Pretensions received this heart-warming story from a friend this morning - very nice to have as a string of P's colleagues have been hospitalised over the last few days due to sudden medical emergencies. It was all getting very depressing, so this lovely story was the perfect antidote.

50 years ago, then 20-year old youth Liu Guojiang fell in love with widow Xu Chaoqing, who was almost a decade older than her beau. The relationship was roundly criticised for all the reasons that we've heard before (older woman, younger man, children from previous relationship). In order to escape the constant criticism, the couple ran away to live in a cave in Jiangjin country in Southwest China. They had no running water, no electricity, not much in the way of food and a rocky scramble down a mountain to get to anything like civilization.

In order to make life easier for his wife, Liu initiated a massive project in the second year of their marriage:hand-carving a 6000-stair rock pathway down the mountain. This stairway took 50 years to complete.

Their son, Liu Mingsheng, called it a "ladder of love". "My parents have lived in seclusion for more than 50 years because of their love for each other. They had no electricity and my father made kerosene lamps to lighten our lives," he said.

Sadly, Liu Guojiang passed away in 2007, but he was so in love with Xu even in his last moments that noone could release his grip on her hand for some time after he had passed on.

The chinese government has now decided to preserve the ladder and their cave as a testament to their love.

The video below is in chinese.