London was dirty, crappy, old and bloody expensive, but I loved it. I loved walking through art galleries, museums and theaters, through those Victorian and Georgian houses and alleys. I loved passing by those plaques of famous people who once lived there, exploring all those antique stores and clubs, and watching people walking by. I loved the feeling of being the only Chinese person in a crowd of foreigners, and being bumped into by one or two occasionally. I loved the feeling of living in an old, shaky Victorian house, pushing the heavy door open, then stepping on the creaking wood floor and staircase, or maybe standing beneath an antique chandelier and looking out at the streets through the window and curtains.Though many non-Chinese people told me that the English were cold and rude, I always ran into friendly and warm-hearted people there. Sometimes people spoiled me. Greeting a complete stranger on the street does not necessarily mean sincere politeness. Friendliess can oftentimes be felt through a deepened, witty conversation.
The second day in London, I already didn't want to leave. I already made a couple of friends here and seized the opportunity to learn about their life, their thoughts and dreams...
A China lover took me to SOHO, Chinatown, the British Museum, National Gallery, London Eye and of course the River Thames. The British Museum was having a huge Chinese Terracotta Army exhibition campaign from September 2007 till June 2008. Advance tickets were sold out and they kept 500 rush tickets every morning so people could buy them at the door.
That day, after a long walk along the River Thames I walked back to the National Gallery and stayed there for the rest of the day. There were so many huge paintings for me to see, and the gallery was like a maze. I wondered how they collected so many paintings from Italy and Spain. When I was sitting on the couch in the hall, the idea just occurred to me that maybe I should bring all these paintings home and hang them on my living room walls. I also bought three paintings at the gallery; of course they were all prints, but still expensive.
10/14/2007
