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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.
现在在中国，如果你走进一堆年轻夫妇的卧室，你就会看到一副巨大的结婚照挂在墙上。新娘穿着漂亮的婚纱，新郎一副情意绵绵的神情。这些照片需要他们在山上或海边或摄影棚呆上一整天的时间。整套花费从450美元到15000美元不等。这对于一个人均收入差不多3000美元（北京10000美元）的国家来说算是一笔巨大开销。但这对于神志清醒的中产阶级来说好像已经成为一道必不可少的程序了。现在这阶层人数差不多有4.3亿。
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，婚纱照更像斯巴达人或死尸：黑白照片，夫妇并肩站着，凝视前方，通常很严肃。现代婚纱摄影产业在中国已经有20多年的历史了，并不断从国际的时尚流行杂志上得到灵感。在拍摄过程中，新娘会换很多套衣服，不仅仅是白色的。正如一个北京的大学生所说的“新娘得让她看起来不像自己，而像那些时尚杂志上的封面模特。”
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.
在中国并不像西方，婚纱照一般是和婚礼同样重要的。现在典型的中国婚纱照不是新郎和新娘简单的在酒店或宴会厅许下他们是誓言，而是得有华丽的衣服和奢华的背景。新郎新娘都化了浓浓的妆，任何瑕疵都将借助于Photoshop。他们的愿望不是记录下一个真实的婚礼，而是得让它足够完美。
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."
还有一些中国的婚纱照采用了欧洲古典的童话风格。当然，美国的新娘在他们的婚礼上也会穿着蓝色的牛仔裤和灰姑娘般的礼服，但是中国的婚纱照通常是新娘穿着拖地的礼服，旁边的道具却是中提琴，蜿蜒的楼梯，宝宝大钢琴。为什么欧洲的贵族风格会这么流行？在中国中产阶级中现在有一种趋势是想找到等同于美国的那种活力，和欧洲的那种典雅。这也不难想象为什么北京郊区的一些公寓会起名叫“罗马”和“现代大厦”。中国一些顶尖的婚纱摄影工作室包括“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.
西方的夫妇通常会选择去热带地区度蜜月。但是对于中国的新婚夫妇来说一段悠长的假期并不是那么可行，也支付不起。然而婚纱照却能模仿出国外的地点，营造出一种烂漫的二人世界幻象，尽管其对此不甚熟悉。一些受欢迎的摄影地点像海南的沙滩，夫妇们恨不得在沙滩上的每一寸土地上留下他们烂漫的婚纱纪念照。
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?"
当夫妇和他们的父母把这一大笔钱交给中国这些专业的摄影工作室后，这成了一个朝阳产业。新的摄影工作室通常都有二三十个合伙人，通过在商场和广场上搭建宣传棚，分发传单然后询问过往的女士“想让你的婚纱照像这些时尚杂志上的一样吗？”
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.
一个吸引顾客的花招就是许诺以相当优惠的价格来拍一套10张的相片。但是每一张额外的相片都价值不菲，可能得上百美元。很多夫妇一旦开始特意去选择完美的摄影地点，礼服，化妆师，则拍完之后往往都要花费比其预期多的价钱。但毕竟这一生也就这一次了，勉强接受吧！
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.
和美国一样，漂亮的新娘会是大多数照片的焦点。顺从的新郎都被按在椅子上做长时间的化妆。事后，婚纱照通常会被做成贴画，贴在茶杯或T恤上，或设为电脑的屏保。对于这些支付的起的中国人来说，正是这些举措提醒他们现在是生活在现代中国。
