Every love story has a distinctive character...what is yours?

More than 50 years ago, a 19 year-old Liu Guo Jiang fell in love with a 29 year-old widowed mother named Xu Chao Qin. In a twist worthy of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, friends and relatives criticized the relationship because of their age difference and the fact that Xu already had children.

At that time, it was unacceptable and immoral for a young man to love an older woman. To avoid the market gossip and the scorn of their communities, the couple decided to elope and lived in a cave in Jiang Jin County in Southern Chong Qing Municipality.

In the beginning, life was harsh as they had nothing. There was 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.

Xu felt that she had tied Liu down and asked him repeatedly, ‘Did you ever regret?’. Liu always replied, ‘Life will improve as long as we are industrious.’

In the second year of living in the mountain, Liu began and continued for more than fifty years to hand-carve the steps so that his wife could get down the mountain easily. Thus the 70 year old Chinese man hand-carved more than 6,000 stairs up a mountain for his 80 year old wife.

Half a century later in 2001, a group of adventurers that were exploring the forest were surprised to find the elderly couple and the 6,000 plus hand-carved steps. One of their seven children, Liu Ming Sheng said, ‘My parents loved each other very much. They have lived in seclusion for more than 50 years and have never been apart a single day. My father hand carves the 6,000 plus steps over the years for my mother’s convenience even though she doesn’t go down the mountain that much.’

The couple lived in peace for more than 50 years until last week. Liu, who is 72 years old, collapsed after returning from his daily farm work. Xu sat and prayed for her husband as he passed away in her arms. Liu was so in love with Xu that no one was able to release the grip he had on his wife’s hand even after he had passed away.

‘You promised me that you’ll take care of me. You said that you will always be with me until the day I die. Now that you have left before me, how am I going to live without you?’ Xu spent her days repeating this sentence softly as she mourns for her husband with tears rolling down her cheeks.

Thus an incredible love story has emerged from China recently and managed to touch the world. It is the story of a man and an older woman who ran off to live and love each other in peace for over half a century.

In 2006, their story became one of the top 10 love stories in China in the Chinese Women Weekly. The local government has decided to preserve the love ladder and the place they lived as a museum so that the love story can live on forever.

They say Love can move even the mountains but this love has carved a path in the mountain painstakingly over the years for the comfort of his love. Those who are gifted with such a love are the chosen ones. When you look back, you could see similar monuments you have created in your life for your love. It may not be carved in stone for everyone to see but in formless ways.

Inspired from unknown source.