Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1891-05-17
ACHINESE WEDDING.
The Bride and Her Dresses-Quaint Pro-
ceedings in Church and House.
TChamber-'s Journal

[Chambers's Journal
An American lady resident In Shanghai
sends us the following account OF q
Chinese wedding, which she was lately in
vited to attend;
In tho American settlement Hong kew,
to reach which you are obliged 70
cross q river known as Soo-cbow creek,
there is q small. neat American Episco-
pal church. which is cared for by q
Christianized Chinese clergyman, the
Rev. Mr.. Yen, and here the, we'd
ding took place. According 10 Chinese
custom, the bridal procession was formed
at the brides house. Frat, there are q
number of boys who are hired to walk
ahead. carrying red banners fastened to
long poles; then come the musicians, some
PLAYING wind instruments much resem-
bling in sound Scotch bagpipes; others
scraping elongated fiddles; others thump-
ing gongs of varied sizes and discordant
tones: while some are beating hollow
pieces of bamboo, which give forth uuiI,
gathering sound.
The whole cannot be said to harmonic,
but gives out conglomeration OF dlscon3;
nected sounds rather like Oadly-rehearsed
toy symphony, but altogether delightful to
the native ear. Apropos of music the China
man regards the foreigner as far superior
to him in civilization and in business, but
firmly believes that in the one subject OF
music he is the foreigners superlor-ln
fact, that he leads the world! After the
band, come more boys carrying large red
parasols, with long red and gold fringe; ;
these parasols are on sticks ten feet long /;
then more bows with red banners, which
bear Chinese characters in gold on either
side expressing all sorts of complimentary
things to the bride. Then more parasol-
bearers, and after all this comes the
bridal-chair, which is q most magnificent
affair.
THE BRIDAL CHAIR.
Red being the color denoting Chinese
10Y, the chair is of course of this color. 1t
is about as large as two ordinary sedan
chairs, and is a mass of rich carving and
gilt, inlaid with pieces of jasper, jade, and
mottled Chinese marble, and draped with
richly-embroidered silk curtains both
outside and inside. Besides all these
there are strings of jade and gold
beads and tiny silken tassels strung
from corner to corner on the out
side. Inside is q comfortable seat and 9
foot-stool covered with red silk. A small
mirror and picture, hang on the sides. 1t
is shut up, so that you cannot see IN, but
the person inside can look out.
After the bridal chair come any number
of banner and umbrellaSearers and more
musicians, followed by the friends OF the
bride, generally III sedan chairs unless the
distance is short, when they walk.
Bishop Boone, the head of the American
Church Mission in China, oticlated IN
Chinese. In the church the native Gus
toms gave place to the observance of Chris
tan rites, though believe the bride was
not O PROCESSING Christian. Ths bride
groom and his friends had already taken
up their position IN the church when the
arrival The hrI lQl char
having been set down at the door of the
church, IL took some time to get the bride
out and on her feet, If such tiny things can
be so called. They were not more than
three inches long, as had chance TO see
later on.
In her progress to the altar she was as
sisted by four women, who were attending
her as maids, more to hold her on her feet
or pegs than anything else. This part OF
the procession was the slowest thing L
ever saw; it seemed as II the four women,
guiding moving bundle of clothes, which
would never reach the altar. My curiosity
was excited 10 such O point that l could
scarcely restrain myself from turning
round, as every one else seemed to
be doing. 1t should be said that
the SIX bridesmaids had preceded
the bride to the altar, where they stood
awaiting her arrival. When at last the
bride did reach the altar the ceremony
prescribed by the Episcopal Church was
soon over, and the husband and his friends
left his newly made wife with four servants
and six bridesmaids in the church, and
made off to the house of Mr.. Y, Chinese
missionary, where the couple were TO live
for time. Almost all the Chinese men
vanished with the exit of the husband,
leaving only very few to act as escort to
the foreign guests.
After a lot of trouble the bride was once
more carefully packed up in her chair, and
the whole procession reformed, proceed
ing with renewed vigor and much hullaba-
had already gone.
THE BRIDES DRESS.
The regular Chinese custom is for the
bride TO be carried to the home of the
bridegrooms parents. In this instance,
however, the husbands parents not being
Christians, the house of MIR. X, charac-
teristic Chinese house, was taken as repre-
senting the paternal roof. We foreigners,
about twenty of US, having taken carriages
from the church, reached the house in
time to see the procession arrive. The
banners, the parasols, the musicians. and
the whole motley crew came on and
crowded the courtyard IN front OF the
house. The bridal chair again made il,
appearance, and not without much trouble
the newly-made wife was got out and hall
carried into the house.
1t was here that first had an oppor.
tunity to see the bridal clothes. These, like
the bridal chair, are generally hired for the
occasion at . great expense; but we were
told that, as far as the brides costume
went, II was her own property and the
work of her own hands. The material OF
her dress or robe was OF rich crimson silk
beautifully embroidered in gold and colors,
the design embodying almost everything
trees, animals, birds, butterflies, beetles
and lots Of other things, jumbled together
in an artistic but apparently meaningless
mapnar