Source: Eastern Institute of Technology
4 minutes ago
When Yimeng Cao (Yee) and Han Hao (Hans) first met at EIT in 2019, neither imagined it would one day lead to a wedding.
The two international students had both been living in Qingdao, a major coastal city in China’s Shandong Province, before moving individually to Hawke’s Bay through articulation agreements between EIT and their universities. Hans studied at Binzhou Medical University in Yantai and arrived at EIT in 2017, while Yee moved a year later after studying at Qilu University of Technology in Jinan.
The pair first crossed paths in 2019 when Hans, already enrolled in the Bachelor of Viticulture and Wine Science, was asked to share his experience with new students, including Yee, who had just begun her English language preparation programme.
The two stayed in touch casually, adding each other on WeChat but continuing on separate paths. That changed during the COVID-19 pandemic.
EIT Bachelor of Viticulture and Wine Science graduates Yimeng Cao (Yee) and Han Hao (Hans) with School of Viticulture and Wine Science Programme Coordinator Cryn Russell (left) and Head of School Sue Blackmore (right).
“I returned to China at the end of 2019 for the holidays, but because of COVID-19 I couldn’t return to New Zealand for a year and a half,” said Hans
While he was stuck in China, Hans was able to continue studying his theoretical courses via distance but needed to complete the practical courses in-person when he returned to New Zealand.
This delay in Hans’ studies brought the two into the same class, and eventually into each other’s lives in a more meaningful way.
“We became classmates, we studied together, we laughed together,” Hans said.
By mid-2021, just as they started dating, Yee moved to Auckland to study a master’s degree in food engineering. Within two weeks, Hans made the decision to join her and worked at Babich Wines.
The couple married in China at the end of last year and now live there. They returned to Hawke’s Bay this year as part of their honeymoon, taking the opportunity to reconnect with old friends, visit the campus, and reflect on where their journey together began.
“EIT is the most important part of our love story. It means a lot to us, so we had to return,” Hans said. “We even went to see the vineyard and the winery again. It brought back a lot of memories.”
They now work together in Yee’s family business in the flame-retardant chemical industry, although Hans says he is still passionate about returning to the wine world in the future.
Both have fond memories of their time at EIT, not just for how it brought them together but for the learning itself.
“I wanted to study wine, and EIT gave me a great opportunity to learn and grow,” Yee said.
“The courses were very practical,” Hans said. “We worked in the winery and made real wine. We also really liked the lecturers. They supported us and made the learning feel personal. That experience helped me a lot when I later worked at a winery in China.”
Dr Cryn Russell, School of Viticulture and Wine Science Programme Coordinator, said: “I first met Yee and Hans at their respective universities in China, both were excited and nervous about travelling to New Zealand to begin studies at EIT”.
“As educators, we often speak of learning journeys and sometimes those journeys lead to something even more life changing. Watching Yee and Hans grow academically and personally, and seeing their paths intertwine at EIT, reminds us that education doesn’t just shape a career, it can shape lives.”