In a blatant display of patriotism, a Chinese newlywed couple spent their first night of wedded bliss copying parts of the Communist party’s constitution, by hand. Most people would find this incredibly unromantic, but for Li Yunpeng and his bride Chen Xuanchi, there couldn’t have been a better way to kick start their married life. In fact, they viewed the task as a way of creating “beautiful memories” of their wedding night.
Both Li and Chen are government employees from China’s Jiangxi province. On Monday, photographs of their wedding night appeared in online newspapers, along with a brief account by their employers, the railway bureau of Nanchang city. “Laying down a sheet of paper and neatly copying down out the Party Constitution left blissful memories of their wedding night for these newlyweds,” the report read.
The photos later went viral on social media. The couple can be seen seated next to a double bed decorated with balloons, but they appear oblivious to the romantic decor, completely engrossed in transcribing parts of the 17,000-word, 11-chapter text. They apparently did it as a part of a government-backed challenge called ‘Copy the Communist party constitution for 100 days’. The initiative was launched in March in a bid to raise awareness of party’s rules, its constitution, and the speeches of general secretary Xi Jinping. As reported by the Global Times, the challenge meant to target party members whose confidence in communism and socialism is beginning to crumble, and those who “advocate western values, violate party rules, work inefficiently, or behave unethically.”
As important as the challenge might be for China’s political climate, netizens in the nation are not appreciative of the fact that it took precedence over a newlywed couple’s first night together. “I have to say this must be the most ridiculous and hilarious thing the party has ever done,” a Weibo user wrote.
“Does the party teach them how to make love?” another person pondered.
Wang Wusi, a popular commentator on China, penned a satirical essay on the incident. “On the wedding night, the bridegroom did not rejoice in his great friendship with the bride and do what we love to do,” he wrote. “Hostile foreign forces will certainly exploit this act of copying the party Constitution on a wedding night, and they will stir up mockery of it.”
The negative comments appear to have had some effect on the party, because an article about the couple was later deleted from the website of Caijing, a leading news magazine in China. Now, state-run news outlets are saying that Li and Chen should have taken the night off to focus on each other. “It is very necessary for party members to study the party Constitution,” read the commentary in People’s Daily, the party’s main newspaper. “However, party members are also ordinary people, and they will also experience the pull of romantic love and the gamut of emotions and desires.”
Photos: Nanchang Railway Bureau
