Snow-white mountain wedding is as precious as jade
SHENZHEN: How many couples plan to get married on a snow-capped mountain? It may not be the normal ceremony, but on the first day of October on Jade Dragon Snow Mountain in Lijiang, a scenic city in Southwest China's Yunnan Province, more than 500 couples are planning to hold a massive wedding ceremony.
"If you love her (him), bring her (him) to Lijiang to have the wedding that you will never forget," said Zhang Wenyin, an officer of the Lijiang municipal government.
Zhang was speaking at a conference in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, that Lijiang was planning to hold China's first wedding customs and culture festival.
"Jade Dragon Snow Mountain is known as 'sacred mountain' and 'love mountain' to people both in and outside Lijiang and an increasing number of couples are therefore choosing Lijiang as the most ideal destination to spend their honeymoon," Zhang said.
The breathtaking scenery surrounding Lijiang has also made it a popular location for wedding photographs. Couples often use props, such as Harley Davidson motorcycles or expensive cars.
Yang Zhengyang, general manager of Shenzhen Shizong Culture Communications Company, the festival's major sponsor, hoped to see more couples from Shenzhen go to Lijiang to experience such unique wedding themselves.
"A lot of young couples from Shenzhen are traveling to Lijiang now and many of them actually found their loved ones there," Yang said. "We are seeking Shenzhen couples who fell in love in Lijiang and we want to hear their touching love stories."
"Three couples will be finally chosen to attend the grand wedding free of charge," Yang added.
According to a report released by Lijiang municipal government, the number of tourists to Jade Dragon Snow Mountain increased from 5,000 in 1994 to two million in 2006.
"To have a wedding on a snow mountain will be very romantic," said Wu Jingmei, a local university lecturer. "Everything is purely white signifying pureness of love itself and I will say 'I do' to my loved one in such environment and atmosphere."
Zeng Chao, an engineer with a local medical equipment company said that he would like to take his princess to such a wedding.
"It should be a unique unforgettable life experience for both of us, if she is not too afraid of the chilliness," Zeng said with a big smile.
(China Daily 06/07/2007 page19)
