第一篇：Topic 1 獨生子女政策如何改變了中式婚禮 Economists

How the one-child policy changed Chinese nuptials 獨生子女政策如何改變了中式婚禮

OVERSIZE cupids in pink, furry outfits hand out heart-shaped balloons with “I Do” written on them(in English)at a wedding-themed trade fair in Beijing.Vendors offer romantic photo-shoots of couples under water or at a racetrack, personalised wedding cigarettes, and biscuits with names such as “Date & Fate”.An emphasis on love is a new addition to Chinese weddings—and shines a pink-filtered spotlight on social change.For centuries, marriage in China was about ensuring heirs for the groom's family.Ceremonies centred on the groom's kin: couples kowtowed to the man's parents but the woman's relatives were absent.Unusually, both the groom's and the bride's family exchanged money or goods.The more money changed hands, the more opulent the wedding.After it came to power in 1949, the Communist Party imposed frugality.Dowries consisted of necessities like bed linen or a bicycle;guests brought their own food coupons.But since the 1980s the extravagance of nuptials has matched the country's rise.Celebrations moved out of homes into hotels.Brides swapped traditional red dresses for white, flouncy meringue-like ones(some now wear both, in sequence).A large industry has emerged to serve the 13m couples who marry each year.Wedding planners are increasingly common, particularly in cities.A decade ago Cosmo Bride, an American-owned lifestyle magazine, launched a Chinese-language edition in China.An average wedding cost $12,000 in 2011(the latest year for which such data exist)—the equivalent of more than two years' income for the average urban household.An increase in the average marriage age by 2.5 years since 1990 has given parents(who still usually pay for weddings, despite the earning power of their children)more time to save up.The change in wedding frippery also reflects a fundamental shift in society.For the first time in the history of Chinese family life, the child—rather than ancestors or parents—is regarded as the centre of the family, says Yan Yunxiang of the University of California, Los Angeles.Most newly-weds now are single children, born since the one-child policy was introduced more than 30 years ago.Parents have more to spend if they only have to fork out for one wedding(they usually share costs with the spouse-to-be's family).William Jankowiak of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, who has documented relationships in China for 30 years, says love plays a larger part in young people's lives—both in choice of partner and in their relationships with parents.Love is far more often spoken about.The result is evident in weddings, which now focus on the couple.Both sets of parents are represented, but their position is peripheral.Weddings often feature a day of wedding photos, shot before the event, with the couple in a range of outfits against romantic backgrounds, but with no family members.在北京的主題婚禮展上，粉色的超大丘比特身穿毛茸茸的衣服，手持心形氣球，氣球上寫著“I Do”（“我愿意”的英文）。婚禮代理商們向新人們提供浪漫的水下或賽道婚紗照拍攝，個性化的婚禮香煙，以及刻字餅干，如“Date & Fate（巧遇）”餅干。把重點放在愛情上是中式婚禮上的一個新現(xiàn)象，閃耀的粉紅濾光燈下聚焦的是社會的變革。

幾個世紀(jì)以來，結(jié)婚在中國意味著確保傳遞新郎家的香火。結(jié)婚儀式的重點是新郎的親屬：夫妻向男方父母磕頭，女方親屬卻不與之同席。而與此不同，新郎和新娘的家人需彼此交換金錢或物品，轉(zhuǎn)手的彩禮錢越多，婚禮越奢華。

中國共產(chǎn)黨自1949年上臺后厲行節(jié)約。嫁妝都是床單或自行車這類必需品，出席婚禮的賓客帶去他們自己的糧券。但自20世紀(jì)80年代起，國家的崛起開始帶來婚禮的鋪張?；槎Y儀式的舉辦地從家搬往酒店。新娘將傳統(tǒng)的紅色禮服換為荷葉邊蛋筒狀的白色禮服（現(xiàn)在也有些人依次換上兩套禮服）。

為了服務(wù)于每年1,300萬的新婚夫婦，一個大型產(chǎn)業(yè)已然崛起?；槎Y策劃越來越普遍，尤其是在城市。十年前，美國婚尚生活雜志Cosmo Bride在中國推出其中文版《時尚新娘》。2011 年，平均婚禮花費達(dá)到12,000美元（最新年度數(shù)據(jù)）——相當(dāng)于城鎮(zhèn)居民家庭兩年多的人均收入。1990年起，平均結(jié)婚年齡增加2.5年，這給父母留下了更多攢錢的時間（盡管他們的孩子也能掙錢，他們?nèi)匀粫Ц痘槎Y花銷）。

婚禮變得華而不實也反映出社會的根本性轉(zhuǎn)變。加州大學(xué)洛杉磯分校的閻云翔說，中國的家庭生活史上，這是第一次，孩子，而不是先輩或父母，被視為家庭的中心。由于30多年前推出的獨生子女政策，目前大多數(shù)新婚夫婦都是獨生子女。如果父母只需承擔(dān)這一場婚禮的費用，他們會付出更多（他們通常與其親家分?jǐn)偞速M用）。

拉斯維加斯內(nèi)華達(dá)大學(xué)的威廉·姜克維30年來記錄了中國的各種關(guān)系，他說，在年輕人的生活中，無論是對伴侶的選擇還是與父母的相處，愛都日漸重要。這一結(jié)果在婚禮上顯而易見，因為現(xiàn)在的婚禮專注于夫妻二人，雙方父母都出席，但他們只是陪襯?；槎Y現(xiàn)場當(dāng)天通常飾以在此前拍攝的婚紗照，在浪漫的背景下，夫妻穿上一系列服裝拍攝婚紗照，但沒有家庭成員參與其中。