NBA star center Yao Ming married his
long-term girlfriend Ye Li in their hometown of Shanghai?on
Monday.
A minimal wedding ceremony was held in the five-star Shangri-La
Hotel in Shanghai, with only some 70 family members and relatives
in attendance, according to Zhang Chi, press representative for
Team Yao, which manages Yao's career.
In contrast, around 100 security guards were hired to patrol the
venue.
Basketball player superstar Yao Ming and
his wife, Ye Li, light a candle during a very private wedding
ceremony at the China Hall of the Pudong Shagri-La hotel yesterday.
(Shanghai Daily)
NBA star Yao Ming and his fiance Ye Li
pose in their official wedding portrait in Hangzhou, China in this
photo released August 6, 2007. Yao married Ye at a jealously
guarded private ceremony at a luxury hotel in Shanghai on Monday.
(China Daily)
Reporters from home and abroad gather at
the wedding ceremony of China's basketball sensation Yao Ming and
his long-time girlfriend Ye Li at a hotel in Shanghai August 6,
2007. [sina]
Friends and relatives of China's
basketball sensation Yao Ming and his long-time girlfriend Ye Li
attend their wedding at a hotel in Shanghai August 6, 2007.
[sina]
Attendees undergo tight secuity check
during the wedding ceremony of China's basketball sensation Yao
Ming and his long-time girlfriend Ye Li at a hotel in Shanghai
August 6, 2007. [sina]
Photographers take pictures during the
wedding ceremony of China's basketball sensation Yao Ming and his
long-time girlfriend Ye Li at a hotel in Shanghai August 6, 2007.
[sina]
Two visitors pose for a photo in front of
the wax figure of Yao Ming in a tuxedo which made debut at Madam
Tussauds' Wax Museum on Nanjing Road, east China's Shanghai
Municipality on August 6, 2007.?[newsphoto]
The wax figure of Yao Ming in a tuxedo
stands at the entrance of Madam Tussauds' Wax Museum on Nanjing
Road, east China's Shanghai Municipality on August 6,
2007.?[newsphoto]
Journalists from home and abroad began staking out the hall
early yesterday. They spotted Ye, 25, who plays for the women's
national basketball team, arriving with her parents around 11 AM.
Yao, 26, finally appeared at 5:45 PM wearing a white shirt and
black trousers.
He gave journalists wedding candy, and a pink bear toy holding a
large round chocolate, but declined all interviews.
Yao and his bride were accompanied on the red carpet by
groomsman Shen Wei, a former teammate of Yao, and a bridesmaid who
is a cousin of Ye, according to witnesses. The ceremony, which
lasted three hours, included an exchange of rings, an offering of
tea and flowers to their parents to express gratitude, and sharing
of a wedding cake, according to Zhang.
The wedding banquet featured nine tables holding eight guests
each. The food on each table was valued at about 12,300 yuan
(US$1,580). The dishes were all Chinese cuisine cooked by the
hotel's chefs, according to a wedding participant.
A Shangri-La staff member told Oriental Online earlier
that Yao's guests would dine on "the best" dishes, but details of
the wedding banquet menu were not disclosed. Last year, Yao joined
a campaign to promote wildlife protection and pledged to give up
eating shark's fin soup.
A white curtain in front of the wedding hall was decorated with
a heart-shaped placard that had two "Y"s printed in the middle.
Lilies were widely used for decoration, because the flower
traditionally symbolizes "life-long happiness and perfect harmony"
in China.
Yao's wedding plans were hotly discussed on the Internet.
According to a vote organized by the Yahoo.com.cn, about 80 percent
of the more than 900 voters agreed that Yao should have a low-key
wedding rather than a luxurious one, as it was "more in accord with
his personality."
Yao and Ye received their official marriage certificate in
Shanghai's Xuhui District on Friday.
On July 31, the couple was spotted near Taihu Lake in Lin'an,
east China's Zhejiang Province, taking wedding photos.
According to Yao' autobiography, Yao: A Life in Two
Worlds, he met Ye in 1999, when he was playing for the Shanghai
Sharks. Their romance went public when the two were seen walking
hand-in-hand at the 2004 Olympics in Athens.
Yao will fly to Beijing Tuesday to attend celebrations for the
one-year countdown to the 2008 Olympics on August 8, Zhang said.
(Xinhua News Agency, Shanghai Daily August 7,
2007)
