‘Weddig’ Box
In April 2024, Diana and I got married in Yangon. Since we are from two different countries, the marriage required approval from the legal world of both sides. At the Burmese court, I had to submit a notarial certificate declaring my singlehood in China, along with my passport, national ID, and family registrations. Despite providing sufficient documents––even those fully in Chinese––we still need to bribe the judge with money and fabrics. More importantly, I was required to make an oath, saying I acknowledge myself as a Buddhist since birth, though my Chinese family registration listed me as an atheist. We also had to fill in our occupations on the marriage certificate, which I wrote myself as a “teacher”, and Diana as a “dependent”——the most harmless combination in the eyes of the law.
On the Chinese side, the embassy in Yangon required the Burmese marriage certificate along with an official English translation——though what it means to be “official” remains a myth. The translation was completed by a mixed marriage agency, which is a mature industry in Burma, usually run by the local Burmese Chinese. We signed another paper at the Chinese embassy, affirming we were mentally sound and marrying of our own free will. Then came a compulsory interview to assess if we could communicate. Another couple was being interviewed beside us——a Chinese man around 40 and a 19-year-old Burmese girl. When asked how they met, the man replied, “online.” He couldn’t speak Burmese, nor did she speak Chinese. When the officer questioned how they communicated, the man waved his hands around and said, “Just like that.” I described my marriage as unusual at the beginning of this writing, but we were just one of the everyday cases to examine in the world of immigration.
My future remains uncertain, even though I am now a husband after rounds of affirmation. I am also now a Buddhist, not through studying at a monastery, but by an untruthful oath. And I am still a socialist pioneer, a title long forgotten after primary school. However, I am assured to have become a nepantlera, “who facilitate passages between worlds…with states of mind that question old ideas and beliefs, acquire new perspectives, change worldviews, and shift from one world to another.”⁹
Burmese traditional owl couple toys, as gift to guests (Photographs by @Shijie)
My head dress
Diana’s wedding dress
9. Anzaldúa, This Bridge We Call Home, 1.