SHAH ALAM – A 24-year-old man in China's Yunnan Province turned to social media to invite strangers to his wedding after worrying that few relatives would attend, only to receive an overwhelming response from people eager to celebrate with him.
Xu Chenghong, known online as "Xiao Xiao Xu", is from Yiliang County in Zhaotong. He lost his father when he was three, while his mother remarried two years later, leaving him and his older brother to be raised by their grandmother.
With few relatives available to attend, Xu initially expected only a small gathering for his wedding. He decided to post an open invitation online, hoping more people would come forward to share his special day.
His appeal, posted on Douyin, China's version of TikTok, quickly gained attention and drew offers of help from people across the country.
Some offered wedding cars, while others brought food supplies, household appliances and ingredients for the banquet. Volunteer chefs also came forward to help prepare the wedding feast.
The response continued to grow, with so many people expressing interest in attending that arrangements had to be made to accommodate the larger crowd.
The wedding was held on October 31, turning what Xu had feared would be a modest gathering into a much larger celebration attended by people who had never met him before.
The story also drew emotional reactions online, with social media users expressing admiration for the kindness shown by strangers.
One user commented: "OK, why am I crying? I love this side of humanity."
Another said: "This is what social media was made for. Best wishes to the newlyweds! And thank you to those who celebrated with him."
A third user remarked: "They made it into a festival. A day he'll never forget. This is what humanity should be like. Proud of all of them that pulled up and congrats to the married couple."