Alexander Pieter Cirk, a Dutch man, is making headlines for waiting more than ten days at an airport in China for the love of his life. Mr. Cirk, who suffered drastic weight loss, was rushed to a hospital for an unknown medical situation.
Alexander Pieter Cirk, a 41-year-old man from Holland, is currently recuperating in a hospital in the Chinese city of Changsha. The European traveled more than 5,000 miles to China to meet a 26-year-old woman named Ms. Zhang he met online.
The pair had a long distance relationship for several months, but at some point, Cirk wanted to meet his love face to face. He bought a plane ticket and arrived at where she was supposed to pick him up – but she never did.
Instead of returning home or renting a hotel, the man decided to sleep, eat, and stay at the airport for ten long days. The man became a celebrity when photos of him lounging around and wandering through Changsha Huanghua International Airport terminal soon began to circulate on Chinese social media. He was also interviewed by local media where he explained:
“Prior to my July 17 departure, I emailed the woman a picture of my flight details. I was convinced that she would eventually come for me, so I decided to stay and patiently waited for her.”
Sleep deprived, dehydrated, suffering from a broken heart, and weight loss, his condition prompted authorities to hospitalize Mr. Cirk. On Tuesday, Cirk flew back home in Holland and has declined to comment on his health or his wild story.
A spokesman for the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a brief statement that read:
“Cirk had been hospitalized from Friday 5:30 p.m. until [Monday] evening. We contacted him [Cirk] and his doctor when he was in the hospital and of course we’ve asked if he needed our assistance but he declined the offer.”
Chinese and Dutch officials declined to discuss what Cirk was treated for. The woman said that she was surprised that her online boyfriend had been waiting for her at the airport. She went on to say that while Cirk did talk about the trip, she assumed that he was joking.
Zhang also claimed that she was scheduled to have plastic surgery and therefore was not able to respond to Cirk’s messages when he arrived in China. The woman concluded by saying that she is hoping to maintain her long-distance relationship with Cirk.
