A 24-year-old man from southwest China who feared his wedding would be attended by only a handful of people has been overwhelmed by an outpouring of support after inviting strangers online to celebrate his big day.
Xu Chenghong, from Zhaotong in Yunnan province, turned to social media ahead of his wedding after worrying that too few relatives would be there to share the occasion with him.
Xu’s childhood was marked by loss. He reportedly lost his father when he was three, while his mother remarried two years later, leaving him and his elder brother to be raised by their grandmother, who also died while he was still young.
With little family support growing up, Xu took on various jobs and reportedly saved more than 160,000 yuan (RM94,000) to marry his girlfriend, Luo Chui.
However, as the wedding drew closer, he became concerned that there would not be enough relatives and friends to fill even a few banquet tables.
In a video posted on Douyin, China’s version of TikTok, Xu made an open invitation to the public, asking people to attend his wedding simply to share the special occasion with him.
His heartfelt appeal quickly went viral, triggering an extraordinary response from people across the country.
What started as an invitation to a few strangers soon attracted thousands of people, many of whom travelled to Xu’s village to join the celebrations.
Supporters arrived with gifts ranging from household appliances and food supplies to livestock and wedding essentials. Volunteer chefs offered to prepare dishes for the banquet, while others helped decorate the venue and coordinate the event.
A convoy of wedding cars was also arranged, with one well-wisher reportedly offering a luxury Maybach for the newlyweds.
The overwhelming turnout eventually forced organisers to move the celebration from its original venue to a larger public space. Local authorities also stepped in to assist with crowd management, traffic control and food-safety arrangements.
Videos of the celebration spread across Chinese social media, with many users describing the gathering as a moving display of human kindness.
For Xu, the response meant his wedding would not be defined by the family members he had lost or the empty tables he once feared.
Instead, what could have been a lonely occasion became a mass celebration of community, compassion and the generosity of strangers.
