A Walk thru the City

Here are a few pictures of some of the things I saw on a brief walk thru the city today. I saw several cars decked out with flowers announcing a new marriage. There were numerous women walking around with umbrellas to shield their delicate complexions. I came across a teenage girl teaching a teenage boy some hip-hop dance moves. Usually, you can find someone selling pineapple on a stick at just about any intersection. Also, on most sidewalks, you will find public sanitation workers doing their part to keep it clean.
Outside of restaurants, you often see the 服务员 (fúwùyuán or service personnel) preparing the food for the evening. Today, I saw a young man tenderizing and breading meat using a marble pestle. The owners of one restaurant sat down to have a meal before the dinner rush. Notice, their young daughter is with them. This is a sight that we often see here, children at their parents’ place of business. This is not confined to restaurants either. No matter what kind of store you happen upon, if it is owned by the parents, then usually the children are there. If the prep work is done, sometimes you will find the服务员playing a game to pass time. Sometimes they will play badminton, Chinese chess, or jump rope. Today, it was cards. Then there was this shop owner, hard at work cross-stitching a picture to frame and sell.
No matter how long I have been here, it is still interesting to see how people get around. Notice the picture of the little boy sitting on the back of his father’s bike as they ride through traffic. This is an everyday occurrence. They were riding in front of the two mopeds being followed by the Buick down the bicycle lane. Then there is the guy on his tricycle, he was probably between delivery jobs.
On a short walk thru the city, you can see so much. The everyday sights can be mundane, or they can be full of wonder. When I have the opportunity to just wander around and watch people, I often try to think of those I meet, not as Chinese people, but just as people. They want to spend time with their children. They are being married and given in marriage. They enjoy games and dancing. They have to work to do, some as owners, some as workers. They care about how they look. All of these things can be said about people anywhere on the planet. So, on a short walk thru the city, I am reminded of something that my parents taught me long ago: people are people no matter where they come from or the color of their skin. – Frank 付伟国