Old Flame

My mom came to Tokyo with a small luagage, filled with my Chinese books (ecstatic I am). I finished reading Feng Tong's "Everything Grows". What a sharp and hullarious writing, I am so glad that I am chinese who can enjoy the sacastism and twist because I understand the language and culture heritage. Though I have read his latest work, and found that his style hasn't changed much since 5 years ago. Perhaps that's all he can do but I am still very very entertained by his work.

Feng was reciting his dog's years in medical school in Beijing. From his eyes, Beijing all of sudden become so attractive. The careless remorseless barbarousness is so appealing. Nothing can be seemed exciting as in the old Beijing, couple of hundred of years living undernearth of the emperor's feet. They have seen changing of dynasties, killing innocent civilians, invasion by other countries. Ha, quite a good read. Hard to imagine this type of metality in Tokyo, Kyoto might have got a bit of it, or perhaps it is the Kansai people metality of being careless and open?

The protagonist was the medical student who is fasinated by literatures, had a the most healthy girl friend you can imagine (it is odd that there are so many stern mind and strong head women in China). She knows exactly what she wants, how to take care of herself (and the boy friend). She is hard working as the fellow medical student. She broke up with him because, she said, "You will never love me as much as I love you". Her rational sense was singing victory but her emotional right hemisphere brain was torn into pieces. The protagonist's weak protest stood no chance of protesting the girl's strong will. They split and he brought her back everything she prepared for him. The duvet (hard to imagine but pretty pratical thinking for poor medical students studying in Beijing in the 80s), the bento box, the tea cup, etc. That's the way to cut things out.

Quite an interesting read, I burst out giggling in Shinkanshen all the time while reading it. Speaking of returning your ex-lover's stuff, I think most man would not have the sense to do as the protagonist's done. Unless their girl friend on duty forces him do to so (man are just so not having the complete set of nerves). My first love gave me a whole paper bag of letters I wrote him 2 years after we broke up. I was shocked to realise how naive and passionate I was in my 17. I reviewed each one of them sitting on a bench in a park after our last meeting. I laughed and tore the letter into pieces by hand, their final destiny can only be the dumpster, no where else.