YOU would expect a heartbroken lover to hide away from happy couples. But 21-year-old Chen Zhou, who broke up with his long-term girlfriend, is using his experience to bring lovers closer together.

“My ex-girlfriend and I were living in separate cities and our relationship couldn’t survive the distance,” said Chen, a senior student at Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics. “I found that even when I went to her college, we couldn’t find a place to go on dates.”


It was this regret that drove him to design a “dating map”, which partners can use to locate Nanjing’s romantic hotspots.
The map highlights restaurants, parks and entertainment establishments that are popular among Nanjing lovers, marking each with a heart-shaped dot. Adidas stores and KFC outlets are also marked on the map. Chen deems these as important indicators of the dating popularity of an area. “Usually, areas near Adidas stores and KFCs are youth-friendly and busy places, which young couples often go to.”

On the back of the map, Chen lists the top 50 love-friendly tourist spots as well as some of the memorable love stories which have taken place in the city. The map also provides student discount information.

“Nanjing is a great place for college lovers and has a rich cultural heritage,” said Chen, a Hunan native who majors in Electronic Information Science and Technology. Chen began his project in July. He is a fan of cartography and was inspired by urban food maps he found at newsstands.

To match the needs of students, Chen conducted a campus survey on top dating destinations. He cycled street by street to locate the spots and evaluate them.

Since the map was launched online in August, it has received a warm response from students. Chen now has a team of students to promote an upgraded version to publishers.

Some would think that Chen is a love expert, at least in Nanjing. But he insists that he won’t start a new relationship until he can take responsibility.

“Love is not a game. It is hard for college students who are in a changeable period of their lives,” said Chen. He tells the story of a friend who was forced to separate from his girlfriend because her family said he was too poor. The humiliation pushed the man to became successful. But when he had achieved wealth, he began to play at love.

“What a pity,” said Chen. “You can be rich and  spend the night in a fancy restaurant, but what really matters for a relationship is how you feel in your heart.”

Now Chen focuses on his map, which he hopes will not only add to people dating know-how, but demonstrate his attitude towards love. The map’s slogan reads: “You don’t need to visit all the spots on this map, but you must be serious with every one of your dates.” 21ST
Li Wenwen contributed to the story

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