Saturday, March 31, 2007

What a NEWS

Chinese parents are known for their willingness to do anything for the happiness of their children, and for Yang Qinji, a 68-year-old father, it meant death.
On March 27, Qinji, a teacher, killed himself by jumping into the Salisbury sea in Hong Kong, a day after he managed to help his 29-year-old daughter meet her icon, Hong Kong pop star Andy Lau. He left a posthumous letter pleading with Lau to meet his daughter one more time, reported sina.com, a leading Chinese web portal.
Yang Lijuan, the daughter, fell strongly for Lau after having a dream about him- a picture in her room bears the words "You walk close to me, and we fell in love with each other." She had quit school and turned into a full-time-die-hard fan of Andy Lau.
Over the past 12 years, she has, through various means, expressed her admiration for Lau, and attended his concerts or fan meetings whenever possible, making two trips to Hong Kong and six to Beijing.
However, the daughter's craze for Lau also caused a huge economic burden to the not-so-rich family.
In 2004, in order to raise money for her second trip to Hong Kong, Qinji sold their home, and the family has since lived in a rented house. In 2006, he even considered selling his kidney to pay for his daughter's third Hong Kong trip, causing a media outcry.
"We have no choice. We feel our hearts aching to see the child tortured. We only hope things will change after a meeting with the icon," Qinji was quoted as saying during an interview.
Lijuan finally met Lau during his birthday celebrations on March 25 and had pictures taken with him.
But the woman was still far from satisfied, which the father attributed to Lau for failing to meet her privately.
He threatened to kill himself if a private meeting with Lau was not arranged, before commiting suicide a day later.
In his 12-page posthumous letter, he blamed Lau for the family tragedy and slammed him as "selfish", pleading with him to "meet Yang Lijuan."
Lau's agency issued a statement expressing shock over Qinji's death and released three pictures of the star with Lijuan.
Despite losing her father, Lijuan still wishes for a private meeting with Lau.

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