කලින් වෙඩින් ෆොටෝවක් ගන්න බැරි වුණු ජ්‍යෙෂ්ට පුරවැසියන්ට තිලිණයක්

Photographer takes wedding photos for elderly couples who missed out first time around

A special exhibition featuring wedding photos of 100 old couples in a village in northeast China's Liaoning Province who didn't have photographs taken on their actual wedding day is delighting visitors.

The old couples, all aged above 60, are from the Anzigou Village in Huludao City, and their belated wedding photos were taken by Guo Zuoxin, a photojournalist from the Liaoning Daily newspaper who was dispatched to the village for rural revitalization work three years ago.

Guo bought five sets of wedding suits and dresses as well as decorations to set wedding scenes so that the old couples wouldn't feel awkward, but most of the couples were very enthusiastic to have a long-cherished opportunity for a wedding photo shoot.

"This is a happy and new experience. When we married, she was sent by her family on a donkey cart, and the ceremony was very simple. Our wedding room was a small thatched house. Now, I'm over 70 years old, and we've been married for 48 years. We have four generations under one roof. My great-grandson is already in school. We are much richer now. Everything is going well. Now, we've got our wedding photo taken. I can't describe how happy I am. This fulfills our lifelong wish and will leave a beautiful memory for our descendants. This wedding photo is a testimony to our companionship in this life," said Wang Chen, a villager.

The old couples, who have been with each other for most of their lives, were often shy in front of the camera, but Guo was able to capture a few unexpected moment.

"An elderly man suddenly grabbed his wife's hand and kissed it. I didn't expect that. He looked shy when doing that, but it showed his love for her," Guo said.

Guo spent over a month taking the 100 wedding photos, and after printing the photos, he decided to display them publicly at the cultural square of the village and named the exhibition "Happy Time".

Soon after the exhibition opened, crowds of villagers gathered at the site to admire the photos and talk about stories of the old couples.

"We didn't even have one single photo when we were married. Now, the dream has come true. It's great," said Wei Hongzhi, a villager.

Over the past three years, Guo has built close bonds with the villagers, who have recognized him as one of their own. Guo was supposed to leave the village a year ago but voluntarily stayed, in the hope of making more contributions to the village's development.

"In the past few years, Guo often visited the villagers and has become very close with them. He spent his own money and called former schoolmates, friends and employer to build roads, bridges and a square for our village. He has also helped our village register a millet cooperative and a trademark, selling our millet to consumers across the country. Everyone is happy with the greatly increased income," said Lyu Wenyuan, deputy head of the village Party committee.

After completing the wedding photos, Guo has come up with a new idea - to make a documentary film about the village.

"I want to make a rural revitalization themed documentary for Anzigou Village, because the scenery here is very beautiful, it is what Altay Prefecture would look like in my mind. Besides, I want to take family photos for the villagers when the youngsters come back for the Spring Festival. My ambition is to let more people see Anzigou, know Anzigou and attract more people here," Guo said.

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