By Gavin Jon Mowat, People's Daily Online

2008 was an auspicious year for couples getting married in China. Here, the number 8 is considered lucky; the year of the rat is considered a good omen; and the Beijing Olympics kicked off at 8 pm on the 8th day of the 8th month 2008, bringing lots of 'fu' (fortune) China's way. So on this year even the skeptics amongst us were thinking twice before dismissing the good fortune 2008 might bring for couples about to get hitched. You know as well as I do that every culture around the world has its own superstitions and traditions and in China it's not uncommon for baby booms to occur on the year of an auspicious animal.






We're ready to go in!

Having said all that, my friends Jay and Echo were not about to base this life changing decision solely on superstition. I'm not sure bringing good luck and good fortune was the reason they decided to get married that year. When they met, Jay was working as an English teacher at the school in Beijing where I was learning Chinese. Echo also worked there as part of the support staff at the school. The two of them became good friends during that time. When I first met the 23 year old Jay, I was struck by his quick wit; I thought this was a character who knew how to use his sharp tongue – better watch myself! The more I got to know him the more I realized the majority of his comments were made in good humor. I fondly remember Jay's reaction to some of his advanced students being a little overconfident in his English class; their attitude got them a few lessons in the writings of the great philosopher, Plato. Echo, a local of China, was elegant and very well spoken when I first encountered her. Of course we first met in a student-staff capacity, where I was immediately struck by her language proficiency not only in English but also Spanish and Japanese (she was also learning Korean at the time). As I got to know the two of them, their sense of humor and intelligence became more and more apparent. When they finally got together everyone in our circle of friends said they were a perfect match. Always laughing and joking, whatever cultural barriers that might have existed did not seem to thwart the couple's happiness.


The happy couple
【1】 【2】 【3】 【4】