National Tide 1980

From the end of the Qing Dynasty to the end of the Republic of China, our Chinese society has always been in a very contradictory and wonderful state.

Due to the national disaster caused by industrial backwardness, national self-confidence has been declining day by day. It is difficult to be sure that our 5,000-year cultural heritage is valuable. Some people are even extreme to deny everything about us.

But in daily life and life customs, people have a certain stubborn insistence on traditions and habits, otherwise they will become at a loss.

In general, the new trend has emerged, the old habits have not retreated, the new and the old are alternating, and they are mixed and compatible.

Therefore, in the real social environment of the Republic of China for decades, those who dare to be the first in the world and completely westernize, and those who are willing to be behind and still stick to tradition without changing are all a minority.

This is the mystery of social psychology.

Then the specific projection to the wedding ceremony, one of the major events in life, is actually the same - too trendy, dare not try. Too outdated, and afraid of being laughed at.

So, the new and old, neither new nor old, the new and old combination of wedding forms came into being.

This new and old combination of wedding forms is not immune even to celebrities.

Although the ladies of the past turned to pursue the Western lifestyle, many of them also wore fashionable white wedding dresses when they got married.

However, just as the Japanese still cannot completely give up the shrine wedding, they still have a deep obsession with the "phoenix crown and bridal robe".

Just like the wedding of the grandson of the Ma family, the richest man in Beijing, and the daughter of the mayor of Peking.

Although the banquet was held at the Beijing Hotel, the Western-style wedding was also adopted.

But after the ceremony at the Beijing Hotel, the bride in the wedding dress took off her white wedding dress and changed into a bright red traditional wedding dress and covered her head with a veil.

And under the witness of almost all the prominent people in Beijing at that time, she was carried away in public by an eight-carriage sedan chair, starting from the Beijing Hotel, with drums and music playing, and was carried into the Ma family garden in a swaggering manner.

Another example is the famous lady Lin Huiyin. When she married Liang Sicheng, she insisted on wearing traditional Chinese clothes even though she was in a foreign country.

The shawl can be omitted, but the phoenix crown must be there!

Lin Huiyin thought about it and decided that foreign countries did not have the conditions, so she designed it herself.

Although the final phoenix crown had long lost the "shadow" of the ancient phoenix crown, it was paired with Liang Sicheng's Western-style dress and became one of the most unique and elegant Chinese wedding dresses of that era.

So, in fact, since the Republic of China, we have learned to adapt etiquette to the times.

The so-called traditional Chinese wedding has experienced a collision with Western culture, just like the customs changes of dynasties, and has gradually changed into another face since the Republic of China.

The phoenix crown and shawl of the Chinese bride are not inconsistent even if they are paired with the Western-style dress of the Western-style groom.

Even this situation is still the case in today's Chinese society.

In the era of reform and opening up in my country, after the doors to the outside world were opened in a big way.

In fact, the cultural mentality of young people in the mid-1980s was quite similar to that of people in the Republic of China to a certain extent.

Specifically in the wedding ceremony, people have consciously begun the process of simplifying the complex and restoring the traditional exquisiteness.

Often, Beijing brides have to wear wedding dresses to take a wedding photo, and still wear red clothes to entertain guests during the wedding.

On the other hand, the groom is much more relaxed, and often only needs to wear a suit from head to toe.

As for Ning Weimin and Matsumoto Keiko's wedding today, it is almost the same.

In order not to show old age, but only to be festive.

Not only in terms of clothing, Ning Weimin did not wear a long gown and a jacket today, but only a black Zhongshan suit to match Matsumoto Keiko's traditional Chinese wedding clothes.

Even in the wedding procedures, they also judged the situation and did not have to follow the old etiquette in the past.

If you want to follow the pure old etiquette, the standard traditional wedding is actually the following process.

First, the bride must be taken away by a sedan chair.

Early in the morning, the sedan chair was carried and had to be displayed at the door of the host's house.

Two yellow painted benches were set up, and the sedan chair was propped up and placed on top for people to see.

And there was more than one sedan chair.

In movies, there is often only one sedan chair when a bride is married in the old days. In fact, that is not right. One sedan chair is not enough!

The bride must have a red sedan chair with eight or four people, and the bride-to-be and the bride-sending ladies must have a green sedan chair with four or two people.

Following the sedan chair, there are also various deacons.

There are two people holding umbrellas and fans, four people holding flags, and several people playing gongs, drums, suonas, and trumpets.

So the eight big drums, ten flags, a pair of lanterns, a pair of umbrellas, a pair of dragons, a pair of phoenixes, golden claws, axes, stirrups, avoidance signs, and gongs are all placed at the door of the husband's house.

When almost all the guests have arrived, the sedan chair will be sent out from the Xiangfang.

The sedan chair is led by the sedan chair head. The Xiangfang sedan chair is sent out with drums and music, which are played in the wedding room.

After everything is ready, the man will find a full-time bride, that is, a bride, and send the sedan chair after the ringing of the door.

Usually the departure is no later than 10 o'clock, and the bride must be brought back no later than 12 noon.

In addition, when the sedan chair arrives at the woman's side, it will knock on the door. When the woman knows that the sedan chair is coming, she will close the door, which means that the man is proposing marriage.

At this time, as the man who is getting married, he has to "beg" the other party and say whatever is nice.

He also has to stuff "red envelopes" into the door one by one. The door will only be opened when the dozens of red envelopes are satisfied and given enough.

After the door is opened, the bride-bride lady and the escorting lady meet first.

There is a place with snacks and tea to entertain the bride-picking people, who usually just watch but don't eat.

After that, the newlyweds get on the sedan chair.

At this time, in addition to the drummers starting to play "Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix", the bride has to cover her head with a veil and hold a porcelain bottle filled with five-colored grains in her arms to show peace and prosperity.

The sedan chair must be carried into the yard, the curtain of the sedan chair is opened, and it is directly pressed against the door of the bride's room to prevent the bride from seeing a ray of daylight outside.

After the bride is helped by the escorting lady to sit on the sedan chair, the escorting lady herself sits in the green sedan chair, the groom also gets on the horse, and the bride's two brothers have to follow and press the sedan chair on the left and right.

The so-called pressing the sedan chair means not letting the sedan chair go too fast, so that the bride can sit steadily in the sedan chair.

There are also etiquettes for carrying the sedan chair.

Besides the well-known fact that the bearers should walk in the middle of the road, there needs to be a commander among the bearers at the front - the head of the sedan chair.

The head of the sedan chair is the leader. For example, if there is a pit on the left, he will shout "pit on the left", and the people behind will know that there is a pit on the left.

The head has to shout, and the people behind will know. The steps of the bearers in front and behind must be the same.

It is definitely not okay for the bearers in front to step with their left legs and the bearers in the back to step with their right legs.

For example, in the movie "Red Sorghum" that Jiang Wen will take on next year, he plays the role of Yu Zhan'ao, the head of the sedan chair.

He deliberately teased the bride by shaking the sedan chair hard, and directly shook Jiuer, played by Gong Li, to vomit. That move was to use "power" to cause trouble.

Of course, it was also because Jiuer did not have brothers from her natal family to follow the sedan chair that she was bullied by the bearers.

Otherwise, the brothers from her natal family would follow and press the sedan chair, and the bearers would not dare to do so even if they had ten courage.

When the group arrives at the man's house with music and drums, the sedan chair is flat and enters the courtyard. The curtain of the bridal sedan chair is not opened. The groom draws his bow to shoot an arrow at the sedan chair to shoot away the demons and ghosts before opening the curtain to let the bride down.

However, after the bride comes out, she is still covered with a veil. With the help of the bride-bride lady and the bride-sending lady, she passes the fire basin and the saddle.

The fire basin means prosperity and the saddle means peace and safety, both of which are homophones.

After entering, there is also the custom of sitting in the tent, sitting on the bed or kang, drinking the wedding wine first, and then eating the descendants' cakes and longevity noodles.

There must be a child outside shouting, "Are you going to have a baby?", and then the veil can be opened.

After that, the couple worships heaven and earth, relatives and friends, which is the so-called worship hall.

First worship the ancestors, then the parents, and the matchmaker. After all the worships, the ceremony is over.

This is the set of procedures on the wedding day.

As for the one shown in some movies and TV shows, the bride's veil can only be uncovered by her husband in the bridal chamber at night.

That is probably from the extremely ancient feudal society, not to mention the modern society.

Because just thinking about it will show how anti-human and unscientific it is.

Let's not talk about whether the groom can suppress his anxiety, nor whether the bride is upset.

Let's just say that marriage is originally a marriage between two families, and the purpose of all the complicated ceremonies is to formally announce to the world that the man has married a legitimate wife with a clean identity.

How can the bride not be allowed to meet relatives and friends?

Not allowing the servants at home to identify her appearance?

If that's the case, without the stage of strictly correcting the bride in front of relatives and friends, how many troubles will there be?

All the relatives and friends who come to congratulate can't even see the bride's appearance, then the wedding ceremony is not completely in vain?

How do people know who you married? Is it a man or a woman? Is it a human or a ghost?

Even if it's a concubine, it's not so shameful.

So, it is said that, precisely because of the change of times, the social situation is very different from the past.

Even with sufficient wealth support, these old etiquette and etiquette must be changed according to the actual situation.

How can we stick to those feudal, unrefined, undignified, and impractical customs?

If we don't know how to adapt and copy them all, it will be ugly, even become a joke, and lower the level of the wedding.

For example, the wedding reception, now the avenue is a road for cars, can we still walk in the middle of the avenue with music and music?

Then the traffic police should ask about it.

And the Pierre Cardon Hotel is far outside Jianguomen.

Let the wedding reception team carry the sedan chair and the ceremonial guards, and say that the traffic police will not cause trouble, but they will be exhausted to death.

It's impossible.

The bride will suffer more when sitting in the sedan chair. Even if no one pushes her, she will become Jiuer in "Red Sorghum" when she arrives.

So, although there are the steps of showing the sedan chair and getting on the sedan chair, they are very close.

After the wedding car team drove out of the alley, the bridal sedan chair and the ceremonial guards were all prepared by the people of Yunyuan at the alley entrance.

After the car team brought the people back, the wedding car team would stop on the street outside the alley.

Then, according to custom, it would only start from the alley entrance, and the car team would follow the bridal sedan team in. This is an expedient measure, a change made according to the actual situation.

Also, when sending the bride, according to the old etiquette, the bride's parents would not go to the groom's house to join in the fun.

When sending the sedan chair, the groom would send a table of banquet to his father-in-law, called "leaving mother meal", so that they could stay at their own home to eat.

How is this possible?

Not to mention that Ning Weimin invited Matsumoto Keiko's parents from Japan to watch the ceremony.

Even if the locals in Beijing get married, no one does this now, it is too inhumane.

Who is not born and raised by parents? There is no reason for your parents to be absent from the major events of life.

There are also brides who have to cry when they go out, indicating that they miss their parents and don't want to get married.

If someone does this in real life, it will be a depressing thing, as if the man is a bully.

In addition, locking the bride after the wedding ceremony is called "making trouble in the room".

Based on the principle of "no big or small for three days", some people really make trouble, making the bride unable to cry, laugh, get anxious or get angry.

How can a Japanese bride like Matsumoto Keiko handle this?

Ning Weimin will not give others the opportunity to tease his wife, and his father-in-law and mother-in-law will not agree, so such a link must be avoided.

Otherwise, how can it be said that it is important to keep pace with the times?

Otherwise, how can it be said that everything is not static?

This is the reason.

So in fact, on this day, Ning Weimin went to pick up the bride, not only with a large bouquet of flowers.

In the wedding room on the 18th floor of the Pierre Cardon Hotel, only the customs of knocking on the door and stuffing red seals were retained.

Francs, pounds, dollars, yen, renminbi, foreign exchange certificates.

Ning Weimin picked up the biggest banknotes and stuffed them into six red envelopes, stuffed them into the house, and bribed Song Huagui and Zou Guodong's children, and easily opened the door.

When she went downstairs and got into the car, the bride didn't cover her head with a veil.

Surrounded by the crowd, she went downstairs with a bouquet of flowers and beautiful wedding clothes. In the eyes of many envious people, she and Ning Weimin got on the Mercedes-Benz head car of the newlyweds' motorcade, and even passed Tiananmen Square and went around Nanchizi, and then went around the Forbidden City from Beihai and Jingshan Gate, and finally came to the gate of Weijia Hutong.

And the real traditional etiquette only started from here.

It was different at this time. Not only did Matsumoto Keiko cover her head with a red veil in the car, but she also didn't touch the ground when she got into the sedan chair. Amidst the cheers of a lot of people, Ning Weimin carried her to the sedan chair.

When the sedan bearer came up to close the door of the sedan chair and put on the top of the sedan chair, the sedan chair was almost completely dark for Matsumoto Keiko.

At this time, the Japanese director Toyo Osawa and the cameraman, who had been ready for a long time, had actually already started filming.

Then, as the song "Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix" sounded, the sedan chair and the ceremonial guards led the way, followed by the motorcade.

Even the crew members, the bride-receiving team and the ordinary people watching, all headed towards the gate of Yunyuan together.

It was a lively scene.

But it must be said that such a scene is indeed worth seeing.

The sedan chair that the newlyweds sit in originally emphasizes the first-class sedan chair.

The one that Matsumoto Keiko sits in must be a new one, colorful and really fresh.

Some of the four corners have four flower baskets hanging, and some have four long tassels hanging.

Although the eight sedan bearers of the eight-carriage sedan are not professionals, they have also been rehearsed, and their feet are quite accurate for this short distance.

One step takes four fingers, and the left and right legs are more in sync than shouting "one, two, one".

This sedan chair is also carried steadily.

Of course there was a trembling sound, but it was just a regular and slow swaying up and down, with absolutely no left-right tilt.

The musicians of the professional folk music band in the ceremonial procession also began to show off their skills.

Four pairs of golden drums were played, "dong dong".

And the "quack" sound along the edge of the drums, you can really hear the inside.

The "beating of the deacon" was managed by two gongs, one in front and one behind, "Head flag, slow down, the lights behind, keep up."

Although there was no real experience, it was maintained, and it was like a real thing.

Just look at this posture, this pomp, isn't it impressive?

So, in the past, no matter how poor the family was, it was a right that a girl had to fight for to ride in a sedan chair when she got married.

There was only one trip in a lifetime.

Only such a magnificent sedan chair, with big gongs and drums leading the way, can it be called a grand wedding.

Otherwise, why is it said that when the couple quarreled, the woman made her husband angry, and she would always say this in the end.

"I was also carried here by your eight-man sedan chair!"

Once this was said, it was almost a fatal blow. No matter how arrogant the man was, he had to admit it.

And when the sedan chair came to the gate of Yunyuan for about ten meters.

There was a "crackling" sound, and saw the fire and smoke, and ten firecrackers were set off at the same time. It was so impressive.

At the same time, in the eyes of many envy, in the noise of exclamations.

The trembling sedan chair walked up the steps through the smoke and fog, passed through the gate of Yunyuan, and was carried inside.

And then, the moment that best reflects the enthusiasm of the guests arrived.

Just outside the theater on the east side of Yun Garden, the groom Ning Weimin lifted the curtain of the sedan chair, and the bride Matsumoto Keiko got off the sedan chair with a red veil on her head. Amid the cheers of many friends and relatives who had been waiting here, colorful confetti suddenly flew up and fell from the sky.

It covered the bridegroom, the bride, the two "wives" who were the bride and the bride's escort.

Almost everyone was "happy".

Joy, in Yun Garden, in front of the theater, flowed lively, and joy, spread in people's laughter.

At this time, a group of white pigeons raised by someone's family, like an uninvited band, hovered in the clear sky above the yard, and the sound of pigeon whistles came.

Crisp, loud, exciting...