Is this real love? Four-page ‘love letter’ in Chinese newspaper sends web-users’ pulses racing

A four-page advert in a Beijing newspaper that appears to be a man’s apology letter to a lover has raised eyebrows among the mainland’s internet users.

“I just want you to know how important you have been and how sorry I’m still feeling … Your love can do so much others can’t,” reads the letter in Thursday’s Beijing Youth Daily. It is signed “Scott Xu, from your left wrist”.

While some web users assumed the advert was the elaborate gesture of a wealthy young man, others questioned whether it was a publicity stunt.

The advert, written in English, began with a full-page photo of a young man and lady, with the words “Life never did run smooth” on the bottom right corner.

The inside facing pages were almost blank except for the sentence: “I leave this page empty because I suddenly don’t know how to write anymore”.

Asked whether the advert had been placed by a company or an individual, a staff member from the newspaper’s advertising department said she wasn’t sure. She said the normal rate for an advert of this size was more than a million yuan (HK$1.26 million).