Exclusive Interviews with Alumni || Qu Dingxiang and Zheng Zexiu--“ Love Never Ends”
Qu Dingxiang and Zheng Zexiu are 1984 Alumni of the Department of Agricultural Economics of Hubei Institute of Finance and Economics (now Zhongnan University of Economics and Law). The former now works in the Chongqing Municipal Bureau of Finance and the latter now works in the Taxation Bureau of Yubei, Chongqing, China. When they graduated in 1988, they went to Chongqing to work together so they won’ t be separated from each other.
Fated to meet again
Both coming from Honghu, Hubei Province, Qu and Zheng were classmates in middle and high school. In 1984, Zheng was admitted to the Department of Agricultural Economics instead of his first choice, Department of Chinese of Hubei Institute of Finance and Economics because of his failure in Chinese in the College Entrance Examination. Thus, they happened to meet again in the university.
Being bosom friends and lovers with common academic interests
Qu Dingxiang was nicknamed “Fuzi” (an ancient form of address to a teacher by his disciples) when he was in college with his love for academic research and aspiration to be an economist. He devoted all himself to the class and loved to discuss with the teacher. He spent most of his spare time in the library on reading and never felt bored. At that time, he was a little known wit in the Department of Agricultural Economics. Different from quiet and staid Qu Dingxiang, Zheng Zexiu was more outgoing and lively with a wide range of hobbies in college, especially in traveling and socializing. Despite their different personalities, they were kindred spirits and admired each other. They often made an appointment in the library, campus salons or lectures. Into the Future series are their favorite while western economics, philosophy, Hegel were their daily topics. As they spent four years together in the university, they got to know each other better and were more certain that they were the right one for each other.
A good relationship makes both of you better people. Shortly after graduation, Qu published an article in Economic Research Journal, a leading national journal. Besides, both of them took on important responsibilities in their respective work units and realized their original dreams. In their words, “we will never tarnish the brand of our alma mater.”
Reminiscence of their ups and downs
After graduation from the university, they chose to work in Chongqing. With no relatives there at the beginning, they could only rely on their senior schoolmates and alumni association in Chongqing from where they received a lot of help, so they later offered much help to the younger schoolmates as well. There were often phone calls from alumni who had just come to Chongqing for help. Although they had never met before, the couple tried their best to help out without asking for a reward.
When asked about the secrets of enduring happiness, they said, “The most important is to be like-minded, communicate with each other timely and trust each other.” With similar values, you share the same goal and dream so you won’t be separated by the storm. With regular communication, you can support each other timely. And trust is the foundation of the above all. Over the past 30 years, they have run their small family well and helped others a lot together. Qu and Zheng proudly said, “We are the witnesses and the participants of the Western Development!” Chongqing’s economy and society have undergone earth-shaking changes, but their love has always been the same.
Their experiences tell us to be inclusive, to trust and to strive. Love is a lasting driver of progress.