A love story for the ages

After 70 years apart, childhood friends Xu Guizhen and Cao Zhenwei have been reunited and got married at the sprightly age of 94, He Qi reports in Shanghai.

Xu Guizhen and Cao Zhenwei were both born in 1926 and have known each other since they were 16 years old. After nearly 70 years apart, they have finally reunited and, at the age of 94, registered for marriage. Their experiences together, including accounts of their life in a nursing home, have gone viral, touching countless people online.

Xu and Cao's fathers were very close friends and, together, operated a photo studio in Weihai, Shandong province. In 1937, during the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression (1931-45), they moved to Shanghai.

Xu met Cao at the photo studio in Shanghai. Xu's father liked Cao very much and hoped that he would marry his daughter, but since Cao was already engaged, they ended up living separate lives and having their own families.

Cao worked at the photo studio with Xu's younger brother. Cao says Xu moved back to Shanghai after she got married, but not long afterward, they parted for the last time, as she ended up moving several times.

In 2019, Cao, 93, met Xu's younger brother at a reunion and asked him about his sister. Encouraged by his brother, Cao called Xu and they were finally reunited.

"When I received the phone call, I knew it was him as soon as I heard his voice. I planned to meet him at the subway, but I was worried that I wouldn't recognize him, because I hadn't seen him for years," Xu recalls.

"But he was very smart. He went to the neighborhood committee first and asked them to call me. When I walked out, I saw him," Xu says, adding that they reminisced about the past and had dinner together. After that, they kept in touch by phone.

Very soon after, the couple decided to spend the rest of their lives together and registered for marriage in 2020.

"Although we hadn't seen each other for nearly 70 years, we still felt very familiar with each other. We are all lonely and want to find a partner. This is fate, which is unexpected," says Cao.

After getting married in September 2020, they moved into Fortune Care Shanghai Kangtai Nursing Home, where they share a room of 30 square meters. According to Xu, the nursing home arranged wedding decorations for the couple to welcome them.

Xu notes that her daughter was worried about her living alone, so she decided to move into a nursing home. After Xu told Cao that she was moving, he decided to go with her.

With the help of the Civil Affairs Bureau and the neighborhood committee, they got a marriage certificate very quickly.

"The nursing home also sent out wedding candies for us. It is our home now and we also don't want to bother our children. We can take care of each other here," she adds.

Their life in the nursing home is very fulfilling. They get up at 6 am and have breakfast before watching TV or doing tai chi at 8 am. After that, they exercise for their joints and fingers, or sing songs for an hour before lunch, and then have a rest. After the activity in the afternoon, they have dinner at 4:30 pm and get ready for bed.

"We get along very well. After living here for more than two years, we have got used to it and adapted to the environment. When the weather is good, we go downstairs to do tai chi or take a walk, and we watch TV. In the nursing home, we are like one big family," Xu says.

Cao says his wife has practiced tai chi for more than 40 years, while he has practiced it for more than 30 years.

Cao has been a photographer all his life and retired at the age of 80. He has four children, two of whom have passed away, and the other two often come to visit them at the nursing home. On the other hand, Xu worked in a textile factory for 30 years. She has four daughters and two sons. The eldest granddaughter is now in college.

"Our children are very supportive of our marriage. This is our own business, but they all think it's a good thing," Cao says.

Zhan Yu, a staff member at the nursing home, who takes care of the elderly couple, says: "I feel very moved when I see them walking hand-in-hand."

"The wife takes care of the husband more. She is responsible for more detailed things, and the old man has more external activities. He manages the medicine for his wife," Zhan adds.

"Ours is not like young people's love. We never say 'I love you', but when we are together, we take care of each other," Xu says.