'How can there be such love in this world?' Man's 30-year devotion to girlfriend in China paralysed a month after first date wows netizens

Sceptical if true love exists? This story may change your mind.

Xu Zhili, then 29, had been dating 21-year-old Huang Cuiyun for just one month in 1992 when Huang ended up being paralysed from the waist down from a bus accident.

Instead of running the other way, Xu stayed by her side for the next 30 years, dedicating his life to care for her.

A Weibo video depicting the couple's relationship went viral after it was published on Christmas eve this year.

Xu was a carpenter when he and Huang, a migrant worker, first met in China's Hunan province in 1992. He described falling in love with her at first sight, reported South China Morning Post (SCMP).

The couple soon decided to get married, with plans made to introduce him to her family and obtain a marriage licence.

They were on the way to Huang's hometown in Hubei province when tragedy struck.

In the video interview, Xu shared that it was 3am when the bus they were travelling in plunged down a steep ravine, reported to be about 70 metres deep. When rescuers found Huang, it was already daylight, Xu described.

While Xu sustained a head injury requiring 20 stitches, the accident fractured Huang's spine, leaving her paralysed from the waist down.

Huang stayed in the hospital for six months but never revealed to her family what happened to her. After she was discharged, Xu brought her back to his home so that he could care for her.

'I would take care of her forever'

Xu shared that his parents had tried to persuade him to break off the relationship, but he did just the opposite, staying by her side for the next 30 years as her sole caregiver.

"Although we were not husband and wife in the eyes of the law, but during our relationship, I'd promised her that I would take care of her forever.

"So I fulfilled my promise."

Xu took care of her every need, from cooking and cleaning to comforting Huang whenever she was down.

According to SCMP, Xu made a living as a farmer and even chose to grow Huang's favourite vegetables instead of other more profitable crops.

"Taking care of her is my responsibility," said Xu in the video interview.

As Huang was not able to have children, the couple later adopted a baby girl.

Huang's condition gradually got worse over the years and the couple never got round to getting married officially, remaining as girlfriend and boyfriend until three years ago in 2019.

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Not wanting to burden her family, Huang had kept her condition hidden and did not contact her family after the accident.

It was not until Huang's father engaged reporters to find out what happened to his daughter that the couple were tracked down.

Following the reunion between father and daughter and with her dad's blessing, Xu and Huang finally applied for their marriage licence.

The couple's love story has touched the hearts of netizens, many of whom marvelled at Xu's dedication and unconditional love.

"How can there be such love in this world, I've been too narrow-minded," shared a commenter on Weibo.

"It's rare to see a man so determined in his love, it is really admirable," wrote another.

candicecai@asiaone.com