谢娜香格里拉完婚 当地政府埋单引争议

Shangri-La witnessed the celebrity wedding of the year on Monday. After dating for four years, Xie Na, one of China's most famous television presenters, married the up-and-coming pop star Zhang Jie in a lavish* ceremony -- with the government footing the bill.

The state administration in Yunnan Province stumped up* the 30 million yuan needed to cover the wedding costs, local media reported, prompting outrage* among those who felt the money could be better spent in the impoverished* region.

The government paid for everything from the wedding photos to the banquet, on the condition that Xie, 29, and her husband became tourism ambassadors for Shangri-La, an area in Yunnan renamed after the mythical* kingdom. Online commentators pointed out that the money lavished on the pair could build scores of new schools, or train thousands of teachers.

"This is a province where students don't have meat with their meals, but it gave 30 million to a wedding for a couple of entertainers -- the tragedy of a country, the sadness of its people," wrote one commentator on Sina Weibo.

Others, however, were suitably gushing*. "When I watched, I was so moved, especially when Xie Na thanked her husband for loving her when she needed it most," wrote one of Xie's 9.8 million followers on Sina Weibo.

The bride, who hosts some of the most popular TV shows in China, wore white for the 90-minute ceremony. "I will work very hard to be your good wife," she told her husband, 28, who is still finding his feet in the world of show biz, before the couple kissed in a nature park.

Among the celebrities attending the event were Xiao Shenyang, Li Yuchun and Wen Zhang. All the betrothal* gifts were worth an estimated 37 million yuan.

lavish 奢华的 stump up 掏腰包 outrage 愤怒 impoverished 贫困的 mythical 神话的 gushing 动感情的 betrothal 婚礼的