Getting married in China has never been just a simple "I do."
Traditional Chinese weddings are rich in symbolic rituals that make
them uniquely different from Western weddings, although both share
a common emphasis on beauty, romance and fun.
Many traditions and rituals of marriage that Chinese people
follow today can be traced back to practices devised by their
ancient ancestors, some having been passed down through countless
generations. Almost all of them have something to do with bestowing
good luck and fertility on the happy couple.
One of the rather special rituals on the Big Day these days is
called jiaobeijiu, or sharing a cup of wine, in which the
bride and groom interlinked arms to take a sip of wine from
separate cups.
The custom has roots going back to the Zhou Dynasty (1046-256
BC) and was first called hejin, which referred to "the bride
and groom drinking wine together in the bridal chamber," according
to The Book of Rites (Liji), which described Chinese
religious practices from the 15th to the 8th century BC.
The word jin referred to cutting a ladle gourd in half,
with each of the newlyweds drinking wine from one of the two
halves. The primary objective of the ritual, according to The
Book of Rites, was to symbolically confirm the marital
union.
In the following dynasties, ancient Chinese used the plant
pao, whose fruit has a shape similar to that of the ladle
gourd for the ceremony. Since pao tasted bitter, the wine
became bitter too. As The Book of Rites explains, this
symbolically suggested that the married couple were expected to
love and cherish one another, for better or worse, and in sickness
or health.
The ritual gradually became a standard part of traditional
Chinese weddings and people began to refer to marriage as
hejin.
As time moved on, delicate hejinbei, or marriage cups,
replaced both the ladle gourd and pao in the ceremony.
During the Song Dynasty (960-1279), people linked two cups
together with a strip of colorfully patterned silk, and the
newlyweds would drink wine from the linked cups.
Original designs
One of the most interesting types of marriage cup to grow out of
these traditions was the shuanglianbei, or twin-cup, used by
imperial families during the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911)
dynasties.
A twin-cup consisted of two conjoined cups, with the wine able
to flow from one cup to the other.
Archaeological findings showed that long before the Ming and
Qing dynasties, ancient Chinese had been fond of using twin-cups
and other utensils designed with similar features.
Though these objects were not necessarily designed for wedding
ceremonies, they were particularly admired by the upper class.
A painted pottery twin-bottle unearthed in Zhengzhou, in central
China's Henan
Province, dates back to the late Neolithic Age about 5,000 to
6,500 years ago.
Similar artifacts have also been found belonging to the
transitional period linking the Neolithic Age to the Bronze Age,
about 4,000 years ago, such as an unpainted pottery twin-jar
unearthed in Lintao, in northwest China's Gansu
Province, and a stone twin-jar found in the Altay area of the
Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.
Decorated with simple patterns, all these relics apparently
symbolized "unity" and "good luck," and experts feel that they
might have been used as drinking vessels.
The twin-cups produced in the Warring States Period (475-221 BC)
were expertly crafted.
A wooden twin-cup found in a tomb of this period in central
China's Hubei
Province is made in the shape of a phoenix carrying two cups on
its back. Decorated with colorful and elaborate patterns, the
twin-cup is delicately carved, skillfully lacquered and carries
exquisite painted designs.
A gold-inlaid goblet of the Western Han Dynasty (206 BC-AD 24)
marks a great leap in the production of twin-cups.
A phoenix stretching its wings stands on a beast with a jade
ring in its beak. The design can be found in many marriage cups of
later dynasties.
Jade pieces
Up to the Ming and Qing dynasties, marriage cups had been highly
treasured as heirlooms and formed part of the traditional symbols
of marriage and status of the owner. In addition to being used in
wedding ceremonies, many of them had become precious ornaments,
especially in the imperial palace.
Made of different materials, such as jade, copper and gold, the
marriage cups were generally decorated with emblems of romance and
symbols said to bring luck, good fortune and fertility.
For instance, dragon and phoenix designs were popular decorative
motifs, as they symbolized male and female harmony and a balanced
relationship.
A marriage cup made by carver Lu Zigang of the Ming Dynasty is
one of the most exquisite pieces of its kind, and has been handed
down from generation to generation of proud owners over the past
few centuries.
Made of jade, the piece features two conjoined cups. Its base
looks like beasts' heads, and the two handles are carved in the
shape of flying phoenixes. The exterior of the cups themselves is
carved with two chi, or hornless dragons, and a poem by a
famous member of the literati of the Ming Dynasty that expresses a
wish for longevity and a happy marriage.
Another jade marriage cup of the Ming Dynasty is now in the
collection of the Palace Museum in Beijing.
Though its shape is similar to that of the one made by Lu, the
cup features different motifs -- two eagles stretching out their
wings, with their claws locked in the ears of a bear. The words for
eagle and bear -- ying and xiong -- put together
sound like the word for hero (yingxiong).
Its decorative patterns feature simple yet elegant characters in
the unique style of lacquerware carving dating back to the Warring
States Period.
Experts have found that the marriage cups of the Qing Dynasty
are mostly made of jade, show little change in form and feature
traditional patterns and exquisite craftsmanship. Very likely, the
interest in these artworks was stimulated by emperors' fondness for
jade and antiques, experts argue.
As many customs of Chinese weddings have been changed and
simplified, the vast majority of people nowadays use ordinary
separate cups and link arms for their ceremonial entwinement with
wine, jiaobeijiu, at their weddings. The marriage cups which
were once admired by the ancient Chinese can now only be found in
museums.
(China Daily February 14, 2004)