2012 Feb 17 How China Celebrated Valentine's Day
There seems to be no sating the Chinese appetite for imported holidays. There’s Halloween, Christmas and, of course, Valentine’s Day. Why the heck not? Aside from the chocolate, the candlelit dinner and the balloons what are the ways that people put their own cultural spin on it? We give you the lowdown.
Most people think of Valentine’s Day as a day to celebrate love. However, a group of women decided that some forms of love are not so great and were determined to take action.
On Feb 8, four giant boards near the highway as well as several bus stops were plastered with “no cheating” ads in the city of Shijiazhuang. Slogans such as “Stop the Affairs and Bring Love Home” and “Virginity is the Best Trousseaux” were presented alongside other famous quotes by Francis Bacon.
They probably thought Valentine’s Day would be a good opportunity to raise awareness for how important it is to stop people from cheating. Some commenters questioned whether husbands are dumb enough to cheat on Valentine’s Day, while others wondered how effective the ads could be.
They’re certainly effective in reminding us all that marriage is not all peaches and honey, but this did not discourage lovers who decided to exchange vows on the special day. In Beijing, 2,680 couples registered to make their love official - with the exception of one gay couple, who were turned away. Sadly, gay marriage is still not available in China.
On a more a positive note, fifty “golden couples” (those married for fifty or more years) were invited to the Beijing Botanical Garden for a free tour, gifts, flowers and a chance to celebrate their love on stage and on film.
If you're wondering whether you can get in on the action next year, check your marriage certificate (you know, subtract the year you got married from the current year) to see if your nuptial bliss has endured for fifty years – and call in advance. For those who really want to visit the garden, I guess you could also just buy a ticket. That is, if you can figure out their comically complicated discount policy.*
If you’re still at a loss for how to celebrate your next V-day in China, just follow President-in-waiting Xi Jinping’s lead: spend it with your best frenemy.
Photos: Chinanews.com, www.wzrb.com.cn, http://news.cntv.cn
*Beijing Botanical Garden ticket discount policy:
1. Women’s Day, May 4th Youth Day (half off if you have reference letters from your company and visit as a group)
2. Beijing students as well as International students (excluding adult education, college, night schools) with student ID can enjoy the 50% discount.
3. Senior citizens over 65 who are Beijing residents get in FREE (excluding big event days), those between 60 – 64 can buy a year’s pass for only 50 kuai.
4. Elderly people not from Beijing can enjoy half off with valid IDs.
5. People with disabilities get in FREE
6. Children under 1.2 meters get in FREE.
7. On Children’s Day, all parks are FREE for children. For student groups with teachers making up less than 10% of the group, entrance is also FREE. For preschool children, every child can be accompanied by one parent for FREE.
8. “Patriotic education spots” are FREE for student groups, individual student half off.
9. Students from Tibet with letters from their schools who have been approved by the garden authorities need not pay to visit the garden. Their teachers, if constituting less than 6% of the students’ number can also enjoy the free tour.
10. Soldiers with current proof of service FREE
11. Inspectors from the Bureau of Landscape Architecture and people with Landscape Architecture Management Certificates get in FREE.
12. When events are held in the gardens, monthly pass owners may still exercise in the gardens before 8am.
13. Beijing garden workers and members of the Institute of Landscape Architecture can also enjoy the tour for FREE with proof of affiliation.
14. Retirees and retired military personnel with proof of retirement enter for FREE.
For more accurate and detailed information, see their official website.
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