For Richer or Poorer: Marriage, Market Economics and Olivia Martin-McGuire's 'China Love'

Now a global financial behemoth, China has shed much of its traditionalism and opened itself up to Western modes and mythologies. But marriage remains central to its society – albeit, now, having morphed into an expression of aspirationalism and a corrective for past deprivation. Lauren Carroll Harris delves into how these realities are captured in Olivia Martin-McGuire's revelatory documentary about the country's billion-dollar pre-wedding photography industry.

Additional keywords:
matrimony, custom, capitalism, ceremony, simulacra, middle class, wealth, wish fulfilment, Cultural Revolution, globalisation, The Jiahao Group, leftover women, patriarchy, conservatism.