Over 50
years ago, Liu Guojiang a 19 year-old boy, fell
in love with a 29 year-old widowed mother named
Xu Chaoqin.. 
In a twist
worthy of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, friends and
relatives criticized the relationship because of the
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 Jiangjin
County in Southern ChongQing Municipality. 
In the
beginning, life was harsh as hey had nothing, 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 repeatedly asked him, 'Are you regretful? Liu
always replied, 'As long as we are industrious, life
will improve.'
In
the second year of living in the mountain, Liu
began and continued for over 50 years, to
hand-carve the steps so that his wife could get
down the mountain easily.
Half a century
later in 2001, a group of adventurers were
exploring the forest and were surprised to find
the elderly couple and the over 6,000
hand-carved steps. Liu MingSheng, one of
their seven children said, 'My parents loved each
other so much, they have lived in seclusion for
over 50 years and never been apart a single day.
He hand carved more than 6,000 steps over the
years for my mother's convenience, although she
doesn't go down the mountain that much.'
The couple had
lived in peace for over 50 years until last
week. Liu, now 72 years, returned from his daily
farm work and collapsed. Xu sat and prayed with her
husband as he passed away in her arms. So in
love with Xu, was Liu, 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 you'll take care of me, you'll always be
with me until the day I died, now you left before me,
how am I going to live without you?'
Xu spent
days softly repeating this sentence and touching her
husband's black coffin with tears rolling down her
cheeks.
In 2006, their story became
one of the top 10 love stories from China , collected
by the Chinese Women Weekly. The local government has
decided to preserve the love ladder and the
place they lived as a museum, so this love story
can live forever.
