4 posts tagged with "Life"

Lin Xiaohe carried an iPhone 6 in her pocket. Not the latest model, nor any special edition, just the kind with slightly worn edges, a screen protector replaced countless times, a battery that didn't last long, an old fellow that would occasionally "ponder life" when running. Most young people on the street held shiny new phones with multiple protruding camera lenses, click-clack, taking photos so sharp they looked like they could capture your very soul. Not Lin Xiaohe. She just used this old companion, taking photos slowly.

The street she lived on had some years to it. Flanked by tall French plane trees, it offered dense shade in summer and golden fallen leaves in autumn. At the street corner was a noodle shop that had been open for decades. The owner, surnamed Wang, always cooked perfectly chewy noodles with generous toppings. Lin Xiaohe often went there for a steaming bowl of noodles with pickled greens and shredded pork. She would take out her phone and snap a picture of the bowl of noodles. No filters, no searching for the perfect angle, just a casual shot. Photos from the old phone weren't brightly colored, perhaps even a bit grayish, veiled in a haze. But Lin Xiaohe felt this was fine, like looking at things through a thin layer of steam, possessing an indescribable gentleness.

Old Wang at the Civil Affairs Bureau's Marriage Registration Office was nearing retirement. He had sat in this palm-sized place for nearly thirty years. The red booklets and green booklets that passed through his hands, if stacked up, would probably reach half a person's height. The red booklets signified celebration, their gilt characters slightly dazzling in the sun; the green booklets were a bit duller in color, like the water of a late autumn pond – no ripples on the surface, but things were pressed underneath.

Recently, a new regulation came in, saying that for marriage or divorce, looking at the hukou booklet (household registration booklet) was no longer required.

Early morning, the sky was off.

Here in Yunnan, the sky lightens late. It was past Mao hour [approx. 5-7 AM], but still dim and grey outside the window. Old Man Zhou got up, shuffled into his slippers, thinking of going to the well in the courtyard to fetch water and wash his face. He pushed open the door and froze.

Before the sun even peeks out, the foot of Taishan is already crowded with silhouettes of people. There are shivering college students wrapped in military coats, tour guides holding small flags, and old ladies carrying baskets selling water and flatbreads. But among this crowd, the most eye-catching is Xiaoliuzi.