Society

Chinese focus on 'Wedding of the Century'

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2011-04-29 21:57

BEIJING - As Prince William and Catherine Middleton tie the knot just one day before China's three-day Labor Day holiday, many Chinese have chosen to celebrate the occasion by purchasing dresses, arranging their own marriages and creating handicrafts.

"Royal dresses" sell in vast numbers

The sapphire-blue dress that Kate Middleton wore during the announcement of her engagement to Prince William has kindled many Chinese ladies' love for blue dresses.

Similar dresses have flown off shelves in many Chinese stores. In an online store on Taobao.com, a prominent online shopping site, over 200 blue dresses were sold over the past few days in the runup to the royal family's big day.

Mock engagement rings have also become sought-after items. Taobao customer "Chihluo" bought an engagement ring and said "Its shiny appearance gives me a taste of the glamorous royal life."

A post titled "What to wear to land a Prince? Check Kate out!" on Tianya.cn had received 100,000 hits as of Friday. The post listed outfits worn by Middleton on various occasions over the past eight years, including a dress that she wore when she first caught William's eye at a charity auction in 2002.

400 tsinghua alumni tie the knot

Just five days after Tsinghua University's centenary celebration, 200 couples joined a group wedding ceremony on Friday, the same day as Prince William and Kate Middleton's wedding.

"Getting married at my school is sweet. And to make it better, we can celebrate the matrimony with the royal family," said newlywed Wu Jing.

Another newlywed named Shen Chanjing, a postgraduate of Fudan University, said that she has never craved for a royal-style wedding. "As long as I am married to the right man, I will become his princess," she said.

Netizen "Doudou0709" said on her microblog that "We all dream of becoming a Cinderella one day, but from the stories of Princess Sissi and the late Princess Diana, the two royal figures that Chinese are most familiar with, I think it is probably a tough job to be Cinderella."

Chinese handicrafts bring blessings to royal wedding

The British royal family's taste for fine Chinese craftsmanship has prompted several artists to carve out blessings for the prominent new couple.

Cai Yundi, a master craftsman of Chengni stone carving, delivered an auspicious carved stone to the royal family of Britain earlier this month as a wedding present.

The kettle-shaped stone is hand-carved, with images of jujubes, peanuts, and longans on its surface. The work is titled "Zaoshengguizi", or "to produce a distinguished child soon", a blessing hidden in the Chinese names of the fruits and nuts depicted on the stone's surface.

Chengni artists in eastern China's Jiangsu Province use their consummate skills to carve teapots, ink slabs and sculptures out of stone.

Cai's stone carving has been accepted by the royal family and is now kept in Buckingham Palace, according to Cai.

The royal wedding has brought a variety of wedding presents into the spotlight, ranging from small toys to exotic curiosities sent by local and foreign fans.

Their fairy tale-like romance has impressed many ordinary Chinese, including Zhu Xiaoju, an employee of a tea-producing county in southwest China who created a porcelain tea set for the newlyweds.

The wedding is being accompanied by nationwide celebrations in Britain, as well as celebrations in other countries. The ceremony is estimated to have 2 billion viewers worldwide.