A Beijing Love Story: "We Met At Temple Bar 3 Years Ago"

Can you find love in Beijing?

When Aileeng and Marco went out to Temple Bar for a night of drinks with friends in 2017, they never imagined they'd meet someone they would date long term.

But they did - and now they've been together for 3.5 years and counting!

Aileeng and Marco share the story of how they met in Beijing, from each of their perspectives.

Where are you from and how long have you lived in China?

Aileeng: I’ve been in China since 2011, around 9 years. I’ve lived in Nanjing and Beijing.

Marco: 10 years in Beijing.

How were your dating experiences in China before meeting?

Aileeng: When I arrived in China I was in a relationship for almost 8 years with a guy from high school. When I arrived in China we split up because he cheated on me. I just embraced my China life and I didn’t really care for dating. During my whole time in China I just went on 3 dates and I didn’t feel ready to invest in a relationship.

Marco: Before dating apps were a thing back in 2010-2012, I used to go to Workers Stadium or Wudaokou to party. Most of the girls I went out with were the ones I met at those places. After that I entered a long term relationship that lasted for 3 years. When we broke up that's when I downloaded Tinder, but I never really used it.

Tell us the story of how you met in Beijing.

Aileeng: Marco and I met at Temple bar around 4 or 5 am. My friends and I had been drinking buckets, remembering our time in Nanjing, then we headed to Temple. Two of my friends (Vicky and Elle) headed to the bar to get drinks and caught the eye of 2 guys next to them. They started talking to them while I was on the dance floor. Suddenly Elle started shouting my name so I walked over to them, and that's how I’ve met Marco - thanks to Elle.

Marco: It was one of those "ok let's head to Cafe de la Poste for one drink" kind of nights that ended up at Temple at 4am. There were not many people in the bar at that time, since it was right before CNY and a lot of people had gone traveling. I entered the bar and Aileeng gave me that RBF look (she will always deny it, but it's true), and I was like "oh she is kind of cute."

Long story short, Elle comes over to the bar and we start talking. She says "I will help you hook up with any girl at this bar, just pick one." That's when I pointed to Aileeng, and Elle replied with "Well then this is your lucky night, because she is my friend." And that's how we met.

What was your first impression of each other? Was it love at first sight?

Aileeng: Well my first impression of Marco was that his beard was long! It wasn’t love at first sight, but after getting to know him I felt like he was the one definitely.

Marco:  I thought she was cray cray!

Did you imagine you would end up dating long term afterwards?

Aileeng: When we started to get to know each other, I knew he was the one, even though it was a bit hard to make Marco understand that. *Laughs.* I fell for him very fast. And when we found out that we appeared in the background of each other picturesback when we didn’t know each other, we realized it was just destiny.

Marco: Not at all, I was at a point in my life where I was pretty happy with my single life. But when you know, you know. Now we've been together 3.5 years.

Some China daters find it challenging to find a long-term partner here. Any advice for people looking to meet along-term partner here? 

Aileeng: The only thing I have to say is that first get comfortable with your life and with yourself in China, then everything will fall in the right place. It will make it easier to handle the relationship, since you will be sure of what you want and if it is worth it to invest your time in a relationship.

Marco: I guess there is special formula for it, and every case is a different case. But I would say that China can be at sometimes a really lonely place, so before getting comfortable with someone else you need to learn how to be comfortable with yourself, love yourself. I see a lot of people out there putting up with so much shit just because they are afraid of being alone.

Also China's expat communities are really international, so you probably will meet people from all kind of places and backgrounds. My tip is, be open minded because your reality might not be the same as other people you meet here.

Have a story to share about dating in China?

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