Zhōngshān (JOE-NG-SHAWN) Park (PARK)

A quick video of Zhōngshān Park:

One Saturday, I encountered an elderly man. I never caught his name. I never saw him again. But, he gave me the true welcome to China that I think I’d needed.

I went to go see a concert at the park downtown. A stage and plastic chairs were all set up in a small plaza. I found a single empty seat on the left side of the audience, right next to a small, old man with beady and aged eyes. He was wearing traditional Chinese garb, and when I sat down, he had to double take. Upon seeing me, he reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a cigarette for him, but also for me. He offered it and I beamed, but I rejected it with a “xiè xiè”, or “thank you.” He wasn’t offended; more for him I suppose. He then began trying to converse with me in his broken English. He attempted telling me about the music, and how it was a traditional Chinese song. We sat there, enjoying the strums of an ancient instrument. I left with a thankful “zài jiàn”, or “see you at another time.”

Being white and blue-eyed, I’m always just a foreigner. I’m tragically conspicuous. Today I wore my hood up, not just because of window-rattling wind speeds, but it made me feel less… Lithuanian. The idea of never being able to truly fit in, even after someone has had decades of language and culture studies, is disheartening.

My attempted glass-half-full mindset certainly doesn’t ignore benefits, however. The “you’re one of us” welcome was actually due to the fact I was a foreigner when I sat next to him. Strange that the feelings of acceptance were a result of what I try to hide from.

- Kev