Will you be my (cyber) Valentine? Couples separated by coronavirus spend day of romance together with movie streaming, gaming dates
- The coronavirus outbreak has resulted in some Chinese couples being separated on Valentine’s Day, with lockdowns and other measures to contain the virus
- Creative ideas for long-distance romance include online karaoke sessions, sharing dinners over video calls and even flying drones to greet each other
It was after lunch on Valentine's Day, and 18-year-old Rose Liu lay alone on her bed in Beijing watching Titanic, one of her favourite movies, on her phone.
About 100 kilometres away in neighbouring Hebei province, her boyfriend was watching the same scene. They were using an app called Weiguang which allows multiple people to simultaneously watch a movie while chatting.
After the film ended, they planned to play Game for Peace , Tencent Holdings’ mobile version of the hugely popular shooting game PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds for China. They were aiming to win a virtual hot air balloon ride in the game that would feature romantic scenes of meteor showers and auroras, Liu said.
And while Weiguang allowed them to enjoy a movie together, the experience paled in comparison to a real movie date, Liu said: “The cinema has a bigger screen and better environment, and we can hold hands.”