Man proposes with 1-mln-yuan "meteorite" weighing 33 tons

Liu Hui, a 30-year-old Chinese man proposes to his girlfriend with a "meteorite" of 33 tons which cost him over a million yuan (over 140,000 US dollars) in Urumqi, capital of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, March 14, 2017. [Photo: Chinanews.com]

When the man of your dreams proposes saying that he's bought you the biggest stone ever - you sort of assume that he's talking about a diamond ring.

But 30-year-old Liu Hui from northwest China's Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region looked to the stars for inspiration to impress his girlfriend of four years, 24-year-old Wang Fangfang, China News Agency reported.

During a trip to Kashgar last year, the couple visited a local collector who possessed a huge meteorite. Liu asked his girlfriend whether she liked it or not. She said she liked it, so Liu decided to buy the meteorite as a marriage proposal gift.

After protracted negotiations with the owner, Liu finally agreed to pay a million yuan (over 140,000 US dollars) — money set aside to buy a property — for the 33-ton meteorite.

The meteorite was transported to a public square in Urumqi on Sunday evening, March 12.

Having decorated the meteorite with roses and balloons, Liu proposed to his girlfriend at 13:14 precisely on March 14.

According to Liu, the proposal gift (meteorite) together with the proposal time 1314 (a homophone of "forever" in Chinese mandarin) represent his endless love for his girlfriend.

His girlfriend Ms. Wang, was surprised but excited, and accepted the marriage proposal, saying she "had no idea that such a causal answer could have led to such an unexpected proposal like this".

The couple plan to apply for their marriage certificate in October, said Liu.

As pictures of the romantic act circulated online, some Chinese netizens suggested it was nothing more than a publicity stunt for the opening of a marketing center which can be seen in the background, and even doubting whether the "meteorite" was much more than an ordinary stone.