Thousands travel to Yunnan after orphan groom invites internet to his wedding

A wedding in rural Yunnan has captured the hearts of millions across China, after a young man with no close family turned to the internet for companionship on his most important day. 

The groom, 24-year-old Xu Chenghong, known online as Xiao Xiao Xu, grew up with profound hardship. He lost his father at the age of three, and his mother later remarried, leaving Xu and his elder brother with little family support. Working long hours in package-sorting warehouses and sofa-making workshops, Xu saved 167,500 yuan to marry his bride, Luo Chui, but feared their ceremony would feel painfully empty.

On October 25, Xu posted an open invitation on Douyin (highly popular social media platform in China), asking strangers to join them on October 31 so the wedding would not pass in silence. What followed was a surge of kindness that transformed the small village in Zhaotong, Yunnan Province. Thousands of people travelled from across China, bringing food, candles, sweets, and decorations. Volunteer chefs cooked for free, and well-wishers arranged a full convoy of wedding cars, including a Maybach offered by one generous guest.

Despite Xu’s request not to bring gifts, attendees arrived with appliances, a whole pig, and even a 6.6-meter wedding cake. The turnout grew so large that local authorities had to redirect traffic and relocate the banquet to a public plaza to safely accommodate the crowd.

What began as a plea for company became a celebration of extraordinary communal warmth, a reminder that, even where family is absent, strangers can rise to fill the space with wholehearted grace. This story also embeds how swiftly social media can rally strangers around a single human story.