An old woman helps the bride clean her facial hair by a cotton thread. [Photo/ Xinhua]

There are some major functions involved in a Traditional Chinese wedding, including how a proposal is made, matching of birthday, giving betrothal gifts, fixing the wedding date and the formal wedding ceremony.

A Qing (1644-1911) wedding ceremony was basically the same as traditional marriages: on the wedding day, the bride would be helped by an old woman to tie up her hair. She would wear a red skirt as Chinese believe red symbolizes delight.

The groom’s family would welcome the bride to the wedding in a sedan chair. As soon as the bride arrived at the groom's home, the new couple would perform the three formal bows and serve their parents tea. There would be wedding banquets after the performance. The banquets were sometimes far more important than the actual wedding itself.

This group of old photos shows a real Qing wedding ceremony in detail. Let’s travel back to time to the Qing Dynasty to see a bride on her wedding day.