Liu Shiliang comes from an ordinary family of farmers in
Anhui Province. Judy is an American with a degree from Harvard University and a
former employee of UNESCO.
The spatial and cultural gap that separated these two for most of their lives
might seem insurmountable, but that did not stop them from marrying.
In July 1998, Judy, at the time a third-year university student and an intern
at UNESCO, was assigned to China to research the country's tourism resources.
After spending time in Beijing and Shanghai, her research eventually brought her
to Hefei, capital of Anhui Province.
One day, Judy stopped by a post office in Hefei to mail her research report
back to the United States. However, the many windows providing different postal
services proved confusing, and Judy was at a loss as to how to proceed. That was
when Liu, a security guard, approached and offered to help her.
As he talked with the young woman, Liu discovered that she was planning to
take a train to Huangshan Mountain, a famous tourism spot in Anhui, on the
following day. Liu told her exactly how to get to the railway station.
But his assistance did not stop there. Worried that Judy would get lost in
the strange city, Liu waited for her at her hotel and then escorted her to the railway station.
Judy was deeply touched by this display of honesty and kindness and mailed
Liu a post card from Huangshan Mountain to express her gratitude.
They kept in close contact by letter and gradually became good friends.
In the summer of 1999, Judy returned to China - this time to visit Liu. They
had such a good time in Hefei that Judy could not help but cry when the vacation
was over and she had to return to the United States. Just as her train back to
Beijing was leaving the station, Liu jumped aboard so he could accompany Judy
all the way to the airport. Judy was overwhelmed by the gesture, though it cost
Liu his job.
Judy graduated from Harvard in 2000 and came to Beijing to work for a year.
That year Liu brought Judy back to his home village. The American girl, who was
fascinated by Chinese folk culture and had studied the Chinese language for many
years, loved the experience. She helped harvest crops, cook and even learnt how
to make dumplings. Local villagers were curious about the foreign girl and
surrounded Liu's home every day just to look at her.
Judy eventually had to return to the United States to work for five years,
but the distance did not affect the couple's love.
Earlier this year, Judy returned to China and Liu decided to ask her to marry
him. Judy said yes. They plan to hold a traditional wedding on July 7, the ninth
anniversary of the date they first met.
Liu now owns a logistics company in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province. He told the
Anhui Business News that he had designed a wedding
gown for Judy that was decorated with 1,999 diamonds to express
his long-lasting love.
(China Daily 06/21/2007 page 6)
Vocabulary:
UNESCO: (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural
Organization) 联合国教科文组织
escort:护送、陪同
wedding gown:婚纱
Questions:
1. What is meant by "spatial and cultural gap"?
2. What was Liu's job when he met Judy?
3. What is his job now?
Answers:
1. A spatial gap is physical, referring to the fact that the couple lived
very far apart from each other. A cultural gap refers to the fact that they are
originally from tow different cultures.
2. He was a security guard.
3. He now owns a logistics company.
(英语点津 Linda 编辑)
About the broadcaster:
Matt Doran is an award-winning American newspaper journalist and an
undergraduate student at Albion College. He is currently a polisher for China
Daily Website and is on summer break from Beijing Foreign Studies University,
where he will resume his study of Chinese in the fall.