A bride and a bridegroom waves to camera at a group wedding site in Beijing on September 22, 2024. A total of 5,000 Chinese couples tied the knot across 50 locations in China, marking the largest group wedding organized by Chinese authorities since the founding of the People's Republic of China. Photo: VCG

A total of 5,000 Chinese couples tied the knot simultaneously in 50 places from across the country on Sunday as the nation eagerly awaits the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The couples celebrated their love on the day, marking a significant chapter in their lives. 

Themed "a celebration by families and the nation to witness happiness together," the group wedding is the largest ever in scale held by the Chinese authorities since the founding of PRC. 

At 50 wedding venues set up in provinces, autonomous regions, municipalities, Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps, the special administrative regions of Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan region, the 5,000 couples dressed themselves up in Chinese traditional wedding gowns, held flowers, exchange gifts, and solemnly read their wedding vows, China Women's News reported.

In addition to their vows to stay together and grow old together, the newlyweds also issued a proposal for simplifying wedding procedures and oppose high betrothal gifts, according to Beijing Daily. 

The symbolic significance of this group wedding in promoting marriage customs reform, advocating a new culture of marriage and childbearing, while supporting the happiness of marriages and families are self-evident, the Beijing Daily reported. 

A couple from Ji'an in East China's Jiangxi Province told the media that the essence of marriage lies in the love and commitment between two people, whereas high "caili," or betrothal gifts from the bridegroom to the bride's family, often place a financial burden on young people, even affecting the happiness of their marriage, according to China Women's News. 

Their opinion echoed with a bride named Yan Huiyin from Northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, who thought that finding a soulmate with whom one can share the rest of their life is always the most important value of the marriage. 

Demographic expert He Yafu, who has long tracked marriage registration data, stated that one reason for the declining marriage rate in China in recent years is the high cost of weddings, particularly in rural areas where the practice of high "caili" was more common.

"This group wedding aims to promote the reform of outdated customs and encourage simplified wedding practices, opposing high-priced betrothal gifts and extravagant ceremonies. One of its goals is to advocate for reducing the cost of marriage and increase the marriage rate," He told the Global Times on Sunday. 

The venue in North China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region saw the largest number with 300 newlywed couples.