A man in China has shocked social media by giving his wife-to-be an engagement ring made out of concrete instead of the usually used metal or stone bases. According to the South China Morning Post (SCMP), 36-year-old Yao Guoyou is the man behind the unique creation. He is an alumnus of the Tsinghua University in China and is known for his invention of a nano silicon ion material that increases the waterproofing quality and lifespan of the most widely used building material in the world. His invention was also used in the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics arena.
According to SCMP, Mr Guoyou won the Tsinghua Qihang Scholarship Gold Award in 2016 for his invention. And it was at the award ceremony that he proposed to his girlfriend, now his wife, with a cement ring he had made and sprayed with his invention. A video shared on Weibo, a Chinese social media app, showed the 36-year-old offering a cement ring to his partner.
"The ring suggests that our love will not corrode or degenerate in 100 years," he said.
However, on social media, several users criticised Mr Guoyouand and accused him of being "cheap and insincere" for presenting his girlfriend with not a fancy gold or diamond ring, but concrete. But some users also found his gesture romantic.
"The material he invented could sustain dams and bridges, and he used it to give her a lifelong promise as strong as that cement. This science romance is so much more beautiful than silver and gold rings," wrote one user. "He should have given her his patent, rather than a piece of cement. That would have shown his sincerity," jokingly said another.
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"Is the ring a proof of his success or his love for her?" asked a third user. "Why is the crystal structure of carbon worthwhile and romantic, but not the nano silicon ion?" another said, pointing out the properties of diamonds.
Notably, in 2017, Mr Guoyou founded his company Guardex, which specialises in the invention and application of cement waterproofing materials. His product has been used on the National Speed Skating Oval, also known as the Ice Ribbon, which was built for the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics.
