| Abstract | On the surface, Beijing photographic bridal portraits and albums bear a striking resemblance to those in Taiwan [Adrian 2003], and to bridal practices that are popular in other parts of East Asia [Kendall 1996, Lee 2002]. Yet despite many important similarities, I argue that Beijing bridal portraiture ought not be dismissed as simple mimicry, nor as yet another example of globalization, westernization, or hegemonic global capitalist homogenization. Instead, I contend that such portraiture is unique in certain ways, and that it reflects current understandings and experiences of consumption, modernity, nostalgia, gender, and romance, that are specific to the current historical and sociocultural context of post-Mao China.
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