‘She helped me when I had nothing’: Chinese man’s televised appeal to find his ex-girlfriend who lent him $1,400 goes viral
A married man’s emotional search for his first love – a woman who lent him money more than two decades ago – has resonated deeply across China.
As reported by South China Morning Postthe man, surnamed Li, from Huaibei in Anhui province, appeared on the Henan provincial television program at the end of October. Xiaoli helps youknown for helping ordinary people facing personal problems.
Li hoped the series could help him reunite with his former girlfriend, nicknamed Ma, who had supported him during his most difficult times.
Li and Ma met in 1991, when he was 23 and she was 25. Ma was divorced and raising a child from her previous marriage. They worked together, fell in love and were in a relationship for eight years.
Their love story ended peacefully after Li’s father was diagnosed with cancer and urged his son to return home, get married and take care of the family. Li eventually married a woman from his hometown, while Ma stayed behind.
In 2001, years after their breakup, Li was struggling to start a small business when Ma offered to help him financially. “Without any hesitation, she transferred 10,000 yuan ($1,400) to me. At that time, when people’s average income was not high, this amount of money was a lot,” Li told the media.
Shortly after, Li lost his cell phone – and with it, Ma’s contact details. Ever since, the memory of her kindness has stayed with him. “I have felt regrets in recent years. I hope to return the money to her. I also wonder how she lives now,” he said, visibly moved.
When Li visited Ma’s old neighborhood in Donggongren Town, Pingdingshan, he found that the family home had been demolished and replaced with high-rise apartments. “It made me very sad when I realized his old family home no longer existed,” he said.
Local officials told the television program that their investigations had failed to locate Ma or her relatives, suggesting the family may have moved many years ago.
Despite his wife’s full support, Li’s research has so far been unsuccessful. “I’m not jealous. If he finds this woman, just give him the money back,” his wife told reporters.
