China X

Author: Hirokazu Iwaki
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-04-01
Features: In Dongdan, in Wangfujing, in Tiananmen Square, among the bustling crowds, I tried to greet every passerby with a "Hello." Because starting today, I am a resident of Beijing, so "Hello" is all that's needed! I deeply felt that living in Beijing during the era when trolleybuses were still in operation was truly lucky! Because undoubtedly, in a few years, I will be able to take on the title of "witness." In this way, customers unanimously called for a price reduction, wanting to turn this into a buyer's market. And the shopkeepers, with the tradition of the Shang Dynasty, refused to back down, shouting, "We've been selling you cheap all along! It's the New Year—buy something a bit more expensive this time!" Every time I see steaming buns, I think of Old Wang. Somewhere in the mainland, if there's a Beijing dialect baker constantly rubbing his red nose, suppressing sneezes, and stubbornly claiming he doesn't have a cold, that person might just be Old Wang. When we took this trip, our daughter was two years and three months old. I thought this trip probably wouldn't leave much of an impression on her, but when visiting the Nanjing Massacre Memorial Hall, I took a photo of her under the number "300,000." I believe she will understand the significance of this photo when she grows up. I look forward to that day.