Jia and Qu, a wedding manual, introduces wedding customs in Quanzhou, where I grew up, from the perspectives of the family of the bride and the groom. ” 嫁 “(jia) this character describes an action of females when they married out. While ” 娶 ” (qu)this character is used by male, which means to marry. In the city of Quanzhou, there is a series of rituals and customs for a wedding. There are complex gifting and sending dowry rituals to strengthen the bond between the two families, the respect for god and ancestors, and welcome a new family member. People treat a wedding as the most auspicious ceremony in a life-long. During the process, supports from both the groom’s and bride’s families are needed. Through reading the manual, my audience can learn about the relationship between the new family status, the significance of marriage, and traditional customs in Quanzhou.
Reading guideline: The book separates into two sides––the bride’s and the groom’s side. The bride and groom’s typeset directions are opposite. Hence, when readers want to read the groom’s side, they must rotate the book 180 degrees.
