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Thursday, August 14, 2008, 09:00
Ken Miller, aged 70, is poised to leave his sheltered accommodation in Ystalyfera and move in with 46-year-old Genxiou Lei in the city of Nanning.
He hopes to buy gold jewellery over there and sell it in the UK to make money. He could be gone for good in a fortnight, as he does not foresee any problems getting a visa.
It is the latest twist in a long saga which began after the couple, who live thousands of miles apart, fell for one another online.
"We met 18 months ago, and we've been through so much already," said Mr Miller, despite the fact they can't speak one another's language.
Initially, the plan was for restaurant worker Lei to move over here, but the Chinese authorities wouldn't issue her with a visa.
So Mr Miller is now prepared to swap the hills and streams of the Swansea Valley for a shot at marital bliss in sweltering Nanning. The couple got married over there in late 2006.
Mr Miller had few regrets about leaving the country he once served as a sailor in the Royal Navy.
"This country isn't the Utopia people think it is," he said. "I know of people who have come from Nanning to live here, and hated it. China was in a hell of a mess 20 years ago, but there are no tanks or guns on the street now."
"There are 14-lane roads in the middle of town lined with shrubs and trees which are never damaged by vandals.
"They've got shops that women over here would die for.
"We went out to a restaurant which served 30 different dishes of food. The bill for seven of us was £14, and we drank 20 litres of beer.
"I'm aiming to buy two penthouses there, which cost £30,000 each, furnish them, and buy a couple of cars."
He added: "Okay, they haven't got an NHS, but on practically every street there are doctors and dentists' which are open 14 hours a day, seven days a week.
"And yes, they eat dogs there - but we eat deer and rabbits."
Mr Miller admitted feeling bitter about his early life in the UK.
He said he was abused by his step-father and suffered health problems after being exposed to a H-bomb test blast off Christmas Island in the Pacific while serving on HMS Cavalier.
He described the millionaire lifestyle he sought abroad with a younger woman in tow as "every old man's dream".
Much depended on his gold trading plan.
"I'm buying up gold rings and necklaces in China, and selling them here," he said.
And the language barrier between the couple remained a sore point.
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