I went to Taiwan yesterday in order to get a stamp in my passport. Thankfully this administratively inspired journey was neither lengthy nor costly as there is a fast ferry to an island that is administered by Taiwan but which is no more than an hour from Xiamen. It was a rather odd little island that may have held some interest and touristic value but which I was visiting, together with another one of the CEAC artists, for purely practical purposes.
The evening drew me to Datong Lu in the old city centre where I had the pleasure of meeting a rather unique and charismatic older Englishman who I had first met after the performance last week. I have met very few British people so on one level it can be relaxing to share something in that way but far more than that was hearing his stories of a life lived as if it were an artwork or performance.
It was interesting for me to hear how he thought the Chinese people he worked with viewed the British. For starters the perception they have, he said, was seriously out of date, still trading on 19th Century literature. IT was also coloured by the 19th Century wars the British fought against China which gave a lasting resentment and at the same time respect for the power and achievement of so small a country. If that is the case then I guess it is about time this idea was updated.
Datong Lu I should add is fast becoming one of my favourite parts of the city. The small winding streets around it and the mix of trade and pleasure on a budget make it quite unlike anything I know in the UK. I have been walking around the side streets recently and noticed how they capture better the sense I have of how people live than the facades that speak more to aspirations.
