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Fanning the flames of interracial romance

Posted by Maya Alexandri, May 23, 2007 8:38 AM

Qingniao Photos ad, south of Lama Temple in Beijing

Attention laowai men! If you've got a Chinese girlfriend, Qingniao Photos has the secret to your domestic bliss: get that girl a set of wedding photos.

China's craze for wedding photos — with or without the wedding — is well known (and documented by Su Fei in this Sexy Beijing episode). Up until now, however, dressing up to snap kitchy glam shots in romantic locales was the domain of Chinese couples. But Qingniao Photos apparently has its finger on the pulse of a profitable Beijing trend: there are enough rich laowai guys with Chinese girlfriends — and sufficient social acceptance of interracial couples — to make a market.

The Qingniao Photos ad below literally says, "the most beautiful scenery + the happiest lovers = the most enchanting memories," but what Qingniao Photos really wants laowai men to remember is: foreigners may never be able to assimilate in China, but that doesn't mean you can stint on the wedding photos.

There are currently 6 Comments for Fanning the flames of interracial romance.

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Comments on Fanning the flames of interracial romance

Is this an ad?

Posted by: Xiao Zhu | May 23, 2007 9:26 AM

Huh? (@ this post)

Posted by: Micah

| May 23, 2007 10:39 AM

this is pure satire

Posted by: Anon | May 23, 2007 11:32 AM

"sufficient acceptance of interracial couples" ?

I think the moment people stop considering couples "interracial" will be the day that "everyone" accepts them.

My 2 rmb.

Posted by: Kimura | May 23, 2007 2:12 PM

You should add a link to the photo studio in question.

Using foreign men in adverts is nothing new - even if they're a bit old or not that good-looking - I'm not sure there's any broader subtext than that, they're just there because they're "exotic" or otherwise associated with attractiveness (money, power?).

Assimilation is not really on the cards - and racial issues are foremost among the many reasons - but I don't think this advert really tells us much.

Posted by: William | May 23, 2007 4:20 PM

Well well! I learned something today! I thought you must have meant "skimp" on the wedding photos in the last sentence.

But "stint" apparently was a synonym for "skimp" sometime in the 16th century. Didn't have that meaning in Webster's 1913, but apparently has it again now!

My shorter Oxford hints that, for that usage, it's an ME derivation from "stunt".

Good clean fun!

Posted by: Shan | May 24, 2007 2:24 PM