A Song of Everlasting Sorrow

The Alleys of Shanghai

The alleys of shanghai are spectacular when you watch them on high, which is something like the background of city. The streets and buildings against the alleys, like the points and lines, fill the blank, just as what the wrinkle method, called in Chinese Painting, does. When being dark with light on, there is light between the point and line, and the alleys of Shanghai are dark behind the light. The dark likes roaring waves, shoving along the points and lines hardly. It is substantial, and the points and lines are floating on them, which exists for this division of object, being something like punctuation to impose a line break and segment. The dark seems as a abyss which is as deep as the height of a hill, driving down the sideline without a sound. It looks like a dark hidden many rocks, which will result in shipwreck without caution. The little light of Shanghai is served as the darkness and the brightness of Oriental Paris is elaborated in the context of darkness for several decades of years. Nowadays, becoming old in everything, the real scene is revealed little by little. Morning glory is lightened, so is the light gone out bit by bit. The thin fog appears firstly, then the outline is depicted by the straight light, which is rather like Chinese realistic painting.

After that, balcony is seen with clothes of the previous night that is immobile like clothes of the painting; cement on the low wall in the balcony is dropped to show rubineous brick, which is distinct in all details. Flaw on the wall is displayed, and there is green paint, touching slight chill in the air. The first sunlight is slicing on the head wall, being picturesque, nearly gorgeous but with a little desolation, fresh and a bit older. At this time, cement court at the bottom is still shrouded by the pride of the morning, making more fog in the front than the back. The sunshine illuminating on the balcony with newly-built steel bars reflects light on the French windows. It is the crucial key to open heavy curtain and distinguish between night and day. Fog is dispersed by sunlight, the color of everything here becomes dark: green paint turns out to be green, so is the wood of window frame; yellow rust is produced of steel bars in the balcony, outgrowing grass in the crevices of the gable wall, and pigeon flying on the sky becomes gray pigeon.

The alleys of shanghai are different in style and layout. They change usually, being like that and this kind occasionally, with no rule to follow. In fact, they remain essentially the same despite all apparent changes, scattering in form but with unchanged core, and they are finally the things as the same in all united in one purpose.

Such kind of alley made of Shanghai Gate is the most influential one, with the relic of large mansion house, of which a face of official mansion, a strong defence carving on one door and wall. Once entering in, yard is nearby, and here comes living room, which could be crossed through with only three or two steps is nearby, too, wooden stair is kept off on the top of head.The wood stair is straight across boudoir upstairs, which shows scenery from the windows near the street. Shelves can be placed in the new residential structure, with short iron gate of hollow and engraving flower, for the purpose to appreciate the landscape in the downtown street, big balcony to hold is available. The beauty of spring is revealed by oleander stretching out from the wall. However, prevention is paid attention to, with rim lock of postern, iron fence of windows and the pungent angles of short iron gate, built courtyard in the middle of the house, which can enter but can’t go out. The apartments and alleys of western part are strictly-built, with complete set of rooms, one door one house, seeming one man guarding the pass will stop ten thousand from getting through; wall is soundproof without hearing any sound outside. Houses are separately widely, without seeing each other, however, this prevention is private with European style to guarantee freedom. You can do what you like inside the house, and no one can stop you. Shack-dwellers’ alleys are fully open, and the asphaltic-felt housetop is let in the rain, without keeping out wind in wooden partition and a little open in doors and windows. Row upon row of houses are shown to you in the alleys, which is close with each other. The light is a little as small as bean, though it is weak, being dense like a pot of porridge, seeming a big river with numerous branches and a tree of countless twigs, which are numerous footpaths and covered as a net, with openness in the surface but mysteriousness and winding inside. At twilight time, flock of pigeons are flying in the air to look for their nests. As an saying goes: “It's like a range, when you look at the mountain from the front. But it's like a peak, when you look at it sideways.” The ridges are continuous. When you watch them on high, they are integrated and boundless that can make you confused in all directions. In addition, they also flow slowly like water availing themselves of loopholes, thought in a mess, actually well-proportioned, which are vast and dense, being cornfield sowed by farmers and primeval forests that run their own courses.

Alleys are sensitive with a feeling of skin touching, which is cool and warm, sensible and cognitive in selfish motive. The rear window cumulated grime is a good place for women to talk; the back door is the secret place for girls’ who carried schoolbags study and confirm appointment with boys; the door in front won’t be opened usually just for special events, such as Weddings and Funerals, to evacuate people, which irresistibly impelled to excitement, movement and a little garrulousness. People are frequently whispering in flat roof, balcony and window, and a knock at the door is rising and falling at night. Being on high and viewing from a suitable angle: the clothes and other articles of daily use that are disordered in the laundry bamboo are of personal attachments; the empty pigeon house up on the roof is a vacant heart; and the fragmentary and disordered tiles stands for heart and body. The road of alleys is clarified the deep trench, some is used by cement while others is by pebble. The cement road is hard, while the pebble one is softer. There are different footsteps in these two alleys: the former one is clear and melodious, but the latter one is soundless, like eating in the stomach; people live in various alleys focus on unlike issues, which are respectively politeness words and words from the bottom of one's heart; both of them are informal, but the necessary small talk every day. The back alleys are deep and messy: the road is uneven; sewer is overflowing with floated fish scale and leaves, being full with exhaust gas. Being dirty, the intimate privacy was also exposed, which isn’t kept in its place a bit. Thus, it is a little gloomy. Sunlight shines at 3 pm, and the setting sun is disappearing soon. The color is covered vaguely, and wall is yellow, showing the roughness that is protruded and swishy. Window glass is yellow with splotch, being a little dirty.

Being shining for a long time, sunshine seems feel tired to burst forth the last light finally, which is much sediment in the light that is sticky, heavy, and a little dirty. Flock of pigeons fly in front, with dust shinned by the glow of the setting sun in the back alleys; wild cats appear and disappear here. It is touched skin not to mention closeness or intimacy, but being boring and daunting stealthily, with a little gratitude.

The gratefulness of alleys lies in daily circumstances instead of surging by cloud water but accumulation little by little. It is the thankfulness of smoke and fire. Things of un-expectation but sense and streamed from lanes are common, which are trivial, accumulated sand becoming tower. It has nothing to do with history, even unofficial history is not deserved to call, just the gossip. Gossip is another landscape of Shanghai’s alley, which is visible, outpouring from rear windows and doors. The design of front gate and balcony is more formal, but the same as gossip. Gossips are also touched instead of indifference and rigidness, though there are hundreds of errors, but they can be sensed and appreciable. When light is brilliant in the street, there is only one light shining in the turning of alley, of which is covered by mantle full with rust and dust. With the yellow, smoggy things are produced and extended, which is for rumor. As such an obscure moment, something is ambiguous but wounded heart. Flock of pigeons are rattling like whisper. The light of street is perfectly justifiable, unfortunately, it is engulfed by darkness when near approaching alley. Gossip with front living room and wing-rooms at the left and right is more old-fashion, smelling like lavender; while those with garret and corner stairs are more fashionable, tasting like mothball. No matter the old or the new, they are also sincere, called wholehearted. Water is held with both hands, leaking while holding with full water on the floor; swallows are working hard for building their nest, without laziness and skilful management. The scene in alley is the green paint in the shady spot, in fact, all is scar produced by wound to heal by time. Because of secret, it grew in the darkness without sunshine all the year round. Parthenocissus tricuspidata is frontal, but is covered by something. When fluttering of doves are circling in the air, they are looking at roofing tile that is roaring waves and feeling sad. Sun spurts out up on the roof bumpily, and the light, the spectacularity is flexed consisted of innumerable broken bits, also the power collected by uncounted patience.