Bridge of Nine Turnings

As I bumbled aimlessly into the garden area, I saw the Bridge of 9 Tunings

and the fabled tea house, and a few of the neatly manicured rock and grass gardens.

Actually in the grey and rain, it wasn’t so crowded, but I was ready to call it for another day. Instead I meandered into a CD and VCD shop and tried to select some Chinese music.

After a while, I enlisted the very willing and excited help of a young Chinese girl, who was delighted that I had chosen a CD of Traditional Chinese folk songs and one of Chinese Pop Music. She asked if I liked the Spice Girls and Mariah Carey, but I said I could get those at home.

She helped me select two other popular Chinese female soloists Teresa Tang (who died young in London) and CoCo, China’s new smash hit. (The CoCo CD turned out to be the best one! Really good.) I also found a bargain buy on postcard packs, so I stocked up.

Here are some of them:

Linda went with me to the cash register and watched while he rung me up, and watched that I paid the correct amount and didn’t get cheated. That’s not where her friendliness ended though. She was so happy and cute and excited to be talking with me, that we walked together through the temple courtyard and out to the crowded streets- and she walked with me out to a main street where it would be good to catch a taxi.

Then, even though she never takes a taxi, because “it’s too expensive” Linda flagged one down for me and bid me farewell. It was so wholeheartedly kind of her.

She told me she lives very near to where we were and goes to school close by too. Her dad’s birthday was coming up and she didn’t know yet what she would buy him, but said, “Maybe Moon Cakes 🥮” when I was inquiring how she would celebrate the Mid-Autumn Moon Cake Festival and the upcoming National Holiday.

Linda also said that her dad is a very kind, good man; that she is very lucky. Me too! That reminds me of Dad!

So funny enough, I felt sentimental leaving her standing there on the street, waving me goodbye. I had wished there was someway I could thank her for her kindness; but I guess somehow by meeting her, I had. She said her English teacher in school was Chinese, so maybe she had never spoken with a real English native. I told her that I would let people know it was Linda who recommended the musical selections.

These are the CD’s.

Saturday 18 September,1999