marriage, china and culture

[steve]

Hi everyone,
I finally have a new laptop so can now relate my story.

I met my wife online, i was writing to someone else when i got an email from this new woman (i was confused how she got my email addy). Seems that she was friends with a translator who was translating for the woman i was writing with and she passed her my info. Cheeky.
Anyway, we began corresponding and after 5 months i took the plunge and booked a flight. 3 week return which i never used the return portion.
She was as lovely to look at as her pics, and i was at ease straight away in her company. Even though the language is a barrier we coped fine and it is amazing how you can find common ground for a good laugh despite that hurdle and cultural differences.
I stayed with her at the apt, along with her 7 yr old girl from her previoyus marriage. 
20 days in and it was either go back home or plunge ahead and marry. She had made up her mind and did not want me to go.  I liked her a lot , but was not in love yet. But i did feel i could grow to love her and decided to stay and marry. It is quite scary when you have not known each other that long (as in living together) even though online we knew each other lives very well. 

Getting married in China is NOT a romantic affair, unless you do the party/ceremony thing afterwards. you go to a municipal building , fill out forms handed to you by teenage girls who are simultaeneously surfing/qqing . Have photo taken and get handed a red marriage book. Voila! Done and finished. Get back on the bus and go out for a celebratory dinner.

I made the mistake of telling my wife i wanted to go to a barber and have a proper shave done, cutthroat razor etc. She took me to a backstreet barber who also wanted to cut my hair. Ok , i agreed and indicated maybe 1cm off at the most. he mistook this for me wanting it cut to a length of 1 cm. and as i was being shaved and was lying back i could not see the mirror. Well, until too late. The good news is it only cost 9 yuan (less than a GBP). The bad news was i wanted to hide for 3 months.

more to follow....

[Arnold]

Well Steve, it could have been 1 mm and six months of hidding.

Thanks for sharing your Story with us here and your not the only one jumping into a RED BOOK on the first visit. It took me only two days to do it, after six months of writing via EMF's and E-Mail and still married and going on five years now with the most wonderful LaoPo. Hope the same comes true for you Steve and good Luck in your Future.

Ps: waiting for more to come on your Story and maybe a Photo or two wouldn't hurt either.

[Rhonald]

Steve - talk about a hair raising experience!

[David K]

I liked her a lot , but was not in love yet. But i did feel i could grow to love her and decided to stay and marry.
 more to follow....

Hey Steve,

 Kudos to you for having the balls to take a BIG risk and go for what you want....
 There will doubtless be speed bumps along the way; there are many on this
 list who are willing to share how they have faced the hazards of a committed relationship...

But you've made that first huge step.  Congratulations to you both

  "Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back....-
   Whatever you can do, or dream you can do, begin it.
   Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it. Begin it now."  (Attrib Goethe)

[Willy The Londoner]

I know it will not be problem for Steve. He married a Hunan girl and he is from UK      Mind you I thought they had all moved to Zhongshan.

Bugger me I have got my Smileys back 

Willy