I’ll never forget when I first saw the picture of my future wife， Zhao Nan， online. I was sitting alone， in my Guangzhou home， considering leaving China forever， when suddenly I got a message from a stranger looking to improve her English through online correspondence. I thought nothing of it， until I clicked on her photo， and all at once I was completely entranced. She was sat at a desk， at a school in north China， her adorable face framed perfectly by her shoulder length， chestnut brown hair. I knew， right then， that I had to get to know this girl， if it was the last thing I did.
　　After a few months of deep conversations （and not-so-subtle flirtations）， revealing our respective life stories， I’d already fallen madly in love， though we hadn’t even met in person yet. When she eventually came to Guangzhou， and we met face to face， I soon realized that this was， indeed， my soul mate. After a year of courtship， and two of engagement， we finally tied the knot last February.
　　There have been moments of uneasiness， of course； meeting each other’s family and friends， and learning to respect the other’s culture. But these have been， without a doubt， the happiest years of my life.
　　In this month’s first feature， In China， Mixed Marriages Can Be a Labor of Love， we see the struggles that AfricanChinese couples face， even in a modern metropolitan city like Guangzhou. In Double Happiness： Cross-Cultural Wedding Plans， two people， from two very different cultures， find common ground over a simple cup of coffee. And in My Chinese Wife： DNA Envy and the Dinner Conversation， we find out what one Chinese wife thinks are the ideal features in a foreign husband.
　　So， I guess it’s comforting to know that no matter the couple， no matter the color， no matter the culture， it seems love， against all odds， somehow finds a way. Lucky me！
　　我永远都忘不了当我在网上第一眼看到我未来妻子赵楠照片时的情景。那天我独自一人坐在我广州的家中，考虑着要永远离开中国，突然，我收到一条来自陌生人的信息，对方期待通过线上通信来提高自己的英语水平。我根本就没把这事儿放在心上，直到我点开她的照片，我立刻被迷得七荤八素。她坐在一张桌子后，在中国北方的一所学校里，她可爱的脸蛋完美地被其栗褐色的及肩秀发镶嵌着。就在那时，我知道，如果那是我能做的最后一件事，那就是我必须得去认识这个女孩。
　　经过几个月的深入交谈（和不甚掩饰的挑逗）之后，我们坦露了各自的生活故事，我已经疯狂地坠入了爱河，尽管我们甚至还没有彼此见过本尊。当她终于来到广州的时候，我们面对面地相见了，我很快便意识到她，千真万确，就是我的灵魂伴侣。经过恋爱一年、订婚两年之后，去年二月我们终于喜结连理。
　　当然，也曾有过一些不安的时刻；面见彼此的家人和朋友，并学着尊重对方的文化。但毫无疑问，这是我生命中最幸福的几年。
　　在这个月的第一篇主题文章《为你，心甘情愿》中，我们看到中非夫妻档所面临的困难，即使是在一个像广州那样的现代化大都市中也不例外。在《双喜临门：异国的完美生活》一文中，两个文化背景迥异的人，在简单的一杯咖啡过后，找到了共同点。在《我的中国妻子有点“2”》一文中，我们能发现在一位中国妻子眼中，一位外国丈夫最理想的特点是什么。
　　所以，我想这是令人欣慰的，因为我知道不论那对夫妇是谁，不论其属于哪个种族、不论其来自于哪种文化背景，尽管困难重重，但似乎爱情总能找到一条出路。我太幸运了！