Naked Wedding, a recent hit TV series, tells the story of a young couple, Liu Yiyang (L) and Tong Jiaqian (R), who got married with no house, no car and no thick wad of banknotes. Stressed by sky-high housing prices, young Chinese couples find ways to simplify the wedding rituals – opting for a “naked wedding”.
  《裸婚时代》是一部最近很火的电视剧，讲述了年轻夫妇刘易阳和童佳倩无房、无车、无存款的裸婚故事。面对高居不下的房价，“裸婚”似乎成为年轻人唯一的出路。
  A“naked marriage” is a Chinese term that refers to a marriage with the only cost being that of the nine yuan that needed to be paid to the Ministry Affairs Bureau as a legal marriage registration fee. This new form of marriage has caught public attention in a culture where for thousands of years getting married was regarded as a family issue more than an intimate arrangement between two individuals. Married couples often suggest that “pure love” isn’t enough to guarantee a happy ending in reality.
  “裸婚”就是结婚时只花9块钱去民政局登记领证的结婚方式。在中国，几千年来婚姻都被视为两个家庭的事务而不只是小两口自己的事儿。因此“裸婚”这种全新的结婚形式自然掀起了轩然大波。很多已婚的夫妻都表示：现实生活中只有“真爱”并不能保证拥有幸福。
  “Many couples blow marriage at the final stage when it involves buying a house,” said Luo Zhiming, a marriage consultant at Beijing Hexintian Marriage Consulting Co. “Money is usually the most critical thing
to settle after a wedding,” she added. For most young Chinese who earn an average wage and live an ordinary nine-to-five life, buying a house at present isn’t realistic for them, Luo pointed out.
  “很多小两口都是结婚前的最后一步——买房子的时候吹的。”北京一家婚姻咨询所的婚姻顾问罗志明说，“通常情况下，经济问题会成为婚后最棘手的问题。”罗还表示：对大多数朝九晚五、工薪阶层的年轻人来说，一结婚就买房子是很不现实的。
  An online survey from China’s popular matchmaker’s network, Jiayuan, showed 38 percent of women voted in “support” of a naked marriage, while 77 percent of male voters were happy with it. Sociologist Wang Qianma explained the ratio differences of the gender groups were a reflection of long-preserved marriage concepts among Chinese. “Women care more about the form of a wedding, while men are more realistic.”
  世纪佳缘交友网（一家著名的婚介网站）的在线调查显示：有38%的女性和77%的男性支持裸婚。社会学家Wang Qianma认为男女两性支持裸婚的比例差异，反映出中国人由来已久的传统婚姻观念：女性更注重婚姻的形式，而男性则更现实
实际上，中国人眼中
的“裸婚”在澳大利亚是一种十分平常的结婚方式。
What in China is considered a “naked marriage” is simply a normal marriage in Australia.
男方需要有房有车，女方才同意结婚，这种对于男方的期望值对我来说是个完全陌生的观念。
The expectation that a man should provide material goods before a woman will accept him is a completely foreign concept to me.
在澳大利亚，一对情侣在结婚时就有房有车的可能性几乎为零。
In Australia the likelihood that a couple will have a house or car as soon as they tie the knot is remote.
在澳洲，我们也存在着楼市泡沫，即房价过高。
We have something called the Australian Property Bubble, which means that real estate prices are inflated.
能在悉尼租到一个离市区较近且租金也不算高的好房子，我感到很开心。
I’d be happy to find a good place to rent in Sydney which wasn’t either hours away from civilization or which didn’t cost an arm and a leg.
对于新婚夫妇来说，在大都市拥有一处房产是种奢侈品，而非必需品。
For a married couple to own a property in a big city is a luxury, not a necessity.
最近，我参加了朋友克里斯蒂娜和约翰的婚礼，两人都是23岁的年龄。
I recently attended the wedding of my friends Christina and John, who are both 23.
二人在举行婚礼之前，一直是与很多人合租房子。
Both were sharing houses with multiple roommates up until the day of their wedding.
由于都还没有全职工作，克里斯蒂娜和约翰的婚礼十分简单。克里斯蒂娜在一家慈善商店买了婚纱，并改了一下裙衫，以便合身。
Without full-time jobs, Christina and John had a modest wedding – she bought her wedding dress from a charity shop and altered the frock to fit her.
约翰的父母为婚礼买单。婚后，克里斯蒂娜在家待业，约翰继续做兼职。
His parents helped to pay for the wedding. After the marriage Christina was unemployed and John was
still working part time.
在租到房子之前，这对新婚夫妇在约翰的父母家住了4个月。
The newlyweds moved in with John’s family for four months, before finding a place to rent.
买房目前并非他们的首要任务，在未来很长一段时间内，也不会是。而这种情况并非单单只出现在克里斯蒂娜和约翰身上。
Buying a house isn’t a priority for them right now and won’t be for a long time. Christina and John’s story is not unique.
澳大利亚是一个拥有多元文化的现代化国家，因此要归纳总结澳洲所有的婚姻状况是不现实的。
Australia is a very modern and multicultural country so it is impossible to generalize about all marriages.
不过可以说，大多数人都是想跟谁结婚，就跟谁结婚，结婚方式也完全听从自主，无须担心遭人议论。
But it’s saf
e to say that most people get married to whoever they want and however they want without worrying about being judged.
举个例子，曾被视为非传统的世俗婚礼的数量自1999年起就已赶超宗教婚礼了。
For instance, civil marriages, once considered unconventional, have overtaken religious ceremonies since 1999.
来澳大利亚统计局的数据显示，在澳大利亚，有超过50%的婚礼都是由非宗教的婚礼司仪来主持的。
In Australia, more than half of all marriages are performed by civil *celebrants (Australian Bureau of Statistics).
演员张凯丽结过几次婚对于中国人来说，“裸婚”或许是当下青年恋人们的新潮流，但对于澳洲人来说，“裸婚”似乎有史以来就一直是一种常态。
For the Chinese, a “naked marriage” may be a new trend for many young couples, but for Australians, this has been the norm since what feels like the beginning of time.