency January 12, 2010)