As India wakes up from the fever dream of the outrageous display of wealth and power that was the Ambani wedding, reading Liu Xinwu’s 1984 novel Zhonggulou or The Wedding Party , is the perfect accompaniment to this madness. Weddings, for as long as one can remember, have been diverse in their purpose. Besides the union of the bride and groom and their respective families, it has been a prized setting for forging new relationships, upping one’s social status, reliving the past and the struggles that have led to this happy moment, and hoping for a future of happiness and more weddings where the events can be repeated once more, ideally with more grandeur.
The wedding day Translated by Jeremy Tiang and published by Amazon Crossing in 2021, The Wedding Party is a lively reminder of the importance of weddings, the dreams they fulfil and the aspirations they kindle. The 400-page novel is set in 12 hours (from 5 am to 5 pm) on December 12, 1982, as the Xues prepare to wed their son Jiyue to Xiuya. Auntie Xue wants the wedding to go smoothly – she painstakingly draws up the menu, arranges for alcohol, and prepares for the arrival of the guests.
Since wedding planners are unheard of, the success of the event will be dependent entirely on her abilities as a good homemaker and the goodwill of her neighbours. The Xues and their neighbours’s houses are stacked together in the Hutong alleyway of the Siheyuan Courtyard in Beijing’s Drum and Bell Towers district. Like any family a.