Not quite sure why this is, but I’ve been noticing more and more Foreigners (non-Asians) and young Chinese women lately. Perhaps because there’s been an uptick in love? Is it true romance? Possibly. Who knows! Now, you ‘re probably thinking … why do you bring up Darrell? What’s wrong with this and why am I even writing about it? For those who know me, know that this sort of thing doesn’t even register on my radar as being anything but what it is (at face value) – 2 people finding each other, period. That out of the way, what I’m talking about is a non-asian 60+ year old dude clutching onto a 20-something year old Chinese girl. Again not an issue, but I’ve seen so many of these since coming back, that I just had to make mention of it. True love? True lust? Hmmm … or is it a mutually beneficial relationship that serves each other for very different reasons? Is it finding a subservient “nice” Chinese girl? Is it filling in a need to feel young again? And for her … does it mean opening up the world to her ala Green Card? Or, is it truly love? I guess, if both are happy with their respective reasons – all is good. In the end, on the street, seeing an old, balding, wrinkling, gray/white haired dude in his late 50s – 60s clinging onto this petite (very) young Chinese girl who likely in her 20s is just not healthy. What? What does health got to do with it? Meaning … health for the overall future of Chinese in general. Today, you may or may not know that the male:female ratio is skewed favorably on the male side in China itself. Females for many years have been put up for adoption as parents seek the ever coveted boy to carry on the family name. The females are being picked up by families outside of China itself, often heading towards a much better life. They are largely being taken out of the Chinese system nonetheless. Walking through the marriage market on Sunday’s in Peoples Square, you see ads pimping both sexes, but overwhelmingly males having trouble finding a mate, let along love. Women are becoming, by shear ratio, more selective in choosing their mate; adding the 40 year age gap relationship I mentioned above only adds to this. Could it also be that in seeking something “better” outside of the country for possibly greener pastures, that the Chinese men are seen as inferior in many ways. Who knows … all I know (to myself) is that it looks a bit – let’s say
Business as usual at 9am rush hour at Nanjing Dong Lu station.
“interesting” when I see 2 people a generation and a half apart clinging onto to each for dear life like golden treasure, just makes you kinda’ wonder … love, lust or leaving?
Taking the subway here is really an adventure in and of itself. Is it the subterranean juju that makes people a bit crazy? At this one station, the subway doors begin to close on a train that I’m already in, this lady scampers up from the platform as the warning sound and lights begin their calling. When this happens, only the fully committed aka OJ Simpson airport dash towards the closing doors is the only way you’re boarding. Anyhow, as she’s semi-trotting toward the closing doors it’s obvious she’s wanting to board and starts to point her finger and yelling at the top of her lungs at me and another guy (whom I don’t know) standing near the door as if it was our fault the doors were closing. Doors close. Thinking funny about it, I look over at guy next to me and had good chuckle about it. I’m not sure what she said, but one can only guess it was a bit
Maverick bicycling against the grain
whacky as it caused the young man to take notice and shake his head at her. No translation required with that exchange between us. Some thing are what they are … Funny.
There’s a stretch of street near the Bund called Nanjing dong lu. Its a tourist trap that for some reason, is always busy with people milling about all day and into the evening. It is biped only. While passing through today, I noticed an increase in Street Monitors and many Chinese national flags waving about (China’s National Day aka July 4th in the US is coming next week). As folks are randomly walking around, I hear a few short blows of a whistle, turn my head and notice a Street monitored instructing a local guy to stop riding his bike through (walking) traffic. He complies by jumping off his bike, walking it a few steps until he get past the guards and jumps back on to continue riding … Guards look back and do nothing. A
lot good they are I think. I see this a lot – authority figures are either ignored altogether or are given just enough compliance, then continue on with what they were doing in the first place once a safe distance away. Are they Maverick’s or just showing plain disobedience and social disorder? I tend to think the latter.
Just a typical day in the life where the randomly eclectic occurrences are commonplace …
Filed under: week of 09.21.14
