The Internet has evolved in China with an unprecedented depth and width, bringing about significant changes to life, for example, to render it easy to conduct conversations through the Internet. Chat through the Internet thus has become a fashionable thing in this e-epoch by further narrowing the distance between people accessible to the net where the trend rises. Consequently, online chat and even love has turned out to be a new life trend for bunches of young net surfers.

College campus, where should be permeated with prevailing romance, has seen this scene rampaging, a result of continuous expansion of the Internet. Lots of college students are zealous for online chat with friends in their spare time and some of them have an experience of online love.

Xiaolan with a normal university once 'met' a 30-year-old company vice-president on the Internet and they soon fell in love after congenial talks. When asked why she chose the pattern to seek her love via the Internet, she said there're too many regrets for love in this austere reality, which demands a kind of need. But things are different since spiritual exchanges and comfort are represented and sought as a true reflection of fantasy on the Internet and emotion resulted will be tainted with more directness and purity than in reality.

Xiaoliang, another college student from Sichuan-based United University, told that nearly all his classmates are making online conversations and many of them have the experience of online love. "It has become a new landscape, where you will be considered out of date if no love is attained when still logging on the net."

Dimly and Distantly Conceived

Is love on the net as beautiful as we have imagined? Before we get down to the conclusion, let us see a report by China News Service on March 21. Wu Hongming, a 19-year-old student with Beijing Normal University, went alone to mountain city Chongqing to 'date' with his online favorite but overwhelmed with sorrow he nearly committed suicide after falling through in his love dream.

Wu, a university freshman, happened to encounter 'Little Rain', nicknamed for another freshman of Southwestern Normal University and 'clashed out sparks of love'. The two expressed their willingness to meet each other and on March 10, Wu boarded the train bound for the Mountain City, with only 500 yuan on him. However, the strong Wu on the net appeared emaciated and 'refined' before Little Rain and she gave him a flat 'No!'

A special term has been crowned with similar cases -- 'over after disclosure'. When they step out of the virtual net world and find noticeable deviation existed on him or her in reality, they can hardly accept the truth.

In this world over-shadowed by light of truth and fault, we even can not make sure the counterpart is he or she, old or young. The Internet has lost its authenticity while clearing off obstacles. Everyone has his fanciful dreams for love and love via the net is only a pattern. Virtual as it is with spiritual exchanges left, love on the net disguises its real appearance under the mask of romance and is prone to engender tragedies.

"Net Is Only a Tool, Love is the Essence"

People are divided in view of online love. Regardless of all the outer makeup of love, most college students hold that it is normal in this society overwhelmed by the net. Xiaowen, a college student from a normal university, believes that emotion by itself is intangible, not only on the net but also in reality. There is no substantial difference with love in real life, so the result depends on participants. In other words, net is only a tool, and love is the essence.

The other school represented by experts and parents of students consider that online love is visionary and full of chaos and by itself seemingly a bubble doomed from the very beginning for ignoring the real environment. What upsets them more is that lots of money and time will be wasted, with spiritual hurt probably incurred on these college students.

So far no consensus has been reached, but it gives not much difficulty to find net love is not as simple and terrible as we have imagined. The most important and urgent thing is how to guide it onto the healthy track instead of a 'life sentence to it' at the first sight since by doing so gives no sense or rationality. Students on campus lack understanding of the society and life experience and often overlook the importance of facts in real life when pursuing beautiful dreams as depicted in Flying Dance, which can probably be interpreted for petite success of net love.

(People's Daily 05/14/2001)