Love, This Matter: The Expression of Love, To Be Continued

1. Simple, Yet Profound

When I decided to make “love” the theme for February, I realised I had set myself quite a challenge.

Compared to other emotions, love has countless forms. Its expressions vary in infinite ways, making it difficult to define in just a few words. But since I had chosen to write about it, I was willing to explore and attempt to decode what love truly is.

Throughout this month, I have examined love from different angles—music, food, festivals, human connections, and even love that transcends cultures and geography. These stories may not be grand or dramatic, but they quietly touch the heart and bring warmth to everyday life.

2. The Melody of Love: How Music Connects Hearts

Music is perhaps the most powerful universal language.

I once shared the story of how my husband and I connected. At first, I thought he was just a savvy businessman until he introduced me to the song Nine Million Bicycles in Beijing. In that moment, I realised he was not a superficial man but someone who conveyed emotions through music.

This song not only became our love anthem but also made me reflect on how music plays a profound role in love. It connects two hearts and breathes life into shared memories.

From proposal songs to wedding marches, from nostalgic melodies that bring back youthful memories to spontaneous humming shared between partners on a quiet night, music has always been the carrier of emotions in our love stories.

3. The Taste of Love: Warmth in Food

If music is the melody of love, then food is its warmth.

In my memories, love is often hidden in a bowl of warm soup or a piece of home-baked cake. When I was a child, my mother always prepared my favourite dishes on special occasions. She was not one for many words, but she expressed her deepest love through the meals she cooked.

When I ran a café in Guangzhou, I also experienced how food creates connections. Our regulars didn’t just come for coffee; they stayed because of the familiar taste of home. Once we introduced food to the menu, people lingered longer, drawn not just by caffeine but by the comfort and warmth of a well-prepared meal.

Sometimes, love does not need words—it is found in the aroma of a dish, in the act of sharing a meal, and in the warmth that lingers long after the last bite.

4. Love and Reunion: Emotions in Festivals

February is not only marked by Valentine’s Day but also by another special festival—the Lantern Festival. This festival represents reunion and, in ancient times, was also a rare opportunity for young men and women to meet and fall in love.

When I was a child, my mother and I would travel back to my grandfather’s village for the New Year celebrations. On the night of the Lantern Festival, our whole family would gather in the kitchen to make glutinous rice balls (tangyuan). In those days, there was no internet, no television—just a family working together, chatting and laughing, while preparing food. When a bowl of steaming hot tangyuan was served, the sweetness wasn’t just from the dessert but from the love that filled the room.

Even after so many years, every Lantern Festival, I think back to that warm night, to my mother kneading the dough under the dim yellow light, and to the simple, contented love of my childhood.

5. Love in Action: The Unspoken Bond Between People

At our café, love was often expressed through small, unspoken gestures.

Regular customers formed a silent understanding with us. They were not just patrons but felt like family. When the café was busy, they would welcome new guests, introduce them to our special brews and signature dishes, and even help clear tables. Some stayed until closing time, satisfied and happy to have contributed in their own way.

These small acts made me realise that love is not limited to romantic relationships; it is also present in the care and kindness exchanged between people.

6. The Peak of Love: A Traveller’s Story

In 2007, a Frenchman named Frank set off on a bicycle journey around the world. He departed from Paris, aiming to arrive in Beijing in time for the 2008 Olympics. He carried no mobile phone, only a camera, which he later lost in India. Whenever he arrived in a new place, his first priority was to find an internet café or a coffee shop to send updates to his family.

He worked odd jobs along the way in exchange for food and sometimes slept on the streets or under bridges. His journey was full of hardships, yet he remained steadfast in his pursuit.

In April 2008, he pushed his bicycle through the streets of Guangzhou and stopped outside our café. After hearing his story, my husband and I immediately prepared food and drinks for him and arranged a temporary place for him to stay with a neighbour. His bicycle was in poor condition due to months on the road, so we introduced him to a local repair shop, where it was fixed.

Frank ended up staying in Guangzhou longer than anywhere else, as he needed to travel to Hong Kong for a visa extension. During this time, he often spent his days in our café, using our computer to connect with his loved ones. One day, he told us, “After eight months away from home, Guangzhou has given me a sense of security and warmth—I’ve received so much love here.”

My husband admired Frank’s adventurous spirit, confessing that he himself would never have the courage to cycle around the world alone. But what I saw in Frank’s journey was another dimension of love—one that is not just shared among close relationships but can also be passed between strangers.

Frank eventually continued his journey, but we remained friends on Facebook and still keep in touch.

7. Love, To Be Continued

What is love? Love is found in music that resonates, in food that nourishes, in festivals that bring people together, and in the silent kindness between strangers.

Some say love is about selfless giving, but love is also about flow—it moves, it circulates, and it exists in the details of everyday life. As long as we open our hearts, we will find love everywhere.

In The Four Loves, C.S. Lewis wrote, “True love is not about expecting something in return, but about giving freely and naturally.”

Perhaps we spend our whole lives searching for the true essence of love. But when we learn to love, to give, and to feel, we have already found the answer.

Love, this matter—To Be Continued.

-To Be Continued EP017-