China's National Day holiday wedding season in full swing

China’s wedding season is in full swing since the week-long National Day holiday began on Tuesday, a peak season for couples to hold their romantic ceremonies.

This season’s weddings included one held at a hall in Chaoyang District of Beijing.

"We have been together for nine years, and it's high time for us to get married. The wedding was planned during the National Day holiday so that our family members can come here. The wedding features a relaxing and natural style,” said the bride Song Lingxue.

Ruoting, a wedding company executive, said that a wedding planner may have six weddings a day in September and October, their busiest time of the year.

"The orders in September and October represent 35 to 40 percent of the total of the whole year. For example, during the National Day holiday, the days of Oct 1 and Oct 6 have been fully reserved. Almost all newlyweds are born in the 1990s, and some others, even in the 2000s. They have many ideas. They are more clear-minded, but would like to pay for innovations," she said.

Besides wedding planners, wedding dress renters have also been busy preparing, cleaning the outfits and tailoring them for brides and grooms.

As the wedding market grows, wedding companies are offering customized services to attract more customers.

A one-stop service can be a good choice for many customers who do not want to bother themselves too much with the preparations for the complicated wedding process, including wedding site reservation, filming and banquet arrangements.

"I chose the one-stop service so that it wouldn't be so stressful. I wanted to free myself from the preparations," said Yueyue, another bride.

Some wedding companies have put up unique banquet halls with different themes for weddings, including one featuring traditional Chinese auspicious elements in Beijing.

"The bride will come in a special way downstairs, just like walking by floating pavilions on the cloud and in mist. Many newlyweds like it very much," said Liu Zhijun, planning director of a one-stop wedding company in Beijing.

The wedding companies are attempting to introduce cultural and tourism elements into their service.

"Now we are taking wedding orders in villages of the Miao ethnic group in Guizhou. We wonder if we can integrate some local elements such as garments and flower art in our service," said Ruoting.

China's National Day holiday wedding season in full swing

Yalu River estuary in northeast China's Liaoning Province is a key biodiversity conservation area in China providing habitats for migratory birds and dozens of endangered species.

Situated at the northern edge of the Yellow Sea Ecoregion, the Yalu River estuary in Dandong, Liaoning Province is a crucial stopover site for birds migrating along the East Asian-Australasian Flyway which spans more than 20 countries and regions from the Arctic to Southeast Asia and Australasia.

Staff at the Dandong Yalu River Estuary National Nature Reserve are conducting research on the quantity, species, and spatial distribution of migratory waterbirds as they arrive here during their autumn migration.

"By doing these surveys we can understand the waterbirds' migration patterns, food chains and food distribution. We can also track these birds via satellite to monitor their migration routes and timings within the migratory area," said Ma Li from the nature reserve.

Ma added that the reserve has conducted surveys on northbound waterbirds for 26 consecutive years. The number of migratory birds being surveyed can reach 60,000 to 80,000 during the autumn migration.

As well as being a stopover site for migratory birds, Yalu River estuary also contributes to biodiversity conservation by providing vital habitats for endangered species within the region.

Preserving the typical coastal wetland landscape of East Asia, the Dandong Yalu River Estuary National Nature Reserve accommodates most species of the Liaodong Peninsula in northeast China, thus maintaining the richness and diversity of wildlife.

The nature reserve is home to 453 species of plants, 324 species of birds, more than 80 species of nektons, amphibians, reptiles and mammals.

"In terms of global biodiversity conservation, the Yalu River Estuary Wetland in Dandong supports the survival and development of nearly 20 rare and endangered species in the world. Therefore, as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, this location holds significant importance," said Lei Guangchun, a professor from Beijing Forestry University.

The Yalu River estuary is one of the Migratory Bird Sanctuaries along the Coast of the Yellow Sea-Bohai Gulf of China (Phase II) which was included in UNESCO's World Heritage List on July 26.

Migratory bird habitat in China’s Liaoning bears significance for biodiversity conservation