When I first moved to China, I would go to Shamian Island, which is the island that foreign traders were confined to, in the 1800's, in Guangzhou.  The architecture is very Western; it has cafés and restaurants; and it is very peaceful and pretty.  It has a nice feeling, and, although it is small and separated by small bridges from the rest of the city, it feels like you are in a different world.

I noticed, even on my first outing, that there were photographers taking photos of girls or couples, dressed in wedding attire.  Moreover, since there were many such girls dotted around the island being photographed, I naturally assumed that it was just a good place to do catalog photo shoots for wedding attire.  The first time that I saw it, I even got a phone number from one of the girls.  However, I couldn't have been more wrong about what it actually was all about.

As it turns out, wedding photographs are much more important than the wedding, itself.  In the West, we, too, like to take photos at our weddings, but that is not the case, in China.  The photos are actually staged and taken many months, or even years, in advance of the actual wedding event.  As I have witnessed this phenomenon repeatedly and in more than just Shamian, I have come to also realize that even the wedding attire are just props.  The wedding photo studios actually provide the dresses and tuxedos as part of the photo album package.  In fact, sometimes I have noticed that the bride is wearing jeans under her dress.  Often, in certain locations, you can see many brides and grooms around, just waiting until it is their turn for their "wedding photo" shots.  To me, as a Westerner, it is a very peculiar phenomenon.

I have been told, in addition, by friends that, at the wedding, some photos might also be taken, but it is these staged photos that are the ones that end up on walls, tables or desks, in the end.

We have included some photos from both Shamian Island, in Guangzhou, and outside a castle near jetty, in Qingdao, where it is also popular to have wedding photos taken.