Eric's Beijing Diary

Every year there is a unit in the book for the non-English Majors called, Marriage across Nations. It's that time of the year again, so I was talking this morning with my students about the difference in culture. I gave the example of an American I had overheard complaining about having to go meet his Chinese girlfriend's family. At the time, I figured this relationship probably wasn't going to work out, and I wasn't surprised when it didn't. During our conversation, I asked one young lady what she would do if a foreigner wanted to marry her and take her to a country far away. She said, "If I really love him I will go anywhere with him." Call that dreamy-eyed, but she was absolutely serious. I don't ridicule such commitment. I applaud it. There is something noble about a young lady who is determined to marry for love. She wasn't saying what she thought someone else wanted to hear. She was speaking from the heart. Then she added. "But I will take my parents with us." Well, said. This is China.