YOUNG COUPLES REDEFINE MATRIMONY WITH MODERN TAKES ON LOVE, TRUST

Buying an apartment, meeting parents' expectations no longer major priorities

For 24-year-old Lu Yinggui, marrying her boyfriend of three years was as much about trust and taking an unconventional approach as it was romance.

The married couple, both former real estate employees, opted to buy a secondhand home in the suburbs of Changsha, Hunan province, with a mortgage loan.

The apartment is solely in Lu's name. "Rent was 1,400 yuan ($193) monthly; our mortgage is 2,400. For an extra 1,000 yuan, we own the walls we live in," she said.