One of China's most eligible bachelors, basketball star Yao Ming, married his long-term girlfriend, Ye Li, at a closely guarded private ceremony at a luxury hotel in their hometown Shanghai yesterday.

The 2.26-meter Houston Rockets center and his 1.90-meter bride celebrated their wedding at a Chinese-style ceremony at thePudong Shangri-La hotel in the city's financial district.

The three-hour ceremony was attended by more than 70 family members, said a statement released on behalf of the couple. 

The wax figure of Yao Ming in a tuxedo stands at the entrance of Madam Tussauds' Wax Museum on Nanjing Road, east China's Shanghai Municipality on August 6, 2007. [newsphoto]

Dozens of security guards patrolled the hotel to keep reporters from Chinese and foreign media at bay. 

The wedding ceremony took place in the Shangri-La's China Hall from 6 PM to 8:50 PM.

Journalists from home and abroad began staking out the hall early yesterday. They spotted Ye, 25, who plays for the women's national basketball team, arriving with her parents around 11 AM.

Yao, 27, finally appeared at 5:45 PM wearing a white shirt and black trousers. Journalists received wedding candy, a pink bear toy holding a large round chocolate, from Yao, who declined interviews.

At the ceremony, Yao and his bride were accompanied on the red carpet by groomsman Shen Wei, a former teammate of Yao, and a bridesmaid who is a cousin of Ye, according to witnesses. The newlyweds wore wedding rings each giving to the other and thanked their parents for giving them life.

The wedding banquet featured nine tables holding eight guests each. The food on each table was valued at about 12,300 yuan (US$1,580). The dishes were all Chinese cuisine cooked by the hotel's chefs, according to a wedding participant.

A Shangri-La staff member told Oriental Online earlier that Yao's guests would dine on "the best" dishes.

Details of the wedding banquet menu were not disclosed, however. Last year, Yao joined a campaign to promote wildlife protection and pledged to give up eating shark's fin soup.

A white curtain in front of the wedding hall was decorated with a heart-shaped placard that had two "Y"s printed in the middle.

Lilies was widely used for decoration, as the flower means "life-long happiness and perfect harmony" to Chinese.

Yao and Ye received their marriage certificate in Shanghai's Xuhui District last Friday.

Yao's wedding plans generated hot discussions on the Internet. According to a vote organized by the Yahoo.com.cn, about 80 percent of the more than 900 voters agreed that Yao should have a low-key wedding rather than a luxurious one, as it was "more in accord with his personality."

Vavay, a participant in a forum at c114.net, said a marriage ceremony should be a private affair. "He is just a man, and why he can't enjoy a moment of tranquility, even on his own wedding?" Vavay wrote.

(Shanghai Daily China Daily August 7, 2007)