Golden wedding celebration takes place in Shandong's county

Dongming county – located in Heze city in East China's Shandong province – held a wonderful Golden Wedding Celebration event on Oct 23.

It coincided with the Double Ninth Festival, the traditional Chinese festival celebrated on the ninth day of the ninth month in the Chinese lunar calendar.

During the event, 16 couples celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary. They held pens to write the Chinese character ren – or person – symbolizing the Chinese-style romantic concept of holding each other's hands and growing old together.

One of the attendees, Mrs. Li, came from Jinan, the capital city of Shandong, especially to attend the ceremony. She wanted to share her parents' story.

"When they got married, there were no elaborate banquets and there was just simple furniture. They even had their wedding photos taken later," she said.

"Nevertheless, they held hands and walked through more than half a century, dedicating themselves to their family and society.

"Despite the ups and downs over the years, they've led a happy and fulfilling life together. Their enduring love illustrates the meaning of 'love is as strong as gold.'"

As part of the county's efforts to establish new trends in marriage customs, the event was said to not only promote traditional Chinese values and encourage respect for the elderly – but also to help the younger generation to truly understand the simplicity and significance of love and marriage. (Edited by Zhou Yunlai)