Just over 40 years ago, marriage in China was arranged by the state. Love was not on the table and happiness was secondary to politics. Wedding photography consisted of one black and white passport photo of the couple dressed in Mao-style outfits.

But now China has fallen in love with romance. Chinese couples take part in lavish pre-wedding photoshoots where they become characters in a fantasy of their choosing. China Love follows couples young and old as they prepare for shoots that have become important national symbols for freedom, status, and the new Chinese Dream. Go inside this phenomenon, uncovering the pressures these expensive photoshoots place on couples and their families, whilst exposing the shadowy, hundred-million dollar international companies profiting off this new market.

China Love uncovers China’s new cultural expectations on marriage and modern love. For all the frivolity, marital pressure remains as strong as ever. If someone is not married by 28 years old, they can be labeled “leftover women” by the government, and their families face ostracization. How has China moved so quickly from extreme restriction to bombastic forms of expression and play? And what about all the elderly couples who were denied this opportunity to express themselves?