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LIFE> Fashion
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Here and Mao
(China Daily)
Updated: 2008-11-19 11:24
Zhang Yafei and Li Jing have their wedding picture taken at 798 art zone in Beijing. Guo Yingguang But after enduring the painstaking procedure, many may find that their photos look just like everybody else's. Wedding business insiders say the nostalgic or "red" wedding photography is one way in which young couples are trying to be different. The red trend has spurred a mini-industry of stores and photography studios offering green uniforms, hats, belts and badges with Chairman Mao Zedong's image. Zhou Xibin, founder of 2046 Photography Studio, says more than 30 percent of his customers come to the studio asking for the "red" concept photography services for anniversaries and other special events. Zhou, a former movie-maker, says his studio uses ideas from movies and TV series, which were popular in the 1960s and 1970s. He came up with the idea of "red concept" in 2006 and his clients were enthusiastic about it. Zhou says his young clients are intrigued by the clothes, the accessories, the scenic locations he uses and even the story behind the red concept. "They want to know what that era looked like, what people were thinking in those days," Zhou says. Aside from taking them to parks and high-end hotels, his studio offers young couples chances to go to mountains and villages, which fits the red concept theme. Zhang Yafei and Li Jing just got married a few weeks ago in Beijing. Unlike Qu, they didn't have a clear idea of how to be different and special. The couple turned down many photo studios until they discovered a pair of green uniforms. "We spent a whole day at 798 art zone because there are many historical scenes matching the clothes," says Zhang, 26. "It feels like an artistic revival." The green uniforms are popular among bridegrooms, who find it a fresh change from the universally worn black tuxedo. "It seemed there is a lot of promotion for the ladies' dress and not much for us guys," says Zhao, Qu's husband. "It was really fun to be dressed in the uniform." The trend in wedding photos has transformed greatly over the past decade from low-key to extravaganza wedding gowns. Most young couples born after 1980 want to pursue freshness and simplicity, Zhou observes. The red concept has spread to other areas as well. Hong Se Jing Dian (Red Classic), a restaurant in Beijing, offers typical food in the countryside, stages old-fashioned dances, plays old songs and decorates the interior with a huge red star at the door and Mao's slogan "Serve the People" on the wall. Xuese Langman (Bloody Romance), a popular TV series, also tells the story of zhiqing 40 years ago. "For those of us, who were born after 1980, those days are mysterious and far away. We want to recall those days on our big day," Qu says. |
