Plus, “it is really hard to quarrel over video,” she says, laughing. (Read more: With the coronavirus, China’s delivery drivers are now basically first responders) “Working from home for a month just makes me feel lonely, and having someone there, even without talking, is somewhat comforting.” “He is very busy, so I’ll just ask him to turn on Zoom on a workday, but we’re silent,” she says.

He works in Hangzhou in mainland China, while she is in Hong Kong, and the couple would meet up two or three times a month during weekends.īut with the recent travel restrictions, they haven’t been able to see each other. “I’ve never been more comforted and certain about the idea of marriage,” Li says.įor Yifei and her husband, the distance was manageable before the coronavirus. It made me feel really warm.”įor Li, the crisis affirmed their relationship with each other and convinced her that she had truly found her life partner. “And his family were always very supportive and cared about how my family was doing during this whole time. “I would call them every day, try to talk them out of some dark thoughts,’’ Li says. They rarely ventured outside, save for the occasional trip to the grocery store. (Read more: China’s great artists, confined to their homes, capture love and loss during the coronavirus)įor the next two months, Li spent time at home with her boyfriend and his family in Anhui. It was a challenging time, but luckily, I was not alone.” “His family drove all the way from Anhui to pick me up in Shanghai,” Li recalls, “and drove me to their home so I didn’t have to take the train and risk getting the virus. Instead, the city was placed on lockdown, with no one allowed to travel in or out. He initially planned to go to her hometown of Wuhan during Chinese New Year to ask her parents for her hand in marriage. The couple had met in the United States four years ago and returned to China for work last year.

Love under quarantine