Love without Borders 

cctv.com 06-14-2005 14:46

Airplanes are the most important means of transportation for people today to get from one country to another. It follows that in the airport, and in China, especially at Beijing’s Capital Airport, every day there can be seen people of all different colors speaking all different kinds of languages. Among all these different people, it is not uncommon to see international couples, some of which are parting, others of whom have just arrived and are re-uniting. Prior to China’s opening and reform, China had very few opportunities for communication with the outside world, and if a non-Chinese person were seen with a Chinese person walking together, it would likely have attracted more than a few people’s attention. But the deeper China gets into its reform process, the more common such couples become. In fact, outside of China, most people find international marriage to be a fairly common thing, and not something that is particularly deserving of special attention. Some people have said, quite accurately, that the world is just a big family, and national borders are far from the most important distinction. Certainly love can be borderless too.

They have already been married for 12 years, and have two daughters. The oldest, Anna, is now 9; the younger daughter, now 4, is named Melanie. Irene is French, and she learned Chinese both in France and in Taiwan. One year later, in 1994, she came to Beijing where she first came across Zhou Yibing, the man who is now her husband. At first, it was just because Zhou Yibing was responsible for receiving her and showing her around, but over the course of their interactions, they fell in love. When Zhou Yibing discussed his first impression of his wife, he said there was an immediate attraction. Irene was drawn by his creativity, his sense of humor, and his patience. Still, at the beginning, they weren’t planning on getting married. Initially, they both felt that they didn’t have clear enough plans for their futures, and they hadn’t fully decided how to organize a family, or how to face the myriad of questions that having children might present. Later, when they decided that being apart just wasn’t an option, they decided on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month, China’s traditional “Valentine’s Day,” for their wedding. They chose a classic Western-style ceremony. Zhou Yibing said that when they went to the Civil Affairs Bureau to get their marriage license, the official in charge of their case gave them no well wishes, and said, instead, “People in your situation really should think more about the fact that you are going to have serious problems in the future.” But 12 years later, they would tell you, they still feel extremely happy.

Both daughters are being educated with a combination of Western and Chinese philosophies. The younger daughter is currently in a Chinese preschool where she gets along well with her Chinese classmates. There, she receives a great deal of Chinese traditional education, including abacus instruction, among other things. Both daughters are fluent in both languages, speaking French with their mother and Chinese with their father. Interestingly, when talking to each other, they speak mostly French, but with phrases here and there in Chinese. Irene says that they completely understand the different ways to behave appropriately in the two different cultures.

Yangshuo itself is famous for its beautiful scenery, but its most famous part may be “West Street,” which is actually a bar district, and is also sometimes called “foreigner street.” The reason is that many foreigners like the scenery here, and after arriving, often stay longer than they had planned. Every bar on West Street features signs in at least Chinese and English, and sometimes other languages as well. And nearly every person who works along West Street can speak at least a little bit of English. Perhaps because of this, Yangshuo is said to have the highest rate of international marriage in all of China.

The young man in this couple is an Australian man named Alf; the woman, a local named Mingfang. These two are famous along West Street as a model couple as they co-own and co-manage the popular Buffalo’s Head Bar. Because of the couple’s hard work and attention to detail, the bar’s business is booming. They are also known for their other famous cooperation, an 11-month old son named James.

When asked about the things that attracted them to one another, Alf mentioned that a big part of it was common interests. They both love traveling, and love life in general. Mingfang describes her husband as being very intelligent and having an open, friendly personality. Jokingly, Mingfang added that the only thing she dislikes about Alf is that he snores.

Because the bar usually stays open until two or three in the morning, Mingfang is usually the first to go home at night to take care of their son, and Alf stays around until closing. In the morning, Mingfang is usually the one who comes to oversee opening the bar. (80 seconds)