Shanghai opens marital culture museum

The Shanghai Marital Culture Exhibition Hall, the first provincial-level one of its kind in China, opened on April 23.

The exhibition hall, co-built by the Shanghai Municipal Civil Affairs Bureau and the Putuo district government, displays more than 100 exhibits themed on "marriage registration and management systems", "marital customs", and "family mottos and traditions".

The exhibits include marriage photos, marriage certificates, dowries, and wedding rites in different periods.

Using words, photos, well-preserved objects, and multimedia tools, the exhibition uncovers the evolution of the city's marital customs and traditions.

Shanghai's marital traditions have changed, since the city's launch as a foreign trade port in 1843, from ancient marriages constrained by traditional etiquette to modern ones featuring integration of Chinese and western culture, and to contemporary marriages highlighting legalized marriage registration and management.

In the 1970s, the required dowries were a watch, a bike, a sewing machine, and a radio, while in the 1980s and 1990s, these were upgraded to a television, a fridge, and a washing machine.

The exhibition hall will be open to the public for free from May 1.

The Shanghai Marital Culture Exhibition Hall displaying the evolution of the city's marital customs and tradition opens on April 23. [Photo/chinanews.com]

Marriage photos and marriage certificates of different periods are displayed at the newly-opened Shanghai Marital Culture Exhibition Hall. [Photo/chinanews.com]

A wedding utensil exhibited at the Shanghai Marital Culture Exhibition Hall. [Photo/chinanews.com]