Chu Huang, a secretary in Shanghai, says she thinks marriage is the most important thing in life. She says her boyfriend does not need to provide an apartment or a car, but a ring is indispensable.

"I will doubt a man's sincerity if he asks for a girl's hand in marriage without a ring or a wedding ceremony. If he really wants to marry her, he should get ready for this. Saving money is not an excuse," she says.

Wang Zhiguo, chief marriage consultant at China's largest matchmaking website baihe.com, says that most people go for a half-naked marriage as they still pay attention to tradition.

Traditionally, a couple are expected to have a stable material base before getting married. While the man is expected to pay for the house, the woman brings furniture and kitchenware as part of her dowry.

Young couples find it hard to follow this tradition as their overheads are much higher than their parents, especially in big cities. That explains why naked marriages take place in metropolises like Beijing and Shanghai.

Wang believes naked marriages benefit society. "It teaches young people the core spirit of marriage - love each other deeply, no matter rich or poor," Wang says, adding that some newlyweds save marriage costs for other expenses like their children's education, traveling or charity.

Wang thinks, however, that naked marriages may affect a relationship's stability.

"If we see a marriage as a contract, it includes three items: love, responsibility and a material base. Any missing link will lead to some problems in the relationship between husband and wife."

Wang suggests that if a couple's financial situation does not permit them to build a solid material base, an exchange of tokens is necessary for a long-lasting relationship.

All the roads to Rome

Here are some of the hottest trends among newlyweds in recent years.

Hidden marriage (隐婚)

Some people choose to hide their marriages for fear their marital status would undermine their competitiveness in their careers. They put away wedding rings, never indulge in love-talk over the phone in the office, and appear at all kinds of single parties, even though they don't like it.

Flash marriage (闪婚)

This refers to people who get married within a short time of getting to know each other. Many young people believe in "love upon first sight" and don't want to waste time learning about each other more thoroughly. Hasty decisions often lead to problems. Many flash marriages end in "flash divorces" as they find they don't want to spend the rest of their lives with each other.

Marry-upon-graduation (毕婚)

Afraid of stepping into society alone, many university graduates, especially girls, get married as soon as they leave school. Some say these young people are irresponsible cowards. Others say life is easier with another person.

Phoenix men and peacock women (凤凰男与孔雀女)

"Phoenix" refers to a hard-working man from the countryside with many siblings; while "peacocks" are girls from well-off urban families that have only one child. The Spring Festival and other similar occasions can lead to arguments, as the "peacocks" don't know how to get on with their in-laws in the countryside, and vice versa. These marriages usually fail as the couple do not share values and habits.

Trial-marriage (试婚)

Some people want to live like married couples, to see if the marriage would work. If it doesn't work out, they separate without feeling obliged to each other. Most people who are cynical about these arrangements see them as irresponsible and particularly unfair to women.

By Gan Tian (China Daily)

Source: chinadaily.com.cn
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