Chinese couple enjoys Hays honeymoon
By DAWNE LEIKER
Hays doesn't have a reputation for being a popular honeymoon destination, but for two Fort Hays State University graduates from China, the western Kansas town was at the top of the list.
It's been more than two years since Peiying "Carolina" Xing and Hewen "Rock" Chen, met for the first time in an FHSU classroom. After graduation in 2009, they returned to China and married Oct. 2, 2011. A honeymoon trip last week brought them back to Hays, where they reconnected with Hays friends and revisited local landmarks they hold dear.
"This place had a lot of good memories, so we wanted to come back and see the campus ... see the whole city," said Rock, as he and Carolina shared their story amid the historic charm of the Tea Rose Inn.
Rock and Carolina's 14-day honeymoon started in San Francisco and will include stops in Hays, Las Vegas and Hawaii. Their Hays visit, the longest stop on the itinerary, is the highlight of their trip, the couple agreed.
"They really think this is a memorable city," said Luo "Jessie" Zhai, a friend of the couple, also an FHSU graduate who works for FHSU's Women's Leadership Project.
There's a lot of reasons for Hays to linger in the couple's memories. While Rock recited his list, which included the people and the weather, Carolina interrupted.
"The squirrels," she said, laughing.
Rock agreed brown bushy-tailed squirrels, such as the ones inhabiting the FHSU campus, are not seen in China or other U.S. cities they have traveled to.
Squirrels aside, Hays residents seem to be the big draw in bringing the couple back to Hays. Visiting Bethesda Place on Sunday, Rock and Carolina were impressed with meeting Tom and Shelley Stafford, who have devoted much of their lives to working with men with disabilities.
Rock said Hays residents such as the Staffords have led him to "love people in Hays the most."
"Whenever we look around the city, we see men, women and children. ... They always have smiles on their faces," he said. "They always say 'hi' to me.
"It's not because I was originally from Hays, but people see us like natives."
Other FHSU classmates of Rock and Carolina, now in China, will get to see pictures of how the FHSU campus has changed since they returned to their home country.
"Our friends, they all miss Hays," Rock said. "For many reasons, like work, they couldn't come back. ... But they really want to come back."
Tourism highlights for Rock and Carolina aren't the typical must-see landmarks other travelers might look for.
The couple looked forward to a trip to Forsyth Library, where they spent many hours during their courtship, the Memorial Union -- with its new Starbucks -- Mall Cinema, Main Street and Walmart.
Rock and Carolina recently opened their own company, a currency collection business, in Shenyang, Liaoning Province, China. Selling rare, foreign and antique coins and currency, the couple also is branching out, selling copies of famous ancient Chinese paintings.
Rock and Carolina's Hays connection is something they hope to pass on to their future child. They took pictures of the community in hopes of sharing them in years ahead.
"We will show he or she where his father and mother met in Hays, what Hays looks like," Carolina said. "And maybe when he or she grows up, we'll come back together."