The workers are based in the south of Tut, a district in Adıyaman, and are working on a dam being built over the Göksu River. Work on the dam is exhausting, and the area in which it is being built does not have much to offer in terms of entertainment, so the Chinese workers spend their free time in downtown Tut. The best entertainment in the district can be found at weddings, which are easy to find as there is only one wedding hall in the area.The workers don't consider wedding invitations necessary and attend nearly all the weddings in the district, taking many photos and sharing in the happiness of the couples getting married by joining in the halay, an Anatolian folk dance, and other dances.
Speaking to the Anatolia news agency, Hacı Hasan Akaslan, overjoyed by his son's marriage, said he did not invite the Chinese workers to the wedding, but they came anyway. “There is no need to invite them. There is only one wedding hall in Tut. When they find out that there will be a wedding, invited or not, they come. We try to host our Chinese guests as best we can. Social life is very limited in our district, so our weddings have become entertainment for them,” Akaslan said.
He said they communicate with the Chinese workers using hand signs as they do not speak Turkish. With so much practice, Akaslan added, the Chinese workers have developed quite an ability to perform the halay and other regional dances.
