Nuptials at Ningde

It may not be everyone's idea of the perfect wedding location, but a mass marriage involving almost three dozen couples has been successfully held overlooking the construction site of the Ningde nuclear power plant in China's Fujian province.

It may not be everyone's idea of the perfect wedding location, but a mass marriage involving almost three dozen couples has been successfully held overlooking the construction site of the Ningde nuclear power plant in China's Fujian province.

The happy couples celebrate their marriages at Ningde (Image: CGNPC)

A total of 34 couples chose to make their wedding vows during a ceremony held in early March on a platform built on a hillside adjacent to the site, China Guangdong Nuclear Power Corporation (CGNPC) reported.

The mass marriage was one of a series of events which has been held annually for the past five years at the Ningde site. The wedding ceremony, CGNPC said, was aimed at encouraging people to settle in the area surrounding the plant, as well as letting them display the 'dedication, heart and soul' needed for the 'operation' of a good marriage.

The first phase of development at Ningde nuclear power plant is now fully underway, with four Chinese-designed CPR-1000 pressurized water reactors at various stages of construction. Unit 1 is set to begin operation at the end of 2012, construction having begun in February 2008. At least two more CPR-1000s are planned for Phase II of the Ningde plant.

It is not the first time that CGNPC has arranged a mass marriage. In May 2009, the Shenzhen 'Family Love' ceremony saw 199 staff couples from the company's nuclear and wind businesses take oaths recognising their love for each other as well as for the company and the nuclear family of nations.

Researched and written
by World Nuclear News