When Jay asked her to go to Jiangxi for the big holiday, she decided to go－again, against her parents' objections. But her journey turned out to be a rude awakening for her.

After long hours on a train, bus and ox cart, she entered his village of birth. When she was served the big dinner for the Lunar New Year's Eve, she could no longer take it.

As her photo shows, the room is not properly lit; the chopsticks are of uneven length; the dishes look like a jumble and are served in steel basins instead of plates.

Sandy wanted to leave right then and break up with Jay. She ended up publicizing her account online, which triggered a tidal wave of feedback and national debate.

Now, I'll repeat: Nobody can guarantee the veracity of her story. We don't even know it's a "she" behind it as some suggested it could be a ploy of some organization. But part of the reason it went viral and for so long, is it has a ring of inner truth.

So many Chinese have followed it and commented on it because it is not only melodramatic but it reflects their understanding of social conflicts. It resonated with me so strongly that 10 days after I first came upon it I still have not given up on the topic.