Samuel's Family

Here is a picture of Samuel, his Mom, his sister and his aunt taken just before we left his hometown. Since this photo was taken, Samuel's sister has become engaged to be married.

Treats

Here is a photo of the Bride and Groom handing out treats to their guests. I have also included a picture of me with the Bride and Groom.

The Bride and Groom

Here is a picture of Samuel with his cousin, the groom. The second picture is of the lovely bride.

The Guests

Here are a few photos of the guests at the wedding reception.

Delicious Food

At the wedding reception, we were served plate after plate and bowl after bowl of delicious food. I believe close to twenty different dishes were served. Here are a few photos of the meal.

Teamwork

I was very impressed and moved by the teamwork shown at the wedding. There were over forty tables in the house. Each table held eight guests. There was no caterer! All of the preparations were done be friends and relatives. Amazing!

The Wedding

Chinese weddings, particularly in the country, are markedly different from Canadian Weddings. They have many different customs! Here are some pictures taken the night before the wedding. They show the way the wedding home was decorated. They also show some of the special decorations and gifts that were placed in the bridal suite.

The Wedding

After our arrival in Samuel's hometown,Ju Xi, I was introduced to many of Samuel's relatives and we visited his cousin's home. This is where the wedding was to be held. Here are a few photos of the decorated wedding car.

Tea Shop

Samuel's Aunt runs a Tea Shop in Xiamen. On the way back from the wedding, Samuel and I stopped in for a visit. I had the opportunity to help with the packaging of some tea.

Harvesting

Once the tea has been picked, it is laid out to dry in the sun. It is then roasted in the machine shown here. It is then placed on racks to cool.

Rural Homes

Here are a few pictures of the homes found in this area.

Tikuanyin

This area is known for Tikuanyin. This type of oolong tea is renowned for it's fragrance and it's flavour. It is very expensive when purchased in other areas of China.

Ju Xi

Samuel's hometown is called Ju Xi. It is located in beautiful part of Fujian Province. The area is mountainous. The air is very fresh! As you can see, many of the mountains have been terraced and are used for tea plantations.

Anxi

Anxi is known as the Tea Capital of China. Samuel and I had a good wander around the town and visited the Tea Market where bulk tea is sold. Once in his hometown, Samuel also took me out to visit the numerous tea plantations in the area.