The differences about love between Chinese and American My friend, a native American who is learning Chinese in Beijing, has told me something about their problems when dating with Chinese girls. He said, some of his friends have dated with native Chinese girls in Beijing. But they often got scared when a girl said "I love you" only after 2 or 3 meetings. That's really too much for them. He asked me that are there any differences between Chinese and American when one use the word "love"? I thought back my childhood and I am sure my father and mother never said that word to each other. I just thought maybe the word is too fresh and fashionable to their generation. However, soon I realised that I myself never said words to my girlfriends in the past even though sometimes I use that word in letter. The word "L-O-V-E" seems to be very dramatic and when I use it in daily life, it is very weird. And personally I can use it in text messages, letters and other indirect situation, rather than saying it face to face. It make me feel like not real. Then why those women used that words in a casual way so that even American men who use "love" frequently would feel too much? The order to form a relationship in China is different from what in America. Of course in China people now are free to love and able to choose their own boyfriends or girlfriends. But still I don't think most of Chinese men and women will date with each other in the American style. I know in America, people can be very intimate in date and even have sex after several dates. Even though people are still not "in love", they are just dating. But if same things happen in China, that means you are in love and you have a boyfriend/girlfriend now. So I suppose maybe his friends had got home run in date, and Chinese girls may misunderstand the meaning. I think in China, people seldom just date. They may like someone secretly or just be friend to someone for weeks or months and declare their love in order to confirm the relationship. if success they may directly become boyfriend/girlfriend. Daters are hardly to see here. I don't know why. Maybe it is because that any close relationship between strangers are still awkward in China. Maybe sex and intimacy in body are still a little bit like taboo here and casual touch is not allowed by most of people. Btw that was my first time to know that American boys might feel too much when facing that situation, since I already know for long that a lot of Chinese girls want to marry Americans. It's interesting!