Barnaul woman weds Chinese man, gains large family
Ekaterina initially helped Yuitin with his documents, which eventually led to their marriage.
23-year-old Ekaterina and 27-year-old Yan Yuitin have been married for about two years. During this time, the girl has become much better at speaking Chinese, and the young man learned to cook for her. In an interview with NGS22.RU, the couple shared why they fell in love with each other and how they built their relationship despite their relatives« opinions.
“We texted day and night”
Ekaterina and Yuitin met at Altai State University in 2022. It all started when she helped her future husband with paperwork.
— When foreign students come here, they need to gather a bunch of different papers, and Yuitin asked if someone could help him with all that. His Russian wasn«t very good at the time, and he was afraid he might do something wrong, — the girl recalls.
After all the document matters were settled, Yuitin invited Ekaterina to a cafe — as per Chinese tradition to thank for help. However, the young people«s communication didn»t stop there. They continued to text on social media and spend time together.
Yuitin and Ekaterina rapidly developed a close bond through shared interests and activities.
— He took me to Chinese restaurants, introduced me to Chinese food, because I had never eaten it before. We went for walks, he came to my neighborhood. For Chinese, it«s not typical to go for walks; for them, it»s more “let«s go somewhere to a cafe, eat,” but we Russians love to walk ten kilometers. We also played computer games together, it»s our common love, — shared the Barnaul resident.
According to Ekaterina, Yuitin courted her for about two months before proposing to date. As the girl admits, she was won over by the guy«s gallantry and politeness.
— Russians usually hug when meeting. Chinese don«t do that, but he knew this tradition, so when we went to the cafe, he hugged me, but kind of with outstretched arms. That amazed me at the time. He gave gifts and paid a lot of attention to me, we texted day and night almost every day. It was clear that we were getting closer, even though cultures are different, — she noted.
By the way, the couple communicates in three languages: Russian, Chinese, and English.
— We communicate in a mix. We want to understand each other thoroughly and convey emotions clearly. It«s hard to express with one language, so we try to find workarounds, — explained the city dweller.
After two months of Yuitin«s attentive courtship, the pair began an official relationship.
Yuitin, in turn, was attracted by the beauty and kindness of his future wife. Moreover, the girl constantly smiled contrary to stereotypes about gloomy Russians.
— As soon as I arrived in Russia, I thought everyone here was so cold, but the longer I stayed, I understood that it«s not so. But Ekaterina was the only one who smiled from ear to ear as soon as I arrived, — he said.
The young man himself moved to Barnaul because this city is relatively close to China. At Altai State University, he enrolled in the “Russian Language in a Multicultural Space” program, where he also studied Russian culture and history. Now Yuitin, like Ekaterina, is studying for a master«s degree.
He gave his future mother-in-law a multicooker
The young people«s relationship developed rapidly, and after six months, Yuitin proposed to Ekaterina, to which she agreed.
— The decision to marry was mutual. But after submitting the application, he still proposed to me. It was on New Year«s Eve. We just went out to watch fireworks. And at that moment, when fireworks were set off, he went down on one knee and asked me to become his wife, — she said.
The girl introduced the guy to her mom, and she accepted the young man well.
Before that, Ekaterina introduced the young man to her mother. She was happy that her daughter had a boyfriend with whom she was so interested that she was constantly texting with him.
— I invited him home about two months after we met. It was Easter. Mom accepted him kindly. We dyed eggs and made Easter cakes together, took photos, ate. Everything went very well, warmly, — recalls the Barnaul resident.
At the same time, as the girl emphasizes, her mother never held it against her that her fiancé was of a different nationality.
— In this regard, I had no restrictions, well, fiancé is fiancé, what difference does it make who, the main thing is that the person is good, — emphasized Ekaterina.
Yuitin, by the way, as Ekaterina tells, treated her relatives, especially her future mother-in-law, with special care.
Yuitin«s relatives were initially against the union, but later accepted their son»s choice.
— In China, care for relatives is on a special level, they are all very close with uncles, sisters, brothers, cousins, etc. I liked that we could go somewhere to a restaurant and he could invite my mom with us. Somehow he heard that she wanted a multicooker, and gave her such a gift. Such attentive attitude also won me over, although we hadn«t decided to marry yet, we were just dating, — noted the city dweller.
Yuitin«s parents, in turn, were wary of their son»s decision to marry a Russian girl. However, the guy emphasized that if Ekaterina didn«t become his wife, he would never marry again.
— At first, my parents were against the marriage, because Chinese are very traditional and by custom, a Chinese should marry a Chinese woman. Moreover, they asked if we were sure about our decision, if we weren«t rushing. But I said that I love her very much, and started telling them what a wonderful girl she is, — stated the young man.
After that, as the guy recalls, the parents agreed. The first meeting of Ekaterina with her new relatives happened over the phone — there was no opportunity to go to China due to coronavirus. However, already in 2023, after the marriage registration in Russia, the newlyweds went to China in the summer to have another wedding — according to local traditions.
The couple held two weddings: one in Russia and another in China.
Right at the station, they were met with a banner: “Welcome to the family.” Moreover, they were constantly invited to restaurants, and also given many flowers to the girl.
— I told them that in Russia, it«s not customary to give two flowers, but they misunderstood me and gave me first one bouquet, then another, — recalls Ekaterina.
Three dresses and hundreds of guests
The Chinese wedding of the couple, according to Ekaterina, was very different from the one they had in Russia. If in Barnaul, only the closest friends and relatives were present at the celebration — about 27 people in total, including the bride and groom, then in China, about 600 guests were invited to the party.
— There were some distant relatives, neighbors, and even people who weren«t invited, — bloggers who became interested. In the end, we didn»t have enough seats for everyone to sit, — told the girl.
The husband«s family rented three dresses for Ekaterina at once: a traditional Chinese-style one with lots of decorations and very heavy, a European one, à la princess — so fluffy that the girl had to kick it to walk, and a simple cocktail dress — for the restaurant.
For their Chinese wedding, Ekaterina wore three distinct outfits throughout the event.
— The family understood that we have an international marriage, so they tried to observe both Chinese and Russian traditions. At the beginning of the celebration, I was in a red dress, and in his ancestral home, we performed various traditional customs. We had to bow to the parents several times as a sign of respect and gratitude that they raised such a wonderful son, — explained the Barnaul resident.
Then the celebration moved to the restaurant, where Ekaterina changed into a white dress. There, according to the girl, there was a cultural program with a host, as in Russia.
— And then there was just a feast. I was already in the third dress, and we went and drank with each of the 60 tables. We had water, because drinking alcohol in such quantity was impossible. We clinked glasses with everyone, accepted wishes, and thanked for coming, — she added.
Ekaterina noted that she is very happy that she has so many new relatives.
— I am very happy. I always dreamed of a big family, and here I have it. I was immediately added to the family chat, where there are more than 20 people. We have a small language barrier, because they communicate in dialect, but it doesn«t hinder much, as my husband always helps me, — admitted the heroine.
Since then, the married couple goes to China almost every summer to relax and visit relatives.
He learned to cook for Ekaterina
The permanent residence of the couple is Barnaul. According to the girl, they decided to move in together 2.5 years ago. At that time, it was the first such experience for each of them.
— We both didn«t know how to cook or clean much then. First, we tried to do everything together, but it was hard because our schedules didn»t match, so somewhere I could do more, somewhere he. We distributed that he handles cooking, and I handle cleaning. Moreover, finances are mostly on him. I am a tutor of English and Chinese languages, and my husband runs a business in China, — told the city dweller.
The wedding ceremony blended elements from both Chinese and Western cultural practices.
For Ekaterina, Yuitin learned to cook from scratch, although he had never done it before.
— When we started living together, I cooked not very well, he didn«t know how, but we really wanted to eat. And he decided to learn. He still doesn»t really like it, but now he cooks very tasty, — noted the girl.
As for Russian food, the guy really liked shashlik and pilaf. But generally, as Yuitin notes, Russian food has fewer spices, and he is used to more intense dishes. Ekaterina, in turn, fell madly in love with Chinese food. Everything except spicy food.
— Sweet and sour pork, beer-braised meat, Peking duck — very tasty, — added Ekaterina.
Free time the married couple spends playing computer games, walking, and sitting in restaurants, both Russian and Chinese.
Currently, the couple lives in Barnaul, but this may change in the future.
By the way, in one of the Chinese establishments, when the couple with friends was celebrating Yuitin«s birthday, a drunk young man came in and spoke negatively towards foreigners.
— This, perhaps, was the only such case all the time. Mostly people don«t pay attention to us or just might stare at Yuitin with words: “What an interesting young man”, — stated the girl.
The final place of residence, the couple hasn«t decided yet. According to them, everything depends on how things work out with work. At the same time, Yuitin really wants to stay in Russia, since he already has many Russian friends and more freedom of action, and Ekaterina, on the contrary, would like to move to China, because there are many relatives and tasty food.
