萨德反导弹系统的威胁:河南小伙与美国记者妻子感谢全球网友

在纽约

在上海

结婚照

所有关注和祝福我们的朋友们：

你们好，首先向你们的关注和祝福表示诚挚的感谢。

2011年2月8日，在经过了六年的磨合之后，我和美国姑娘康瑞结婚了。

我们第一次见面，是2005年7月，在杭州灵隐的“31号音乐酒吧”。起因是我唱了一首自己写的歌曲，名字叫《奶奶》，这让远在异国它乡的康瑞想起了她的外婆。演出结束，康瑞告诉我，说她喜欢这首歌曲，差点儿哭了。那时康瑞是浙江一家英文杂志的编辑，她最大的梦想是当一个出色的记者。为了这个梦想，她来到中国。那时我是刚出了一本书的作家和流浪歌手。我最大的梦想是在30岁之前写好三本书和一张唱片。为了这个梦想，我放弃了衣食无忧的军官生活，背着吉他和笔记本电脑，踏上了艰难的奋斗之旅。

这些年，康瑞一步一步地实现了她的梦想。2007年，她去了CBS（美国哥伦比亚广播公司）驻北京办事处，报道北京奥运会。2009年，她去了美联社上海分社，报道上海世博会。康瑞是一个非常勤奋、非常敬业的记者。在奥运和世博这两件让国人自豪的事件中，她尽了自己最大的力量，向世界展示了中国的精彩。这些年，我也一步一步地实现了我的梦想。2007年，我的第一本小说《战士》翻译成了英文。2008年，我出版了第二本小说《退伍兵》。同年，我写好了第三本小说《流浪歌手的回忆》（上下两部，尚未出版）。这是两本书，也是两张唱片。我把歌曲内容延伸，写成了故事，唱片会与《流浪歌手的回忆》一起出版发行。

忠于梦想是要付出代价的。由于担心朝九晚五的生活影响创作，30岁之前我一直没有稳定工作，靠打零工维持生计。给广告公司写剧本、在路边帮人发传单、卖电话卡、去酒吧唱歌之类，曾经我还在上海的地铁通道里唱过几个月。直到现在，我们还是租房子住，没有汽车。记得在2009年，我们的运气很不好，房东老是卖房子，我们搬了四次家。这些年来，我送给康瑞的礼物，大都是几十块钱的。我们的结婚戒指，可能是世界上最便宜的戒指，把一毛钱的硬币中间掏空，保留圆边再用砂布磨磨……面对这颠沛流离的简朴生活，康瑞从不抱怨，她总是支持我、鼓励我，说有梦想的人都要经历艰难的时光，说经过困难的爱情才是好的爱情，说只要有爱一切都会慢慢地好起来。好几次的夜里，她那坚定、热烈的爱，让我无法入睡。我看着身边熟睡的康瑞，扪心自问：我何德何能，老天赐我这样的好女人？

在实现梦想的路上，我们互相鼓励、互相帮助。客观地说，无论物质还是精神，这些年康瑞给予我的都比我还给她的多。我对她的帮助都是些琐碎之事，在她累的时候为她做些好吃的、有营养的菜。在她忙的时候替她洗洗衣服。偶尔，在她外出采访的时候帮她扛扛机器、举举话筒。在她遇到困难的时候，抱抱她，告诉她，没有没有办法。她对我的帮助实在是太多了，多得让我想笑又想哭。她知道我创作的时候不喜欢被人打扰，好几次，当我结束了一天的劳动，打开房门，门口会有皮萨饼或者啤酒。冬天练琴的时候手会很冷，她用棉袜为我改制了了一副特别的手套，既不影响弹琴，又能保暖。她曾经给世界上最著名的民谣歌手鲍勃·迪伦的经纪人打电话，说如果鲍勃·迪伦来中国演出，能不能让刘健跟他一起演？她曾经给世界上最大的出版社企鹅出版社打电话，说你们应该出版刘健的书……

我心中怀有太多对康瑞的感激。当我们决定结婚的时候，我说我想在河南老家办一个排场的婚礼，用20辆小汽车，浩浩荡荡地娶你。康瑞不同意，说太浪费了，而且不环保。康瑞问我妈妈，她是怎么结婚的，妈说那时家里条件不好，用马车结的婚。康瑞说她也想坐马车结婚，妈说马车太寒酸了，用花轿比较好，找个马让刘健骑着去娶你，咱们办个传统的中国婚礼。我们从上海回河南结婚的前两天，跟朋友们告别，路透社驻上海分社的记者朋友得知此事，说想跟我们一起回河南，帮我们拍照片。有朋友愿意帮我们拍照，我们非常开心。没想到的是，2月10号，路透社的记者朋友把我们结婚照片发给了他的总部，然后世界上很多国家的主要媒体和网站都用了他的报道。路透社反馈说，在2月11号和12号两天，我们的结婚照片是全球点击率最高的照片。很多国外网友在网上留言，祝福我们。婚礼过后第一天，《大河报》的李钊记者来到我老家，采访了我们。次日《大河报》刊登了关于我们结婚的报道，然后新浪网转载了，很多报纸和网站也开始转载。然后北京电视台采访了我们，然后国内很多网站都在首页转载了北京电视台的视频……国内也有千万网友在网上留言，为我们祝福。我们的婚事突然间被这么多人关注和祝福，实在是始料未及。其中一些网友的留言，让我们受宠若惊，说这是“爱情神话”、“感动中国”等等。这一切并没有那么神，我们只是普普通通的两口子，不把物质和爱情混在一起的爱情，在中国一定还有很多很多。

爱是这个世界上最美好的东西。我们办婚礼的初衷，是想让家人和亲戚朋友和我们一起分享我们的爱。之所以会有这么多的媒体和网友关注、祝福我们，我想这也许是在分享爱、传播爱吧。我们办这个婚礼不是为了宣传我们自己、宣传《奶奶》这首歌曲，请你们相信。我没有跟任何公司签约，也没有经纪人什么的。这一切没有任何的预谋、这一切都是突然来的。这些天来，每天都会有媒体前来采访。说真的，我们已经开始头疼。现在我的正式工作是《江南》杂志的编辑，工作中也常常约稿、组稿，每次给被约稿人打电话都是诚惶诚恐，生怕别人拒绝。所以，我特别理解媒体同行的工作，实在是狠不心来说不。

再一次地说谢谢。由于我和康瑞是因为《奶奶》这首歌曲认识的，现在每天我都会收到几十封邮件，问我能否把《奶奶》发给他们。其中一位网友的信让我鼻子发酸。他说他的奶奶刚刚去世三天，奶奶喜欢听歌，他很想给奶奶写首歌，但是不会写，希望我能把歌曲发给他，他想在奶奶的坟头唱给她听。所以的来信基本上我都回了，或长或短。2010年我曾录制过《奶奶》这首歌曲，但我不是很满意。过段时间我会重新录制，把最好的送给你们。有可能的话，我们会拍一个MTV，免费提供给国外和国内的网站与电视台，以此聊表谢意。如果你是个有才华的青年导演，对这个工作感兴趣，请与我们联系：liujian3722@yahoo.com.cn

最后，我们想说，你们的关注和祝福让我们的内心感觉到了最大的温暖和幸福。同时，我们也感到羞愧。尤其是我，身为一个作家和民谣歌手，却是因为这种方式被你们所知，对此我深感羞愧。我们会把羞愧转化成鞭策和力量，在今后的日子里更加努力地工作、创作。

刘健和康瑞

2011年3月1日

写于上海

附：

优酷视频

//v.youku.com/v_show/id_XMjQ2MTAxODYw.html

雅虎报道

http://news.cn.yahoo.com/newsview/yangmeimei/

路透社报道

http://www.reuters.com/news/pictures/slideshow?articleId=USRTXXNYU#a=2

北京电视台

http://news.qq.com/a/20110218/000001.htm

新浪视频

http://video.sina.com.cn/v/b/47130160-1575240971.html

Dear Friends:

Thanks for your attention and blessings for our marriage. After six years, Bec and I got married on February 8 of 2011.

The first time we met was in July 2005 at Hangzhou’s “#31 Bar”. I sang a song named “Grandma”, which reminded Bec of her grandma. After the show, Bec told me she was touched. Bec was working in an English magazine as an editor, and she told me that her dream was to become an excellent reporter. I was musician and an author who had just published my first book Rock Soldier. My biggest dream was to write three books and publish one album. In 2001, I dropped out of college, and carrying my guitar and a laptop, embarked on a hard struggling journey.

In these years, Bec has been following her dream, working as a journalist in Beijing during the Olympics for CBS News and in Shanghai covering the World Expo for Associated Press TV. As for me, I also realized my dream gradually. My first book “Rock Soldier” is in the process of being translated into English (to be published). In 2008, my second novel “Out of the Army” was published. In the same year, I completed my third novel “Memories of a Wandering Musician”, a 2 part-book that includes 2 CDs. In the books I present my songs and the stories behind them. Hopefully, my albums will be published together with “Memories of a Wandering Musician”.

You have to pay the price if you want to stay with your dreams. I didn’t have a stable job before 30, doing odd jobs for a living, such as writing plays for ad companies, selling phone cards, singing in bars, etc. I even sang a few months in the Shanghai subway. Up until now, we still rent an apartment, and don’t own a car. I remembered that one year, we had bad luck with landlords and had to move four times in just over a year. In these years, I haven’t given Bec any expensive gifts. Bec never complained, but always supported me and encouraged me, saying that people who have dreams will experience hard times, that love in difficult times are true love, that everything will get better. Deep in the night, I always couldn’t fall asleep, thinking about her persistent and passionate love. I looked at Bec and asked myself: what kind of virtue and ability do I have, to have such a great woman by my side?

On the road to realize dreams, we encouraged each other and helped each other. Objectively speaking, in these years, Bec has given me much more than I gave to her. My support to her is just trivial things, like cooking some delicious dishes for her, helping her wash clothes and occasionally helping her carry her equipment when she goes out for interviews and holding the mic. When she has difficulties with a story, I hug her and tell her, Nothing is impossible. The support and help she provided to me are big ones, which makes me want to smile and also want to cry. She knows that when I’m writing I don’t like to be disturbed. Many times when I’m done with a day’s work, I have opened my door to find a bottle of beer or a piece of pizza that she left for me. In the winter when I practice guitar, she made me fingerless gloves so that I could keep my hands warm. She’s called publishing houses and musicians to introduce me to them, even calling Bob Dylan’s agent to see if Liu Jian could perform with him if he came to China.

I owe Bec too much gratitude. When we decided to get married, I said I would hold a grand ceremony, with a 20 cars procession. Bec didn’t agree, and said that it was a waste of money, and not environmental-friendly. Bec asked my mother how she got married and my mom said she was poor at the time and rode in a horse cart to get married. Bec said she wanted to do that as well, but my mother said that it was out of date. She suggested we hold a traditional Chinese marriage, using the bridal sedan chair, and Liu Jian riding a horse. Before Chinese New Year, we said goodbye to our friends and got ready to go back to Henan. A friend of ours at Reuters Shanghai heard we would have a traditional wedding and wanted to go with us to take photos. We were happy that our friend would take photos for us, but what surprised us really was that the friend published the photos on Feb. 10 and many media and websites posted the photos on their websites. The feedback from Reuters said that on Feb. 11 and 12, our wedding pictures got the highest clicks ratio in the world. Many overseas friends left messages on line and gave us their blessings. The first day after our marriage, journalist Li Zhao from Da He Newspaper came to our home and interviewed us. The next day, Da He Newspaper published the news and Sina.com posted the news, and more and more newspapers and websites began to follow. Then Beijing TV station interviewed us and many major websites published the video. Many netizens also sent their congratulations and blessings. We feel flattered by their kind comments but we are just an ordinary couple, who just didn’t want to mix money with love, and we know that there are more couples and lovers like us in China.

Love is the most beautiful thing in the world. Our initial thinking to hold the ceremony is to share our love with the family and friends. Part of the reason why we got so much attention, we think, is that people want to share and spread the love. The media attention happened by chance, and we didn’t expect it. I  don't have an agent and hadn't any thought to promote myself through our wedding. These days, I’ve got phone calls everyday, asking for an interview. To be honest, we almost cannot handle all this interest. But I know from experience that it is not easy to ask someone for an interview. In my job as an editor at a literary magazine Jiangnan I often need to call others for papers and interviews. Every time I make the phone call I fear being rejected. Therefore, I can understand that the journalists are doing their job, so didn’t refuse the interviews.

I want to say thank you again. Bec and I got to know each other due the song “Grandma”, and I receive emails everyday asking for the song. One netizen’s message almost made me cry. He said his grandma had just passed away three days ago, and his grandma liked music. He really wanted to write songs for his grandma, but never did. He asked me whether I could send the recording to him, so that he could sing it at his grandma’s grave. I have replied to every message I got, short or long. I recorded “Grandma” in 2010, but I’m not yet satisfied with the result. I will record it again later on, and post you the best version. If possible, I want to do a music video, and post it for free on the internet. If you are talented and interested in helping us with this project, please contact me at liujian3722@yahoo.com.cn.

Finally, we want to say that your attention and blessing make us feel warm and happy. At the mean time, we feel embarrassed. Particularly for me, a writer and a folk singer, it is strange to got known in this way. We will take this as a motivation, and work harder in the future to pursue our dreams.

Best Regards

Liu Jian and Bec

March 1, 2011, Shanghai