Walked through London

Author: Yu Mei
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2005-01-01
Features: The editor Ai Mingqiu of Liaoning People's Publishing House is truly an outstanding editor. To say she is outstanding is not because I know how many times she has been awarded the title of labor model by her unit, nor because I know how many best-selling books she has published. Rather, it is because it took her very little time to go from not knowing me to instructing me to meticulously write books and prefaces. She originally wanted me to compile a book about campus self-cultivation guidance for college students. I was melted by her praise and enthusiasm and agreed. But just as I was struggling to find a sense of direction for the new book, she suddenly proposed another new task to me: to write a preface for the new work "Walking Through London" by her colleague, Yu Mei. To write a preface? When I heard this, my head swam, and I put on a determined expression, declaring I would rather die than comply! I hated this request! I don’t know when it started, but people began asking me to write prefaces, and I always reluctantly agreed after some hesitation. I knew this was a sign that my life was starting to go downhill. Because those who are busy writing prefaces for others are either running out of ideas themselves or are starting to be treated like porcelain dolls, occasionally placed on a stage for display, symbolizing that the Kitchen God is here, and nothing is forbidden. You become a rigid symbol, a lifeless specimen of an animal. Soon, readers will get tired of me and therefore despise me, avoid me, and not buy my books—this is unacceptable! So I really didn’t want to comply with the request to write a preface. But this willpower quickly dissolved. Because I saw Yu Mei! I saw, beside the bright smile of Ai Mingqiu, the equally bright and beautiful smile of Yu Mei. I was instantly blinded, lost my judgment, and hastily agreed. Yu Mei, the current manager of Liaoning Overseas Books Development Co., Ltd., studied in the UK for four years, from learning English to obtaining a Master of Business Administration degree. She wrote "Walking Through London" about her experiences studying and living in the UK. A beautiful and mature Chinese woman who studied in the UK for four years—how did she come? And how did she leave? What did she take with her? What did she leave behind? The gentle waves of the River Cam might be a silent poem, but did she ever row on its waters? Did she ever sing and weep there? I, a professional enthusiast who pays attention to issues, and an amateur fan hoping to emulate the demeanor of British gentlemen, am deeply interested in Yu Mei’s story. I said, "Quickly give me the book, I’ll write, I’ll write!" "Waiter, bring me a pen, I’m writing it right now on this napkin!" I admit, I long to understand how a beautiful Chinese woman struggled alone in London, how she made friends and lived in the UK, how she pursued her dreams in a foreign land, and what kind of beautiful dream she was pursuing.
A book is a good teacher, a book is a good friend, and there are precious companions in books. Making friends through books and literature can also lead to meaningful connections! A sense of anticipation arose in my heart: I long to step into Yu Mei’s heart through the records in "Walking Through London," observe her life, and become her self-proclaimed confidant, her secret admirer who celebrates her sweet and bitter life experiences. Ai Mingqiu saw me agree, and her face lit up with a relaxed and joyful smile. But I was thinking of how to praise her in the preface to thank her for giving me this wonderful task of writing a preface for Yu Mei!
### II. Philosophical Reflections on a London Romance
Opening Yu Mei’s book, my anticipation was fulfilled on the very first few pages! The beautiful Chinese lady Yu Mei had a romantic encounter in London shortly after her arrival! She met an Italian man who, on their first meeting, expressed his passion for living together with her! This was a London Underground ticket seller who, seeing her come and go in a hurry alone, wanted to enter her life and handed her his phone number while she bought a ticket. They met at the subway station. The Italian man invited Yu Mei to live with him, but she refused. The Italian man helped Yu Mei find a job in London, and she accepted. The Italian man’s reckless behavior led to their breaking up. The Italian man showed up unexpectedly when Yu Mei was leaving London. This was a captivating story of a chance encounter in a foreign land, filled with intense emotions. The story’s pace is brisk, the plot develops rapidly, and Yu Mei’s narration is simple and unadorned. What exactly happened between them in London? Yu Mei didn’t describe anything. And although I tried to see the traces of romance like finding a petal of a peach or rose in the fog and moonlight, I found none. But one sentence Yu Mei wrote about the outcome of her relationship with this once bold Italian man who had courageously pursued her but was fiercely rejected deeply moved me: "Antonio was the foreigner who helped me when I was most in need."
"Strangers in a foreign land, why must we have known each other before meeting?" Without studying abroad, you don’t know what "in need" truly means. Without studying abroad, you don’t know what "help" really is. Without studying abroad, two people from vastly different destinies would not have had the chance to meet in London, feeling the same way. As fellow outsiders in Britain, why not live together? While reading Yu Mei’s London story, I even grew impatient for her to reject this lustful Italian brother! Ah, poor Antonio, poor Italian gentleman rejected by the beautiful Chinese Yu Mei! Yu Mei returned to the embrace of her homeland, working in her warm and friendly hometown in a job she loved. But where are you now, Antonio? Still selling tickets on the London Underground, waiting for Yu Mei to appear unexpectedly?
Yu Mei’s description is simple, her emotions and reflections are simple. Yet, this simple text has sparked endless imagination. Why? Because I know the hardships of wandering overseas, the loneliness of studying abroad, and the struggles of countless Chinese women who left home to pursue education, survival, development, and happiness. In London, New York, Paris, Toronto, Washington, and at the ends of the earth, their sensitive souls and frail bodies face daily temptations, traps, and pressures! It is with this awareness that I was deeply moved by Yu Mei’s words. They plunged me back into the memories of my past struggles, made me proud of my study-abroad experience once again, and reminded me of a truth—"To see a thousand miles, climb one more story; to know the world, study in the West!"
A small story has inspired grand thoughts. Accompanying "Walking Through London," I have walked through my own years.
### III. Life Lessons from Walking Through London
In Yu Mei’s book, I also saw: Helena, the Japanese girl who helped her hide her awkwardness when she first started working; Mohamed, the Monaco boy who showed her around Gibraltar; Linda, the London elderly woman who taught her how to be laid off after working; Jim, the Greek man who persistently dated her late at night; John, the BBC big-name host he met by chance in a small restaurant; working in a hotel, an Italian restaurant, and as a part-time cook in a London Chinese restaurant; witnessing the various aspects of the Chinese world in a Chinese restaurant; with only ￡1,000 in savings, how she entered a business school with an ￡8,000 tuition fee; the nightlife of Gibraltar, the long journey across the European continent, witnessing the funeral of Princess Diana, the birthday party at her teacher’s home; sexuality, homosexuality, religion, politics, refugees learning English, pursuing an MBA, watching operas, attending ballets, visiting Canterbury Cathedral, reading in the British Library; welcoming the millennium in London and reuniting with her long-separated husband in London; missing home while abroad, feeling like a stranger upon returning home, the joy of finishing her thesis, saying goodbye to London, and returning to her homeland.
Yu Mei walked through London, Yu Mei carved her beautiful youth into the city of London, Yu Mei transformed from a confused and frightened foreigner with no fixed address into a charming part of London’s scenery, a bright backdrop in the campus, a trendsetter in cross-cultural exchange, and the master of her own destiny in the era of globalization!
Like me, friends who have studied abroad will be reminded of the profound experiences of life abroad through Yu Mei’s story; readers who have not yet studied abroad, like countless others who long to go, will follow Yu Mei, a trusted guide, on a wonderful journey of experience and emotion. Studying abroad brings novelty, surprise, and grandeur. Studying abroad also brings hardship, humiliation, and oppression.
See how Yu Mei navigated the emotional valleys of life and overcame the spiritual cliffs of loneliness in her homeland. Amidst the hustle and bustle of the world, what remains clear is the Chinese woman Yu Mei’s determination to pursue her life goals, her perseverance in bridging cultural gaps, her pursuit of the future, her yearning for success, her longing for her homeland, and her loyalty to her family.
Time passes. What shines is the life scroll written by the faraway traveler Yu Mei, her global awareness, her open and inclusive mindset, and her free spirit.
Years fly by, youth is fleeting. But the modern human with an open heart remains young, and the liberated world citizen remains beautiful.
In London for four years, Yu Mei despised hardship, smiled in the face of poverty, walked from winter to autumn, from the land to the "West," from not speaking English to entering the of a British MBA, from a remote corner of Northeast China to the global stage of commerce.
Watching Yu Mei "walk through London," I see the thorns in her path; watching Yu Mei "walk through London," I see the flowers blooming on her return journey!
### IV. A Personal Symphony in the Symphony of History
At this point, I really want to treat the editor Ai Mingqiu who introduced me to Yu Mei to dinner! Otherwise, how would I have had the chance to read this book and experience all these emotions? I must declare that Yu Mei’s book does not uncover any archaeological discoveries or provide a travel guide for tourism. It is simply a sincere account of her life studying in the UK. Even while reading, I often wished I could turn the page to see more of Yu Mei’s finer experiences in London and her more complex emotional descriptions. However, for a memoir of studying abroad, Yu Mei has fulfilled her task.
Chinese people are increasingly stepping into the world. More and more students will follow in the footsteps of Yu Mei, visiting the Tower of London and the Arc de Triomphe, walking through London, Paris, Toronto, and Washington. As one by one go abroad and return to their homeland in batches, China, this ancient land that once believed itself to be the center of the world and still places itself at the center of official world maps, will eventually gradually integrate into the global family, becoming a friendly neighbor, a kind giant, and a prosperous member.
Study abroad changes the student. When the student returns, they change China.
"Walking Through London" weaves this transformation into its simple language. Yu Mei’s study-abroad experience may not be extraordinary, but once written down, it joins the historical tide of contemporary Chinese people stepping out of the country and into the world. It becomes a graceful scroll in the personal struggle history of contemporary Chinese women.
Countless personal struggles like "Walking Through London" come together to form the fate symphony of contemporary Chinese people striving together for a common dream in this rapidly spinning world.
I hope Yu Mei’s "Walking Through London" will be loved by readers. Because after reading "Walking Through London," you will have walked through the beautiful years of a Chinese woman.
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A beautiful Chinese lady Yu Mei had a romantic encounter in London shortly after her arrival! She met an Italian man who, on their first meeting, expressed his passion for living together with her! A beautiful Chinese woman, how did she struggle alone in London, how did she make friends and live in the UK, how did she pursue her dreams in a foreign land, and what kind of beautiful dream was she pursuing?
Literature is a dream that many have had. Some wake up early, while others live in dreams forever. The author of "Walking Through London" was originally a Chinese literature major, then a petite, quiet girl. Girls who study Chinese literature all have dreams, but it is unclear what kind of dreams they might have. However, from her life in London and her experience of studying for an MBA in the UK, it is clear that she was awake then; she could not have dreamed of literature because life was too real. All romance and imagination seemed out of place in the face of reality. She had to find housing time and time again, ask for jobs, work tirelessly to earn enough tuition, and endure the torment of loneliness to understand and reflect on foreign culture and life abroad. When she walked through London for four years, returned to her homeland, family, friends, and colleagues, and returned to an old house where she grew up, she felt the reality and warmth of life like never before. She could once again be that petite, quiet girl, and she had returned to her dreams.
London, I have been there. There are many bridges over the River Thames. The one closest to Westminster Abbey is the oldest, while the newly built Waterloo Bridge is said to have won many votes for the ruling party. Then there is the famous Bridge of Spite from the movie "The Blue Bridge." The Waterloobridge, Tower Bridge, and countless other bridges have left a deep impression on me. Naturally, Big Ben, 10 Downing Street, Greenwich Observatory, and the university cities of Oxford and Cambridge are must-see sights. They reveal the weight of history, the bustle of the city, the prosperity brought to this great metropolis by industrial civilization, and the cultural refinement, traditions, and elegant gentlemanly demeanor of Shakespeare’s homeland that remain unchanged to this day.
But I must admit, I did not see the real life of London. The true essence of London may not lie in these world-famous landmarks, nor in the solemn and imposing stone buildings or the faces of gentlemen in suits and canes. It lies in the subway, in the cafes, in the Chinatowns, in the quiet neighborhoods after midnight, and under the dim lights.
The author of "Walking Through London" saw it, felt it, experienced it, and lived it. She wrote about the feelings of a foreigner who lived at the grassroots of London: hardship, oppression, an indelible attachment to her homeland, and a deep understanding and appreciation of the Londoners. She once asked me, "Is the title 'Walking Through London' good?" After reading the work, I truly felt it was an excellent title, because it could not be more fitting in expressing and summarizing an experience in life and the reflection on that experience. "Walking through" is grounded, weathered, tangible—the fog of London can be touched, and a polite greeting is exchanged with every British person and other foreigners, as well as with her own compatriots.
As someone who has been to London, I will never have such deep, delicate, and rich feelings.
"Walking Through London" is a book written by a self-funded female student with her life experiences. It offers a unique and meaningful perspective. The book has little to say about studying, but much about life. There are so many lives, so many touching stories, and so many vivid tales, but the author is not deliberately writing about life or telling stories. Instead, she uses the delicate and gentle gaze of a female graduate to scan every person, every event, every scene, and every experience, narrating in a simple and direct manner, without any pretense or showboating.
As a reader, I have been moved many times. Because of my familiarity with the author, my feelings may be stronger than my concern for her. But the hardships of life in London, the struggles of the Chinese people living there—whether smugglers, students, famous Chinese doctors, or highly educated university professors over half a century old—all evoke contemplation and concern. The author describes these life details with a light touch, authentically portraying the hardships of living abroad.
The hardship in "Walking Through London" is not conceptual; it is specific and real. She also writes about joy, the civilization of London, the convenience of life in London, and the friendships between people. She touches on the inherent dignity of Chinese people, even weaving in subtle yearning and lingering for London. But throughout the book, it is filled with the hardships of a foreign student seeking knowledge. Chewing on this experience, savoring its impression, and elevating its quality.
What moves me even more is the sincerity and kindness that flow through the text—a concern for the fate of her homeland and compatriots, understanding and tolerance for foreign friends, comfort and relief for herself, and patience and resignation toward life. Reading "Walking Through London," you will constantly feel the magnanimity and gentleness of a frail woman.
"Walking Through London" not only reflects the author’s life experience and inner journey but also reveals some universally meaningful content. Therefore, the work is both personal and social.
I am thinking that the content of "Walking Through London" is meaningful for those who have stopped in London, even if only for a brief visit—it will give them a more comprehensive and profound understanding. It is meaningful for those who want to study, work, or find their way in London—it will prepare them for a more realistic life and psychological readiness after having various beautiful aspirations. It is meaningful for everyone with family in London—it will make all relatives realize that behind the letters and gifts they receive, the words and descriptions they hear, and the bright faces they see, there are hidden too many hardships and struggles unknown to them. It is meaningful for those who truly want to understand the life in London, cultural differences, customs, religious beliefs, ways of survival, and philosophies—it will show you the specific processes and details.
For many concerned, London may be a distant land, but you can read "Walking Through London," and it will give you a more authentic understanding of London than any other book.
As I conclude this preface, which is itself a preface, I want to make a sincere declaration. Because "Walking Through London" is sincere. From university to government, ten years have passed. With the passage of time, I have deeply felt that I am transforming into a person who knows nothing. Because I have read too few books. I have awakened from the dream of literature and find it hard to fall back asleep. But when I read "Walking Through London" in one sitting, I truly felt a sense of relief in finding my way back. I believe this is not just out of concern for the author and her life in London.
The author writes about visiting Cambridge: Walking along the quiet paths, I imagined Xu Zhimo’s farewell from Cambridge. He must have walked back and forth along this path, reluctant to leave, and composed the poem "Goodbye to the River Cam." I have been to Cambridge, but what I felt was not the poetic charm of walking back and forth along the path, but a touch of sorrowful loss and wistfulness. The poet is a poet—he turned his loss and wistfulness into a quiet lingering. I wrote a poem after passing by Cambridge, and I am willing to share it with the readers and the author of this book, as a reminder that I still have dreams:
The quiet Cam embraces the fresh breeze of early spring, waiting for the arrival of a Chinese poet.
I must gently tell you—Cambridge, he won’t come. He leaves behind only a poem as a permanent tribute for later generations. I came to Cambridge, I entered your gentle and caring embrace, and in the greenery’s comfort, I quietly said, "Cambridge, hello!"
Zhang Zhentian, Shenyang, August 2004