Love in the Campus
Ten years ago Mary and I spent a year at Southwestern China Teacher’s University near Chongqing in Sichuan Province. We had three classes of senior English Majors among our other responsibilities.
Wang Li , a very pretty, ambitious 21 – 22 year old, was in my class. The class was assigned to write a paper using as many descriptive adjectives as they could. The following uncorrected paper is a copy of her work.
She knows of my copy and that I might someday use it as an illustration of what one can do in another language so different from their own. For her protection, Wang Li is not her real name. On the campus, we never saw any signs of affection for the opposite sex. We did see members of the same sex holding hands or with their arms around each other’s shoulder. Her story follows: - Love in the Campus
A girl and a boy blessed with beauty, youth and hope are walking along the sweet path of love. To them the world could not be more lovely. Roses lining the path are smelling the sweetness of love. Birds swirling above their heads are singing in harmony with the throbbing of their hearts. The sun smiling in the broad heaven burns their boiling blood. They are almost drunken to death in this fascinating world! NO MARRIAGE FOR COLLEGE STUDENTS!
Suddenly they see the black board ahead. The roses wither to a heap of lifeless bush. The birds escape to their nests. The sun hides behind a cloud. The only sound in this destroyed world is the weeping of their shattered hearts.
“No Marriage for the College Students.” This discipline is made by the National Education Department. Anyone who dares violate it will be expelled from campus, and those who have sexual activity during fours of college life will also receive the same punishment without mercy.
The reason for this discipline is that the primary reason for a college student should be learning knowledge and preparing oneself to the cause of the nation. This sounds great but not convincing, in my opinion.
The financial reason is much more decisive. In China only big cities have college campuses, and the students in the campus are from various places. It’s much easier for the authorities to stuff six girls or six boys in a small room. If marriage were permitted, the whole campus would be out of control. Six rooms would be prepared for six couples while there are only two small rooms for six girls and six boys respectively. The government has no such vast amount of money to settle them. In addition, many students‘ work is allotted by the government. It is much simpler to send the unmarried girls and boys to different places while the assignment of couples would cause a lot of disturbance. The government has its own difficulties.
But for those youthful souls, this discipline sounds cruel and inhuman. Most of the college students are between 18 and 24 years old, the right age for loving and being loved. The beautiful campus is a warm bed for the flourishing of their love. Indeed, in the cinema, in the dancing party, at the bottom of the hill near the boarding houses, girls and boys in love can be found all around. Overtly, the campus seems to be a paradise for these youth, but once they taste the forbidden fruit, they will be expelled from it. Under such flourishing surface, there are cries, lamenting and weeping of these young people. .
Some students even dare not fall into love. They are afraid of the distress and suffering of separation which is warned as they enter into the college gate. They think it’s foolish to love someone that will not belong to them eventually. But in their youthful hearts, they want to love and want to be loved. After a four years battle between reason and emotion, they become tired and distorted.
Sensible ones who can handle the balanced emotions are few. Extreme ones are a lot. Many suffer a love without safety and depart. And again some can’t control the desire in their bodies and violate the discipline and then are expelled from campus. In this semester in our university ten students have been expelled, let alone those lucky ones who have not been caught by the administration.
There are a few lovers who are finally united. But the way to the altar is zigzag. As all of the students are from different counties and towns, after graduation most of them should return to their hometown. But most of the couples are from different places and unavoidably they will be separated. Only a few excellent students can choose the places they want to go. And every year these lucky ones have the right to go together with their sweethearts. And there are places which belong to poor or frontier provinces which need volunteers to build them. Those who want to be together earnestly will appeal to the government and be satisfied. But that takes a great amount of courage. Many lovers prefer good places to true love.
For those idealistic lovers, distance cannot separate them. In China, it is very difficult for a person to change his work, let alone to migrate to another town. But moving love stories do happen. Many lovers struggle for more than ten years for their beautiful dreams of living together.
People always think that the college students are living in a paradise, but in my opinion, we are living in a pastoral hell. Ask any student, he will no doubt tell you many tragic stories. Weak ones cannot pass the ordeal. Some commit suicide or become mad. More are crying and lamenting. The psycho distorting is not visible, but incurable.
Papers are complaining that most of the students have no ideals. Most of the students are skeptical and cynical. Is it only because they are lacking in political education? Remember, students are also human. They have natural desires. But they are punished. How can they appear hopeful and optimistic if there is a violent battle in their hearts?
“What is love? It’s nonsense.” Many students utter it with disgust. “There isn’t any love in the world. I don’t believe in anything.” “Shut your mouth, I’m tired of love, you tell me something new.” “Well, love is OK. I don’t want to be alone. Let’s love and make fun.”
Conversations like this can be heard everywhere in the campus. As a graduate, I have experienced the suffering of many students. I have come to believe-in-nothing from a believe-in-all. I’m more mature, but I’m still missing the naivete in my heart. I only hope time will smooth the incurable scar.
“Wang Li” has a Master’s Degree in English and she is probably teaching in High School or College.
– Percy