Weddings - Marriage in ancient China was an elaborate affair that was handled by the parents of the bride and groom. Once the groom's parents found a suitable bride, they would send special gifts to the girl's parents as a way of making their wishes known. If interested, the girl's parents would then send a formal document which included the date and time of the girl's birth back to the boy's parents. This document would be placed upon an alter for three days and if everything remained calm and stable within the families, the plans would continue. The groom's parents would then summons master of astrology to decide if the couple would be compatible. The same process would then continue with the bride's family. The families would only meet if the couple was deemed compatable by both sets of parents. The bride's family would now be presented with gifts from the groom's family as tokens of their commitment. The most popular gift item was tea. Shortly thereafter this exchange, the bride's dowry was gathered and taken by procession to the groom's family home. The entire pre- marriage process would sometimes take an entire year.

Prior to the wedding it was a tradition for the bride to live in a private part of the house with her friends. This was to help the bride adjust to being separated from her family and insure a happy marriage. The groom's preparations included installing the marital bed. The bed was to be new and usually a man or woman with many children would take part in this ceremony as a wish of fertility for the new couple. Fruit was often spread on the bed for the same reason and children were invited to gather the fruit.

The morning of the wedding the bride bathed in order to wash off any evil and then dressed for the wedding. Since red was the symbolic color of joy, it was always part of the bride's wedding attire. A red scarf covered her face. The bride would bow to her parents and then wait for the groom to arrive.

The wedding procession would begin at the groom's home with musicians and attendants following the groom. Upon arrival at the bride's house, an attendant would pass money to the bride's friends. The bride would not be given to the groom until the two parties agreed on the amount. The bride joined the procession back to the groom's house riding in a curtained sedan chair. At the groom's house, he would finally be able to remove the red scarf and view the bride's face.

The wedding ceremony was short and very simple. It took place at the family alter where offerings were made to ancestors and gods on order to validate the marriage. Teas was served to the groom's parents and sometimes the chamber following the ceremony. There were many feasts to celebrate the the wedding day.

Children- The ancient Chinese thought that it was bad luck to name a baby before birth. Pregnancy was a time to adhere to strict guidelines and if they weren't followed it was considered a bad omen. Children lived with their parents as well as other family members such as grandparents, aunts and uncles. Family life and togetherness was very important. Doing the right thing was very important in ancient China. If one family member did something wrong the whole family would be disgraced. Honor was taught at an early age and the children would be expected to know their place in the family. Most children did not go to school, but worked at home or on the family farm. Only rich boys attended school.

Food- One of the main foods in Chinese culture was rice. It was also the first grain farmed in China. The rice was usually boiled and if affordable mixed with small pieces of meat and vegetables. Rice wine was also made. Millet was grown in northern China where rice would not grow. The millet was usually made into a porridge. Tea was a favorite drink as it grew wild and was widely available.

Clothing- Simple clothing made of hemp for the poor and silk for the rich was worn in ancient China. Tunics of different lengths were worn year round and jackets and pants were added for cold weather. Hair was worn long for both men and women. Rich women wore a lot of make-up and jewelry as a sign of their status. Men would wear hats to show their status. The rich could wear colors except for yellow which was only worn by the emperor. The poor could only wear blue or black. The emperor made the rules about what could and couldn't be worn and the rules changes with each new dynasty.

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