Chinese Weddings

ACCORDING to the Marriage Law of the People's Republic of China, marital kinship is established and protected by law when a couple registers at tile local marriage registration office. The newly-weds usually hold a wedding feast in celebration at home or in a restaurant. The big red Chinese character, "Double Happiness," would be pasted on walls at the ceremonial hall to     

To Our Readers, on the 40th Anniversary of the Magazine

Dear readers, Women of China was first issued in 1956, a full 40 years ago. In that time, the magzine's format has changed from a quarterly, to a bi-monthly, to a monthly. Our magazine is distributed in more than 130 countries and regions and is well-received by our readers. Women of China is a comprehensive English monthly concerned with the conditions of Chinese women. It aims to enhance contacts and exchanges between Chinese women and women from all over the world, and to increase their understanding and friendship. In the 40 years, forerunners in Chinese women's movement and women state leaders, Soong Ching Ling, Cai Chang, Deng Yingchao, Kang Keqing and     

Guoqiao Mixian, A Local Flavor in Yunnan

YUNNAN Province, at the southwest border of China, is one of the main rice producing area in China and much of its culture is connected with the planting and consuming of rice. It also has a rich variety of local snacks. The most popular snack is guoqiao mixian (rice noodles that go across the bridge). Local people like to serve this treat to their guests and visitors from faraway lands. Mixian, a fine noodle made of rice flour, is popular in many southern regions like Hunan, Guangxi and Guangdong provinces. It looks quite similar to the common noodle, except     

Palace Maiden Remembered as Heroine

THE story of Wang Zhaojun's marriage is a true story in Chinese history that has become a common household legend. Zhaojun was a beautiful young Han woman who lived long ago. In order for central China to be on good terms with the minority nationalities in remote, northern China, and to bring the war between these two powers to an end, Wang sacrificed herself, agreeing to marry the chief of the Xiongnu     

Racing for the Bed

No one knows when the people ofMacheng City began to employthe marriage custom of racingfor the bed, once a custom unique to theTujia ethnic minority. It is said that at the end of awedding, bride and bridegroom enter thebridal chamber together and race for thebed. The one who is the first to sit on thebed will be the master of the new familyIt sounds unreasonable, but quite anumber of people believe in it.Therefore, on the wedding night, manybrides and bridegrooms try their best to     

A'shima and Her Lover Live Happily Ever Afterwards

One of China's most popular tourist attractions, the Stone Forest in Yunnan Province is said to be the home of A'shima, a beautiful young woman who was tragically changed into a stone statue after she refused to marry a local tyrant and tried to escape with her lover. This legend has helped lure in countless tourists from home and abroad, many of whom, like this foreign family, can't pass up the opportunity of posing for a picture in local costume.(Selected from the photo exhibition "China in Foreigners Eyes.")     

Personal Adornments:Keepsakes of Love

LOVE is the most important emotion cherished by people in their adolescence. The whole process from their first love to marriage is like a romantic dream to be remembered forever. The personal adornments exchanged with each other as keepsakes of love add more poetic quality to the romance. Love is a kind of physical and mental excitement. When a personal adornment is presented to a lover     

There Is Green Grass Everywhere

Elizabeth's arrival in our life came by a chance event.But she makes me believe that in America,in China and in any other corner of the world,there are people who have lofty minds and who are ready to give their love to others.I believe this is especially true among women,as they communicate with not only language but also with their heart.It is because of women that this world has a better understanding among peoples of all nationalities.It makes this world a better place to live in.     

Teenagers are Growing up Fast

NOWADAYS, our society's tolerance is evident in the way it has changed its views about divorce. Little more than a decade ago the Chinese were very sensitive to the idea of married couples splitting up, and many people shook their heads, either in resentfulness, disapproval or disbelief. Divorce caused by financial changes within the marriage seemed the most difficult for people to understand. As time goes by, the opinions of society and the reasons why people divorce are changing. People cannot just shake their heads anymore. Our society now shows a kind of tolerance in these matters. But what cannot be ignored is that the divorce rate in China     

The Kingdom of Daughters by Great Lugu Lake

DEEP in the mountains of the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau in the southwest of China, live the mysterious Mosuo, who still maintain the custom of "visiting marriage," also called Ahxia marriage. Ahxia means "intimate friend" in the Mosuo tongue. If a couple loves one other, the man can spend nights in his Ahxia's house and leave at daybreak. During the day, they work and live in their mothers' houses, or with other maternal blood relations.     

Freedom of Divorce

MS. Zhang and her husband came to realize they were not right for each other after three years of marriage. According to the Marriage Law of the People's Republic of China, citizens have freedom of marriage and divorce so the couple sought to end their unhappiness and begin new lives separately. As they had no children, and were in agreement on the divorce, the only     

在婚姻中成长

Society expects children regardless of their gender -- to get married when they grow up. How, ever, for some people, marriage is not the ultimate goal, It is also not a safe haven, just because two people exchange vows, it certainly does not mean that they will be protected from problems, And there is no such thing as a smooth journey in marriage. Many couples end up filing for divorce, and those who manage to stay together until old age must all cope with friction and difficulties along the way.     

Rural Women Fight for Their Right to Land

TONG Sufang never expected that she would lose her land ongetting married.Tong,27,was married in 1992 to a man inanother village.The couple moved to the city to find jobs,leavingtheir land to their parents.Earlier this year,when the village whereTong lived before her marriage distributed another round ofcontracted land,Tong was not listed as a candidate for a share ofthe village soil.The reason:Tong is married and does not live inthe village any more,although she has never moved hermembership to her husband’s village and is still legally a memberof the village of her childhood. The same thing happened to Hou Cunli,who moved to her     

Art Appreciation

Wang Erkeis a middle-aged woman with deep feelings and a strong character She has lived on the black land of the Great North Wilderness and gained abundant experience from her ups and downs She has tasted the happiness of marriage and as well the pains of divorce in the new life she has made for herself, she feels as fresh and vital as the spring. She tried to discover the type of painting that enabled her to express her inner feelings Though she lost the chance to study at an art academy. she studied and practiced ink and     

One Couple—Two Scientists

EVEN as more and more of the world's mysteries are revealed to us, we remain largely ignorant about ourselves. What is life? This question has puzzled philosophers for ages, but only recently, with the speed of scientific development, has the field of molecular biology been able to promise a scientific answer to this Sphinx's riddle. The secrets are being gradually unveiled for Zeng Yitao and Huang Shuzhen. Both in their career and in real life, the couple is now standing at the forefront of the study of life. Human     

Guangzhou's Baozai Meal a Popular Fast Food

IN Guangzhou, where restaurants are plentiful and food from many places is served, the baozai meal, a kind of traditional Chinese fast food, has retained its place in the hearts of Guangzhou's caterers. The history of the baozai meal starts at least from the beginning of this century. By the end of the Qing Dynasty, Guangzhou was the largest trading port in south China with a developed, commodities-based economy. There were many dockworkers and porters living in the city at the time. They worked very hard and were often too busy to eat their meals at home. As a result, different kinds of meals were invented to meet their needs, such as the botou meal (bo is kind of earthen bowl), the dietou meal (die is small plate) and the baozai meal     

Former State Employee Becomes Entrepreneur

Since China began economic reform in the 1980s, many rapid changes have taken place in society, which have made the Chinese feel excited, restless and at times a little bewildered. However, this market economy has also brought profound changes to people's ideas and concepts. They have begun to look upon themselves and their life with new eyes and have begun to consider their individual values. A rough statistic reveals that there are about 600,000 selfemployed business people in China today. The signs of the times are obviously reflected in the actions and outlook of these individuals. The following is a story about self-employed Chinese.     

A PRESSING NEED —Experts Discuss Ethnic Women and Development

ETHNIC women have always been a concern of Women of China. The column, "Ethnic Women," has been developed to look at the lives, employment, education of ethnic women, and to introduce their local customs and practices to our readers. Since the establishment of New China in 1949, China's 55 ethnic groups have witnessed significant progress in political rights, social status, employment, education, marriage and family, maternity and child health care. However, ethnic regions situated in remote areas still lag behind developed regions in eastern China in terms of economic development, with 257 of China's 592 poverty-stricken counties inhabited by ethnic groups. Concerned with problems ethnic women face, the Editorial Department of Women of China recently organized a meeting of experts and scholars to discuss the present situation and future development for ethnic women.     

Wedding in Sheng■hou

"HAVING fun at weddings will bring good fortune to the new couple." This is a local saying in Shengzhou, Zhejiang Province. Fun activities at weddings is actually a way of congratulating and blessing new couples. Singing and composing poems in antiphonal style are what people like to do at weddings in Shengzhou, a tradition that started in the late Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). After the wedding banquet, the bride's maids and best men begin preparations. They try to figure out each other's ability, compose the first sentences of     

编者寄语(英文)

China has more than 60 million disabled people-nearly five percent of the country's total population. That means that in every six families, there is a family with a disabled member. The Chinese Government is devoting great effort to improving the lives of disabled people and is taking various measures to solve the difficulties faced by them, in education and employment for example. However, protecting disabled people from poverty and discrimination still calls for long-term mechanisms to be in place, a sound social welfare system and awareness of the general public to disability issues. On May 15, 1991, China's Law on the Protection of the Disabled Person came into effect, stipulating the third Sunday of May every year as the National Day for Helping the Disabled, which calls on the public to show their concern. Many kind-hearted people have reached out to help the disabled. Yang Jinhua, Director of Huanggang Social Welfare House in Hubei Province is one such person. She has been honored this year as on