A 47-year-old Chinese woman is so happy to have found true love that she hasn’t taken off her wedding dress for the past ten years. You might think that’s crazy, but wait till you hear everything she’s been through. At age 18, Xiang Junfeng was kidnapped from her hometown and sold to an elderly man. She was forced to marry him and lived for 15 years in captivity before she found the courage to run away.
A native of Jimo, in China’s Shandong Province, Xiang was sold to a man in the neighboring city of Linyi. He ended up using her as a slave, putting her to work in the fields. After several years of living in captivity, she managed to escape by running to Liujiazhuang village where a local woman helped her. Eventually, the woman turned out to be Xiang’s savior in more than one way. She introduced Xiang to her own brother, Zhu Zhengliang, and the couple tied the knot in 2004. This event made poor Xiang so happy that she’s refused to wear anything but her wedding attire ever since.
Although she got married with just the one dress, Xiang later had three more made – one for each season. “I bought one and made the other three,” she said. “I had only ever known a violent and abusive man and I avoided men until I met my new partner who brought me truly out of my shell and treated me so differently. I couldn’t believe it when he asked me to marry him.”
“My wedding day was the happiest day of my life and I never wanted it to end, and that was when I decided I wanted to not only keep wearing my wedding dress, but actually got four other wedding dresses as well.” Ever since the wedding, Xiang’s husband has been helping to rehabilitate her to everyday life. “We felt comfortable with each other, so we have been together since then. I am very happy now, as my husband is very good for me.”
The locals have regarded Xiang’s behavior to be strange, especially when she comes to work in the fields wearing a large, white gown. They even have a name for her – ‘sister wedding gowns’. But she isn’t the least bit bothered about what the locals think. “I don’t even have any other clothes,” she said. “I don’t care what people say about me. My wedding dresses are part of my life and I will continue to wear them regardless.” Xiang also said that it doesn’t disturb her husband because he knows how happy it makes her.
It has been a while since I came across a tale as heartwarming as Xiang’s. She seems so sincerely happy that it just fills your heart with joy. Her only regret is that she isn’t able to officially register the marriage because she doesn’t have the paperwork from her previous marriage. But the local police station is considering making an exception in this case and helping the lovely couple get registered. That’s what I call a modern-day fairy tale!
