With the continuous advancement of globalization, transnational marriages are no longer new, but marital breakdowns due to cultural differences also occur from time to time. After all, "a hundred miles of different winds, a thousand miles of different customs", the cultural differences in the same place are already so big, let alone two countries spanning tens of thousands of miles of oceans.
In 2018, a mother came all the way from the United States to attend her daughter's wedding, but the wedding process was full of twists and turns, making the meeting between the two parents particularly awkward.
Jessica, a girl born in 1987, became attached to another person because of martial arts. As a child, unlike other little girls, they played with beautiful Barbie dolls, while Jessica danced the house's mop and broom in the yard alone.
While other girls are watching cute cartoons, Jessica will watch Bruce Lee's action movies with adults intently, and will yell along with her, making people feel like she is a little martial arts fan.
Under the influence of rumors about Chinese kung fu, a large number of cultural products showing Chinese martial arts began to appear in the American market, such as "Kung Fu Panda", Jackie Chan series of movies, martial arts performances in Chinatown, and so on.
These products had a profound impact on Jessica's upbringing.
Growing up, Jessica's passion for Chinese kung fu never waned, and she even taught herself Chinese to pursue this dream. During her college years, she majored in Asian culture and read a lot of books on classical Chinese culture.
In class, she is always the most motivated student. Finally, in 2011, at the age of 24, Jessica decided to fulfill her long-held dream and go to the China of her dreams to learn kung fu in person at a real martial arts gym.
She said goodbye to her family and flew to Beijing on her own, where she found a job as an international school teacher to make ends meet, and spent the rest of her time in the alleys and alleys of Kyoto looking for authentic martial arts halls, and finally, she chose where Wu Mingjie worked.
Born in 1986, Wu Mingjie is not a native of Beijing, but from a small fishing village on the Leizhou Peninsula in Guangdong.
Wu Mingjie, a martial arts genius from an ordinary fisherman's family. He has been passionate about Chinese kung fu since he was a child, and fortunately, he lives in China and has endless possibilities. Through his own efforts, he was admitted to my country's top sports school, Beijing Sport University, majoring in martial arts.
During his time at school, he trained hard to improve his martial arts skills, and won many good results in national competitions. After graduating, he stayed in Beijing and became a professional martial arts instructor.
His eyebrows and eyes are sparse, his posture is straight, and he shows professionalism and patience in his work, which is loved by customers, especially girls. Even Jessica, who comes from an exotic land, was drawn to his coaching style.
Jessica was immediately fascinated by Wu Mingjie's martial arts performance, and she thought that Wu Mingjie's kicking and boxing movements were as perfect as the kung fu superstar in her heart, so she decided to let Wu Mingjie teach her martial arts.
In fact, there are many people who come to learn because they like Chinese martial arts, and Wu Mingjie is no longer surprised, but there are not many people who are as energetic as Jessica and never complain about being tired in training, and when they first met, Wu Mingjie had a deep appreciation for this girl.
As time went on, their relationship grew closer and their understanding of each other deepened, and Wu discovered that Jessica's love for China was not just a brief trip or experience, but a real immersion in the atmosphere.
After becoming friends, they often meet for dinner outside of class, and Wu Mingjie will take Jessica to various food and Internet celebrity attractions to check in.
Jessica is always full of energy, and she faces life with the fullest spirit and enthusiasm, no matter when and where. Once, Wu Mingjie decided to go home to visit his parents, and before leaving, he took the initiative to invite Jessica to go to the Zhanjiang beach with him, Jessica readily agreed, and the two began their trip to China.
Unlike the bustling city, life in this small fishing village is quiet and laid-back, and the villagers are simple and welcoming. Wu's parents were both surprised and a little apprehensive about the foreign girl their son brought home, but in the end they chose to accept and hospit.
Wu's mother carefully prepared a large table of seafood dinner, and Wu's father also took them to the beach to fish, enjoying an unforgettable time.
During her time in Zhanjiang, Jessica experienced a new state of life that she had never experienced before. When they were about to leave, Jessica's attachment to Wu Mingjie even exceeded that of himself.
After returning to Beijing through tea, their daily way of getting along has not changed, but their inner world has become closer, and they have already developed deep feelings for each other.
And Wu Mingjie also began to think about his life plan carefully.
Wu Mingjie is well aware of the pressure of life in Beijing, and in order to achieve his goal of starting a family, he decided to use his savings to do some side business. In 2014, a friend learned about his idea and took the initiative to cooperate with him, and the two decided to open a teahouse after discussion.
Although the Chinese tea culture has endured for thousands of years, there are many teahouses in the city, but there are not many people who have money and leisure, and there are high requirements for the decoration design of the teahouse, the taste of tea utensils and the quality of tea.
Since Wu Mingjie didn't know anything about business, he handed over the operation to a friend and was responsible for his own contributions.
Wu Mingjie runs a teahouse, and in less than two months, he has invested all his hard-earned savings of 300,000 yuan. However, the profit of tea is almost zero.
After discovering the problem, Wu Mingjie tried to find a friend to solve it, but when he rushed to the teahouse, he found that the person was gone and his money was swept away. Several years of hard work came to naught, which made Wu Mingjie feel so depressed that he couldn't even lift his spirits in class.
Seeing all this, Jessica was very worried, she often went to Wu Mingjie to eat and chat after class, and brought deep comfort to Wu Mingjie with her careful care and vitality.
Although she may not be able to understand what it means for a Chinese man to not be able to afford a house, her care and energy bring Wu Mingjie an indescribable warmth.
With Jessica's support, Wu Mingjie gradually cheered up from the gloom of life, and his feelings for this American girl grew deeper and deeper. When he bravely abandons the worldly ideas of society and confesses to Jessica, Jessica happily embraces him, and the two naturally come together.
In the Spring Festival of 2015, the two returned to Wu Mingjie's hometown together, and when Wu Mingjie introduced Jessica to his parents as his girlfriend, Wu's parents were not surprised, they were still enthusiastic about Jessica, and regarded her as their own.
Jessica felt a little overwhelmed, and as a new wife, she found that she couldn't be as free as a guest. She heard that Chinese girls need to be positive when they go to their parents-in-law's house for the first time, so she took the initiative to go into the kitchen to help Wu's mother cook, but she was kicked out by Wu's mother, who felt sorry for her daughter-in-law.
On the first day of the Lunar New Year, Jessica saw that the yard was full of red firecracker debris, and she volunteered to clean it, but Wu's mother, who was quick to do so, took away the broom.
It turns out that there is a local custom that you can't sweep the floor and take out the garbage before the fifth day of the new year, otherwise it will sweep away the blessings and good luck of the coming year. Even though Jessica makes jokes about these oolongs, she doesn't annoy people, but rather makes people think she's very cute.
Wu's mother even took Jessica's hand and told her about many local customs. Jessica has always been interested in Chinese culture, so she listens attentively, and the relationship between her mother-in-law and daughter-in-law has become closer because of these interactions.
On the other side of the ocean in the United States, when a mother learned that her daughter had chosen a Chinese boyfriend, although her heart was full of reluctance, she still respected her daughter's choice, blessed her and promised that if her daughter got married, she would be there to congratulate her in person.
After getting to know each other for a year, Jessica and Wu Mingjie made the decision to get married in 2016. They received their marriage certificate in a low-key manner on Donghai Island in Zhanjiang City, because they did not have enough savings on hand, so they decided not to hold the wedding for the time being, so the parents of both parties have not had the opportunity to meet.
However, the good times were short-lived. In June 2017, 30-year-old Jessica checked out the good news of pregnancy, and the whole family was full of anticipation for the upcoming baby.
At the same time, the couple's wedding was postponed again, and they wanted their children to appear at the wedding to make the wedding more warm.
After a family meeting, Jessica and her family decided to tentatively schedule the wedding for July of the following year. In order for her mother in the United States to share the joy with her, Jessica told her the news in advance.
* Jessica's mother wept with joy, and her concern and longing for her daughter were overflowing. In February 2018, Jessica was excited to get a baby boy, a cute and healthy mixed-race boy.
At the same time, they also put their wedding on the agenda. Jessica and Wu Mingjie jointly chose a date in July and told Jessica's mother about the specific wedding date.
However, just when everyone was busy with the wedding, Wu's mother's words interrupted all the preparations, she directly denied the date of the wedding, and strongly demanded that the wedding be postponed.
At that time, there was only a little more than a month left before Jessica's mother came to China.
Chinese custom considers the crown funeral to be a major event in life, so choosing a date is especially important. In order to find the right day, people often find someone to count a few good days in advance, and then choose a date to do the work according to the actual situation.
may be because Wu's mother forgot, or she and Wu Mingjie did not communicate well in advance, so now there is an embarrassing situation. Although Jessica knew that Wu's mother's intentions were good, she thought that the wedding had been rescheduled and delayed, which was a kind of guilt for American mothers.
In the end, she found that there was no other solution, so she had to call her mother again.
American mothers have doubts about postponing their weddings and travel to China to find answers. At the Capital International Airport, Jessica's mother met Wu Mingjie for the first time, and the enthusiasm of her daughter and little grandson made her smile, but when she saw her son-in-law, her expression was perfunctory, and her dissatisfaction was overflowing.
Jessica's mother's main task on this trip was to inspect her daughter's family environment, so after a short stay in Beijing, she went to Zhanjiang, all the way from high-speed rail to car, and the American mother was exhausted and her mood can be imagined.
The Wu family's parents in a small fishing village carefully prepared a table of seafood to entertain their in-laws, but their efforts did not meet the expected results. Due to differences in eating habits, American mothers felt unacceptable to those peculiar foods, and the meal was tasteless.
Especially when asked about the reason for the change of wedding date, the atmosphere became awkward. American mothers believe that marriage is their own business and should be decided by themselves, while the Wu family's parents, although they feel guilty, firmly believe that this is for the good of the children and cannot violate the taboo, so the marriage date must be changed.
Wu Mingjie and Jessica had a constant dispute, and although they maintained peace on the surface, they both felt unhappy. However, the next morning, Jessica's mother was deeply touched when she found out that Wu's mother had been busy early in the morning, not only preparing breakfast for the whole family, but even doing her daughter's laundry by hand.
Although Wu's mother thought it was just a small thing, her selfless dedication surprised Jessica's mother.
In the days that followed, the Wu family arranged a multi-day trip to Zhanjiang and Hainan for her American mother, during which the Wu family's behavior constantly broke her cognition. Not only does she take good care of Jessica in life, but she also often helps take care of her children, which relieves Jessica of a lot of burden.
After a period of getting along, the American mother finally eliminated her inner doubts, fully accepted the fact of the remarriage period, and began to live in harmony with the Wu family.
In the wedding turmoil between Wu Mingjie and Jessica, we saw the selfless dedication of both parents. Although there were some minor frictions due to cultural differences, they quickly reconciled and showed deep love for the sake of their children.
No matter what the background is, marriage is a matter for both families. To get everyone's blessing and run a long-term marriage, the key is sincerity and trust. Although the customs and habits may be different, as long as the other party feels your kindness, all problems can be solved.
This is reflected in the reports of China**.com, Zhanjiang** Digital News and Huanqiu.com. For example, the transnational family story of Jessica, an American girl, and Wu Mingjie, a young man from Zhanjiang, Jessica will cross the ocean to Zhanjiang every Spring Festival to meet Wu Mingjie's family, and their story proves that as long as they treat each other sincerely, they can cross cultural differences and manage their marriage together.