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Chinese Love Story


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My dad emailed this one to me. There are pics too, but I don't know how to post them...they are in an email attachment. Maybe I'll upload them to photobucket so you guys can see them.

 

An incredible love story has come out of China recently and

managed to touch the world. It is a story of a man and an

older woman who ran off to live and love each other in peace

for over half a century.

 

Over 50 years ago, Liu, a 19 year-old boy, fell in love with a

29 year-old widowed mother named Xu. At that time, it was

unacceptable and immoral for a young man to love an older

woman. To avoid the market gossip, the couple decided to

elope and lived in a cave in Jiangjin County in Southern

ChongQing area.

 

In the beginning, they had nothing, no electricity or even

food. They had to eat grass and roots they found in the

mountain, and Liu made a kerosene lamp that they used

to light up their lives. In the second year of living in the

mountain, Liu began and continued for over 50 years, to

hand-carve the steps so that his wife could get down the

mountain easily.

 

Half a century later in 2001, a group of adventurers were

exploring the forest and were surprised to find the elderly

couple and the over 6,000 hand-carved steps.

Liu MingSheng, one of their seven children said, 'My parents

loved each other so much, they have lived in seclusion for over

50 years and never been apart a single day. He hand carved

more than 6,000 steps over the years for my mother's convenience,

although she doesn't go down the mountain that much.'

 

The couple had lived in peace for over 50 years until last week.

Liu, now 72 years, returned from his daily farm work and collapsed.

Xu sat and prayed with her husband as he passed away in her

arms. So in love with Xu, was Liu, that no one was able to release

the grip he had on his wife's hand even after he had passed away.

 

In 2006, their story became one of the top 10 love stories from

China, collected by the Chinese Women Weekly. The local government

has decided to preserve the love ladder and the place they lived as

a museum, so this love story can live forever.

Edited by xiaofeizhu (see edit history)
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Yes I have read this story! It was very touching indeed!

 

There was something on CCTV9 about 10 days ago, IIRC. Very Touching Story !

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My dad emailed this one to me. There are pics too, but I don't know how to post them...they are in an email attachment. Maybe I'll upload them to photobucket so you guys can see them.

 

What an incredible story. Thanks for sharing!

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Ok, I uploaded the pics, 'cause I'm a sap and I want everyone to see their beaming faces. They are so in love!

 

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y79/_happie_/shithead%20dont%20delete/one.jpg

 

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y79/_happie_/shithead%20dont%20delete/one1.jpg

 

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y79/_happie_/shithead%20dont%20delete/one2.jpg

 

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y79/_happie_/shithead%20dont%20delete/one3.jpg

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We also saw this story and another one with a couple in which the man was blind and much younger, I'm thinking they were like 30 and 60. They also had to live apart from others as there is considerable opposition in China to marriages between people of such dissimilar ages. I think many of us dummies who married much younger women thought that this was common in China but it just ain't so. Historically the age difference has been quite small, about 1 to 4 years. Any mixing of the generations is NOT something the average Chinese is happy to see... :angry: Although I think for a foreigner they cut us some slack... :unsure: Because of course all foreigners are FILTHY RICH... :rolleyes:

Edited by rogerluli (see edit history)
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We also saw this story and another one with a couple in which the man was blind and much younger, I'm thinking they were like 30 and 60. They also had to live apart from others as there is considerable opposition in China to marriages between people of such dissimilar ages. I think many of us dummies who married much younger women thought that this was common in China but it just ain't so. Historically the age difference has been quite small, about 1 to 4 years. Any mixing of the generations is NOT something the average Chinese is happy to see... :angry: Although I think for a foreigner they cut us some slack... :P Because of course all foreigners are FILTHY RICH... :D

 

It is OK for the husband to be old. Even a 30 year gap is no big deal.

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We also saw this story and another one with a couple in which the man was blind and much younger, I'm thinking they were like 30 and 60. They also had to live apart from others as there is considerable opposition in China to marriages between people of such dissimilar ages. I think many of us dummies who married much younger women thought that this was common in China but it just ain't so. Historically the age difference has been quite small, about 1 to 4 years. Any mixing of the generations is NOT something the average Chinese is happy to see... :angry: Although I think for a foreigner they cut us some slack... :P Because of course all foreigners are FILTHY RICH... :D

 

It is OK for the husband to be old. Even a 30 year gap is no big deal.

 

Here's an analysis which came up with a 3.3 year difference...

 

http://faculty.washington.edu/stevehar/ageatmarriage.html

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We also saw this story and another one with a couple in which the man was blind and much younger, I'm thinking they were like 30 and 60. They also had to live apart from others as there is considerable opposition in China to marriages between people of such dissimilar ages. I think many of us dummies who married much younger women thought that this was common in China but it just ain't so. Historically the age difference has been quite small, about 1 to 4 years. Any mixing of the generations is NOT something the average Chinese is happy to see... B) Although I think for a foreigner they cut us some slack... :rolleyes: Because of course all foreigners are FILTHY RICH... :offtopic:

 

It is OK for the husband to be old. Even a 30 year gap is no big deal.

 

Here's an analysis which came up with a 3.3 year difference...

 

http://faculty.washington.edu/stevehar/ageatmarriage.html

 

My historical reference for this is from the outstanding book about life in China..."Daily Life in China on the Eve of the Mongol Invasion 1250-1276" by Jacques Gernet...

 

"The wife was usually several years younger than her husband.(The census registers of the T'ang period found at Tun-huang show that the wife was generally two to three years younger than her husband). She was NEVER very much younger than he, because custom frowned upon anything that might imply a CONFUSION OF GENERATIONS."

 

From my experience this attitude is still prevalent in China...

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my wife lives in gz and she was telling me just last week about seeing an article in the local paper that said a difference of 15 years or more is what makes the happiest marriages

 

no idea what kind of research, if any, was behind that pronouncement

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my wife lives in gz and she was telling me just last week about seeing an article in the local paper that said a difference of 15 years or more is what makes the happiest marriages

 

no idea what kind of research, if any, was behind that pronouncement

 

I would agree completely Jim... :offtopic: It works for us... :rolleyes: B)

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