Chinese husband, American wife hold rural wedding

Rebecca Kanthor and Liu Jian walk along a empty street after their traditional Chinese wedding in Dong'an at the central province of Henan, February 9, 2011. [Photo/Agencies] 

A local vendor watches a traditional Chinese wedding in Dong'an at the central province of Henan, February 9, 2011. Rebecca Kanthor moved from New York State to China eight years ago, where she met Liu Jian, a young musician from the central Chinese province of Henan. After several years together they decided to get married in a traditional rural wedding. In the ceremony, the groom arrives on a horse while his bride is carried around the town by four men, announcing the marriage. Liu is the first person from Dong'an to marry a foreigner. Beyond headlines about climate change and trade relations, Rebecca and Liu's union is symbolic of the growing cultural integration between China and the United States. Since the 1972 visit to China by U.S. President Richard Nixon, the two countries have developed what is arguably the most important relationship among major powers with huge economic implications. Now, three decades in, the United States and China have settled into what some describe as a "mature marriage," bound together by mutual interests and mutual respect. [Photo/Agencies]