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Walk into the bedroom of almost any young, well-to-do couple in China and you will see, looming large on one wall, a giant life-size wedding portrait of the bride and groom; the bride resplendent in perfect dress and make-up, the groom suitably posed in adoration. The process of taking those photos most likely took an entire day of the couple standing smiling on a hillside or beachfront or indoor studio, with attendant hair and make-up artists hovering nearby. The whole production can cost from $450 to more than $15,000, a huge expense in a country where the average per capita income is roughly $3,000 (about $10,000 in Beijing). But it's increasingly seen as a must-have for China's image-conscious middle class, now some 430-million strong.
現在在中國，如果你走進一堆年輕夫婦的臥室，你就會看到一副巨大的結婚照掛在墻上。新娘穿著漂亮的婚紗，新郎一副情意綿綿的神情。這些照片需要他們在山上或海邊或攝影棚呆上一整天的時間。整套花費從450美元到15000美元不等。這對于一個人均收入差不多3000美元（北京10000美元）的國家來說算是一筆巨大開銷。但這對于神志清醒的中產階級來說好像已經成為一道必不可少的程序了。現在這階層人數差不多有4.3億。
A generation ago, wedding photographs were rather spartan and stiff: black and white images of the couple standing side by side, staring forward, often unsmiling. But modern wedding photography is a business that has taken off over the last 20 years in China, taking inspiration from international fashions and glossy magazines. Over the course of the photo shoot, many brides will don multiple dresses, not all of them white. As one college student from Beijing put it, "The bride doesn't want to look like herself. She wants to look like a fashion magazine cover model."
在上一代，婚紗照更像斯巴達人或死尸：黑白照片，夫婦并肩站著，凝視前方，通常很嚴肅。現代婚紗攝影產業在中國已經有20多年的歷史了，并不斷從國際的時尚流行雜志上得到靈感。在拍攝過程中，新娘會換很多套衣服，不僅僅是白色的。正如一個北京的大學生所說的“新娘得讓她看起來不像自己，而像那些時尚雜志上的封面模特。”
In China, unlike in the West, wedding photographs are often as important as the ceremony itself. Yet the quintessential Chinese wedding photographare is not of the bride and groom taking their vows, which may take place in a simple restaurant or banquet hall, but of the couple posed in lavish dress and with luxurious backgrounds. Both bride and groom caked with make-up; for any accidental blemishes, there's always Photoshop. The aspiration is not to document a real event, but to look perfect.
在中國并不像西方，婚紗照一般是和婚禮同樣重要的。現在典型的中國婚紗照不是新郎和新娘簡單的在酒店或宴會廳許下他們是誓言，而是得有華麗的衣服和奢華的背景。新郎新娘都化了濃濃的妝，任何瑕疵都將借助于Photoshop。他們的愿望不是記錄下一個真實的婚禮，而是得讓它足夠完美。
There is, too, an aspect of Chinese wedding photography that evokes old-fashioned fairy-tales -- of the European variety. Of course, American brides in the land of blue jeans also don Cinderella-like gowns for their nuptials, but in China the wedding photographs often feature not only brides in long-trained dresses and veils, but such props as violas, winding staircases, and baby grand pianos (sometimes hauled out to a beachfront, if that's the chosen location). Why the whiff of European aristocracy? There is an increasing tendency among China's middle class to equate America with dynamism, but Europe with sophistication -- as attested to by the fact that fancy new apartments complexes on the outskirts of Beijing are given names like "Rome" and "Modern Mansion" and Chinese sophisticates savor French wine. Some of the top wedding studios in China include "Gold Lady" (Jinfuren), "Venus," "Love Forever," and "Shanghai Paris."
還有一些中國的婚紗照采用了歐洲古典的童話風格。當然，美國的新娘在他們的婚禮上也會穿著藍色的牛仔褲和灰姑娘般的禮服，但是中國的婚紗照通常是新娘穿著拖地的禮服，旁邊的道具卻是中提琴，蜿蜒的樓梯，寶寶大鋼琴。為什么歐洲的貴族風格會這么流行？在中國中產階級中現在有一種趨勢是想找到等同于美國的那種活力，和歐洲的那種典雅。這也不難想象為什么北京郊區的一些公寓會起名叫“羅馬”和“現代大廈”。中國一些頂尖的婚紗攝影工作室包括“Gold Lady”（金夫人），“Venus”，“Love Forever”及“上海巴黎”。
While Western couples often take honeymoons to tropical locales, a long vacation may not be feasible or affordable for every newlywed Chinese couple. Yet when possible, Chinese wedding photos employ exotic locations, creating the illusion of blissful romantic solitude although the experience is hardly intimate. At popular wedding photo locations, such as this beach on Hainan Island, couples line up every several yards to pose for their romantic photographic keepsakes.
西方的夫婦通常會選擇去熱帶地區度蜜月。但是對于中國的新婚夫婦來說一段悠長的假期并不是那么可行，也支付不起。然而婚紗照卻能模仿出國外的地點，營造出一種爛漫的二人世界幻象，盡管其對此不甚熟悉。一些受歡迎的攝影地點像海南的沙灘，夫婦們恨不得在沙灘上的每一寸土地上留下他們爛漫的婚紗紀念照。
As couples and their families shell out an increasing amount of money for professional and studio photography in China, it's become a growth industry. New photography studios, often founded by 20- and 30-something entrepreneurs, gain visibility by setting up booths in shopping malls and public squares, passing out leaflets and asking young women, "Do you want to look like the cover of Vogue?"
當夫婦和他們的父母把這一大筆錢交給中國這些專業的攝影工作室后，這成了一個朝陽產業。新的攝影工作室通常都有二三十個合伙人，通過在商場和廣場上搭建宣傳棚，分發傳單然后詢問過往的女士“想讓你的婚紗照像這些時尚雜志上的一樣嗎？”
One trick to lure customers is to promise a fairly modest price for a small set of photos, say 10 images. But each additional photo then carries a hefty price tag, perhaps a few hundred dollars. Many couples, once they've gone to the trouble to find the perfect location, attire, and hair and make-up artists, end up shelling out more than they expected. It is, after all, supposed to be a once-in-a-lifetime ritual.
一個吸引顧客的花招就是許諾以相當優惠的價格來拍一套10張的相片。但是每一張額外的相片都價值不菲，可能得上百美元。很多夫婦一旦開始特意去選擇完美的攝影地點，禮服，化妝師，則拍完之后往往都要花費比其預期多的價錢。但畢竟這一生也就這一次了，勉強接受吧！
As in America, the beautiful bride is the focus of most photos -- and the one pushing to make them happen. Dutiful husbands are made to sit for long make-up sessions to make sure they look just right. After the fact, wedding photos are often blown up into posters, emblazoned on mugs and t-shirts, and made into screen-savers. For those who can afford them, these tokens are a constant reminder that they've made it in modern China, and an affirmation of who they aspire to be.
和美國一樣，漂亮的新娘會是大多數照片的焦點。順從的新郎都被按在椅子上做長時間的化妝。事后，婚紗照通常會被做成貼畫，貼在茶杯或T恤上，或設為電腦的屏保。對于這些支付的起的中國人來說，正是這些舉措提醒他們現在是生活在現代中國。
