Si Jing (the pen name of Ng Soo Lui) was a prolific female writer in the Chinese community. Born in Singapore in 1934, she has written extensively on her childhood and life in Chinatown. Si Jing married her childhood sweetheart, Huang Da Li, in July 1952. The tea ceremony is a Chinese wedding ritual which is performed at the groom’s home on the wedding day, and is considered to be an important component of the wedding ceremony. It symbolises the acceptance of the bride into the groom’s family and demonstrates respect for the elders. The ceremony involves the bride and groom offering cups of tea to the senior members of the groom’s family. In return, the elders are expected to give gifts in the form of ‘hangbao’ (red packets) or jewellery to the couple. The groom’s younger siblings and/or cousins also offer tea to the couple during the ceremony. Traditionally, the tea ceremony for the bride’s family is done either before or after the tea ceremony at the groom’s home. This photograph is part of the donor’s personal photograph collection.
