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)