Love in a holy land

Jin Fei and her boyfriend Peng Bing posed for pictures in Jerusalem after he proposed with a ring and a dress. Photo provided to Shanghai Star

Jerusalem is not often associated with romance, but for one couple, the ancient city proved a magical place to declare their commitment to each other. Zhou Wenting reports.

Unlike Paris or the Aegean Sea, people seldom associate Jerusalem with love. It is a city better known for conflicts or attacks than romance.

However, it was in this place, which Jin Fei associated with anything but romance, that her boyfriend proposed to her .

Jin and her boyfriend Peng Bing are both Christians and Peng has spent many years working for a company that helps Chinese business people invest in Israel, so the couple has a special affection for the country.

Encouraged by Peng, who had been to Israel twice and talked frequently about its charms, Jin joined a group tour and landed at midnight in Tel Aviv on Nov 3.

"When I was looking around for tour buddies in that exotic airport surrounded by foreigners, I heard a familiar voice saying, 'Darling, welcome to Israel.' I turned around and saw him walking toward me with a rose in hand. I was surprised and overjoyed," says Jin, who never expected Peng would come to the airport, although she knew he was in Israel for work.

Because she was in a group tour, they didn't meet again until the tour arrived in Jerusalem several days later and Peng joined them.

One evening, the tour group gathered in the hotel lobby after a day of sightseeing. Before Jin knew what was happening, Peng had pulled her to the middle of the crowd, dropped to one knee and said, "Marry me."

"My brain went blank and on-lookers' voices of 'Yes, yes, yes…' kept echoing in my mind. Was this the so-called proposal? Was he serious? Was I in a dream? Was he the man who would be by my side for a lifetime?” Jin says.

He took out a diamond ring and she realized it was really happening.

"My memory suddenly flashed back to a dream that I had weeks before the trip. The marvelous thing was that he proposed to me in Jerusalem in the dream, which seemed so fantastic that I never thought I'd ever experience something like it," she says.