Current location:style >>
In China, a factory is turning old wedding photographs into fuel
style6People have gathered around
IntroductionBy Matthew WalshAt a dusty warehouse in northern China, Liu Wei feeds photos of beaming bridal coupl ...
By Matthew Walsh
At a dusty warehouse in northern China, Liu Wei feeds photos of beaming bridal couples into an industrial shredder — turning stories of heartbreak into a source of electricity.
Wedding photos are big business in China, where parks, temples and historic sites often teem with newlyweds posing for elaborate shots capturing their supposedly unbreakable bond.
They include large wall photos and smaller decorative shots and albums, mostly cast from plastic, acrylic and glass.
Subscribe to HKFP's twice-weekly newsletter for a concise round-up of local news and our best coverage. Unsubscribe at any time - we will not pass on your data to third parties.
Processing… Success! You're on the list. Whoops! There was an error and we couldn't process your subscription. Please reload the page and try again.Workers heave the images onto a forklift truck and scatter them onto the warehouse floor for sorting.
They then obscure every face with dark spray paint to protect client privacy and smash unshreddable glasswork with a sledgehammer.
“These people are all trying to find closure,” said Liu. “They mainly want to unpick the knots in their hearts.”
Complex motivations
Sullied and broken, the pictures give glimpses of broken families in happier times.
In one, a woman in a white bridal dress reclines on a bed of flowers, while another shows a lovestruck couple gazing into each other’s eyes.
A sporty pair in matching kits pose with a football, while nearby, a smitten man presses his face tenderly to his pregnant wife’s belly.
Brandishing his phone, Liu films the defaced photos and sends clips to customers for final confirmation.
He estimates he has served about 1,100 clients — mostly under the age of 45, and around two-thirds women — since launching the service a year ago.
They typically speak little about their separations, and several declined interview requests from AFP.
Liu says the motivations for destroying wedding photos are often complex.
“Few of them do this out of malice,” he told AFP.
“It might be that this item brings on certain thoughts or feelings… or be a hurdle hard to overcome.”
Some clients attend the destructions in person to give a sense of ceremony to a closing chapter in their lives, said Liu.
Others keep their photos for years and only dispose of them when they remarry or finally come to terms with a former spouse’s death.
Given the irreversible nature of the process, Liu says he gives clients a final chance to salvage their items in case they live to regret their decision.
After getting the green light, he films his staff gently pushing the photos into the shredder’s gnashing teeth.
The debris is taken to a nearby biofuel plant where it is processed with other household waste to generate electricity.
‘Respect others’ choices’
Divorce rates soared in socially conservative China after marriage laws were relaxed in 2003.
They have fallen dramatically since the government enacted a law in 2021 mandating a month-long “cooling-off” period before couples untie the knot.
China registered 2.9 million divorces in 2022, down from over 4.3 million two years earlier.
The number of marriages rose last year for the first time in nearly a decade, giving Beijing some relief as it seeks to reverse a steep fall in births.
After annihilating the visual evidence of hundreds of unions, Liu says he has become numb to the emotions they stir up.
“The deepest feeling I have in my heart towards my clients… is that you must respect others’ choices,” he said.
“You must never persuade people one way or another,” he added. “It does no good.”
Tags:
Reprint:Friends are welcome to share on the Internet, but please indicate the source of the article when reprinting it.“International Iterations news portal”。http://www.videocameralive.com/news-36b399942.html
Related articles
Posts misrepresent Green Party candidate’s comment on a Jewish homeland
styleCLAIM: A clip shows Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein saying that “the Jewish people hav ...
【style】
Read moreAmy Schumer looks thinner in a T
styleAmy Schumer was seen shooting her next comedy Kinda Pregnant in New York City on Monday. The Trainwr ...
【style】
Read moreItaly seeks G7 message to de
styleROME (AP) — Group of Seven foreign ministers are meeting on the Italian resort island of Capri, with ...
【style】
Read more
Popular articles
- China's sci
- Father of boy accused of stabbing 2 Sydney clerics saw no signs of extremism, Muslim leader says
- European far
- Mookie Betts ties career high with 5 hits as Dodgers beat Nationals 6
- Conservative states challenge federal rule on treatment of transgender students
- UN appeals for $2.8 billion to help 3 million Palestinians in desperate need of food and other aid
Latest articles
Chinese readers find new passion for scientific literature
Danny Dyer horrified to learn son Arty, nine, is a fan of controversial influencer and self
China's low
China's logistics sector continues upward trend in Q1
Suspected al
Ryan Garcia accuses Devin Haney of committing a 'hate crime' after he shoved troubled boxer
LINKS
- Rural Woman Helps Villagers Attain Wealth by Growing Vegetables
- Good Family Education Lifts Parents, Children out of Anxiety
- University Graduate Returns Home to Help Farmers Attain Wealth by Breeding Goats
- Dulcimer Duo Promote Charm of Yangqin via Short Videos
- Helping People Live in Harmony with Nature
- Dulcimer Duo Promote Charm of Yangqin via Short Videos
- Blue Sky Rescue Team Captain Saving Lives — with Love
- Real Madrid hold off Leipzig to sneak into quarters
- Holding up a Sunny Sky
- China Making Great Strides in Women's Cause