The gaze of idle people

Author: Old Cat
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-05-01
Features: People who are always at arm's length from life, neither too close nor too far, with a sharp wit and a warm touch of aestheticism in their eyes. They casually write about the messy emotions of the city, either painful or itchy, with a light touch but not frivolous, seasoned but not cliché. Insightful, interesting, and revealing of character—this is a type of urban essay. Here is an excerpt:
When I was young, I had a good friend who wrote poems. He once wrote:
"I always thought of working as a nanny in someone else's home, just to see how they lived. But now, with digital cameras, you don’t need to be a nanny to see how others live. Maybe digital cameras will become outdated too. What else can’t be captured? This is an era of rapid technological advancement. The time when, as Mr. Lu Xun said, seeing an arm made you think of nudity has long passed, because the lens can omit clothes."