海上同婚 An LGBT Wedding in Utopia

As Shanghai’s neon lights gradually faded from view, the 800 passengers on the Glory Sea felt a weight lift. Their four-day cruise would be an escape on the open seas from a world where being who they are is often difficult. The Glory Sea had been chartered by a Chinese group that tries to facilitate conversation between LGBTQ people and their family members. In addition to discussions, meals, and parties, the cruise would give couples a chance to have a wedding, far from Chinese soil, where gay marriage is not legally recognized. On the open water between Shanghai and Sasebo, Japan, the organizers hoped, the travelers would feel free to be themselves.
On the second night of the Glory Sea’s voyage, nine couples dressed in traditional Chinese wedding garb and exchanged vows with their families’ blessings. Couples included in the ceremony—who were chosen in an online community vote—wanted to have their weddings in public and had to have at least one family member willing to attend.
Photographer Yuyang Liu documented the wedding. He followed one couple, Chen Zhichao and Yang Jieli, particularly closely and photographed Chen’s mother, Mrs. Zheng, as her attitude to her child’s identity and marriage rapidly evolved.
When the Glory Sea dropped anchor at the port in Shanghai, many passengers were despondent as they walked down the gangway toward land, returning to a world where, for the most part, their appeals for recognition and acceptance have yet to be met.