Entering New Century With Zero Hour Wedding100 new couples greeted the most important moment in their lives -- a group wedding ceremony -- in Sunday evening when the clock reached zero hour announcing the coming of the new century.They were the first to get married in the new century in Shanghai, and also in the world. "A good marriage will help making a stable and prosperous society, I hope this special wedding ceremony will help making a better marriage for all of you," said Shi Derong, director of the Municipal Civil Affairs Bureau, who addressed the ceremony. According to him, the event attracted altogether 800 pairs of applicants and at last 100 pairs were chosen. Among the newlyweds, 24-year-old Zheng Zhuo and Gao Zhijian are very special -- they were born on the same day, were once classmates and are now colleagues, they are also of the same blood type. Another somewhat special newlywed is Patrick and Ita, respectively from Canada and Indonesia. "We are of the different color, nationality and culture background, but we are living in the same city and we love our new home," said the bridegroom. |
| People's Daily Online --- http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/ |