Weddings in Modern China: What Has Changed and What Has Not

Urban Chinese weddings now blend Western aesthetics (white dress, rings, flower-decorated venue) with Chinese tradition (banquet for 100–400 guests, tea ceremony presenting tea to parents, qipao change during the evening). A midrange Beijing or Shanghai wedding costs ¥100,000–300,000; five-star hotel weddings exceed ¥1 million.

Guest red envelopes partially offset costs — ¥500–1,000 per person for acquaintances in major cities, substantially more for close family. The bride price (彩礼) — paid by the groom's family to the bride's — has become contested, with some regional amounts exceeding ¥200,000–400,000, generating national debate about tradition versus commodification.

Marriage rates have fallen sharply: from 13.47 million couples registered in 2013 to under 7 million in 2023, driven by financial pressure, housing costs, and changing social attitudes.

If invited as a foreign guest: bring cash in a red envelope, dress formally and avoid white, expect a long multi-course banquet with toasts, and expect enthusiastic communal photography.