The people of Changchun, Jilin province in China's Northeast will soon get a chance to learn more about the changes in marriage practices in China over the past 150 years.

Silk ball from the Qing Dynasty often used in traditional Chinese wedding ceremonies. [Photo by Baishi/tu.xwh.cn]

 A display at the city's Public Culture Art Center opens next month with more than 50 marriage licenses from the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) to contemporary society on display.

In describing the display, Wang Jinsi, the owner of the collection on show, says, "People can see the changes in marriage customs. In the past, getting married was far more than just having a person find his or her better half, because it depended on the parents' wishes, whereas as opposed to know when it's pretty much determined by the couple."

These marriage certificates also show people's social status, adds Wang, as he points to a cloth contract from as recently as 1933 which describes how a woman who was poor and in debt had to give her daughter to a man as a concubine to pay off a debt so, "Her daughter was just goods, reflecting women's low status at that time, especially those from a poor family."

Another of Wang's certificates may get some attention, even though it is turning yellow and cracking, because, "This one is from the year of 1871 and significant because it has pretty much the same content as a modern marriage certificate."

 The exhibition runs May 1-20, and is free of charge.

Marriage certificate from 1871 resembling a modern marriage certificate. [Photo by Baishi/tu.xwh.cn]