Two weeks ago, I attended a friend's wedding in my hometown in Hebei province. I was happy for my friend's new life but shocked by the money spent on the ceremony that the parents' generation thought necessary.

As early as 5:30 am, my friend and his family started preparing the motorcade to pick up the bride from the hotel. A well-decorated limo was followed by six Audis. At the end of the line was a brand-new white Audi Q7. My friend's father was very proud and told me "there are not many families able to arrange a motorcade like this in the city."

Maybe, for my friend's father it was a way to show off his strong social network, but I thought it was unnecessary.