Group wedding in Jianmen Pass follows Han-style

Fifty couples wearing traditional Hanfu clothing celebrated a Han-style group wedding at millennium-old Jianmen Pass, by far the first and the best-preserved man-made ancient post road in China, in Guangyuan's Jian'ge county, Southwest China's Sichuan province on Sept 29.

The newlyweds are young talents who stick to the frontline of rural revitalization, pandemic prevention, knowledge imparting and project engineering. Shining in different positions, they have injected vitality into the county's economic and social development.

The event was divided into an old-fashioned part and a modern part. The local natural landscape, unique history and traditional cuisine of Jianmen Pass and Shuangqimei village scenic areas were used as part of traditional Chinese wedding customs.

The Han-style ceremony was set in the Jianmen Mountains, whose lofty peaks resemble two sword blades. It was themed on "double swords making a formidable combination", which means that the couples are in pairs.

The participants performed ancient rites, which included drinking from nuptial cups, knotting their hair and writing the characters yuanyang. Afterwards, they went to Jianmen Pass to offer wine and pray for blessings.

Later, the newlyweds went to Shuangqimei village at the foot of Jianmen Mountains to start a modern-style wedding.

"My first impression of Jian'ge was its beautiful scenery and environment," said Dong Hongjie, deputy head of Yixing town, Jian'ge county, who was also one of the grooms in the ceremony, adding that he was grateful to the county Party committee and government for supporting him and his spouse.

"The key to retain young talents is to let them settle down," said Yang Zubin, Party secretary of Jian'ge county. He noted that rural revitalization depends on professionals. The wedding ceremony also conveyed the county's spirit to introduce and cultivate talents.

In recent years, the county has implemented several talent projects, building apartments and cadre turnover houses to ensure their career and housing.