Xu Guizhen was 16 when she met Cao Zhenwei at the photography studio their families shared in Shanghai.
It was 1937, and the war against Japan had brought them there from Weihai. Xu’s father wanted them to get married, but Cao was already engaged to another woman. So each built a life of their own: they married, had children and, over the years, were widowed without knowing anything about the other.
Nearly 70 years later, in 2019, Xu’s younger brother ran into Cao at a retirees’ gathering in Shanghai. When he learned that Xu was still alive, Cao wanted to see her again and managed to get in touch with her. When they spoke on the phone, Xu immediately recognized his voice. Shortly afterward, they reunited in person and began talking every day.
The relationship progressed quickly. In September 2020, when they were both 94, they decided to get married. Afterward, they moved in together at a senior living facility in Shanghai, where they share a room of about 30 square meters. They spend their days together there, and it is common to see them walking the facility’s corridors hand in hand.