I feel like I’m riding a roller coaster every day and night, debating with myself endlessly where to go. Some things that have happened to you have been beyond acceptable. However, I still decide to stay, because it is you who is in my mind, not those vampires who have drunk up your blood.
So, who are “you”? People found you full of opportunities. Some gave you the name of shoppers’ paradise. Some described you as the hen that laid the golden eggs. Some saw you as an entrepôt; some came to seek refuge. Some regarded you as a revolutionary base, whereas some named you a city of protest. People also titled you a world city; some other called you the gourmet heaven. Some said your day had gone, while some were determined to put you back on the right track. For me, these were all empty words. I have never had a say in defining what you mean to me. I suppose that we can only get to know you when we contemplate who we are and how we invest in you with our vitality.
[Full text and Chinese version of this piece can be viewed on my Medium.]
This text was originally published in The Brooklyn Rail — Critics Page, March 2022