longtang
look down upon from the highest point in the city , shanghai 's longtang — she vast neighborhood inside enclosed alley — be a magnificent sight .
the longtang be the backdrop of this city .
streets and building emerge around they in a series of dot and line , like the subtle brushstroke that bring life to the empty expanse of white paper in a traditional chinese landscape painting .
as day turn into night and the city light up , these dot and line begin to glimmer .
however , underneath the glitter lie a immense blanket of darkness — these be the longtang of shanghai .
the darkness look almost to be a series of furious wave that threaten to wash away the glowing dot and line .
it have volume , whereas all those line and dot float on the surface — they be there only to differentiate the area of this dark mass , like punctuation mark whose job it be to break up a essay into sentence and paragraph .
the darkness be like a abyss — even a mountain fall in would be swallow whole and sink silently to the bottom .
countless reef lurk beneath this swell ocean of darkness , where one false move could capsize a ship .
the darkness buoy up shanghai 's handful of illuminated line and dot , support they decade after decade .
against this decades-old backdrop of darkness , the paris of the orient unfold she splendor .
today , everything look wear out , expose bit by bit what lie underneath .
one strand at a time , the first ray of the morning sun shine through just as , one by one , the city light go out .
everything begin from a cover of light fog , through which a horizontal ray of light craft a outline as if draw it out with a fine brush .
first to appear be the dormer window protrude from the rooftop tingzijian of those traditional longtang building , show themselves off with a certain self-conscious delicacy ; the wooden shutter be carefully delineate , the handmade rooftop tile be arrange with precision , even the potted rose on the windowsill have be care for painstakingly .
next to emerge be the balcony ; here article of clothing hang out to dry the night before cling motionless like a scene out of a painting .
the cement on the balustrade peel away to reveal the rusty red brick beneath — this too look as if paint in a picture , each brushstroke appear clear and distinct .
after that come the crack gable wall , line with trace of green moss that look cold and clammy to the touch .
the first ray of light shine on the gable wall create a stunning picture , a gorgeous portrait , bear just a hint of desolation , fresh and new yet not without a past .
at this moment the cement pavement of the longtang be still envelop in fog , which linger thick in the back alley .
but on the iron-railed balcony of the newer longtang apartment the sunlight be already strike the glass pane on the french door , which refract the light .
this stroke be a relatively sharp one , and seem to pull back the curtain that separate day from night .
the sunlight finally drive away the fog , wash everything in its path with a palette of strong color .
the moss turn out to be not green but a dark raven hue , the wooden window frame start to blacken , and the iron railing on the balcony become a rust yellow .
one can see blade of green grass grow from between the crack in the gable , and the white pigeon turn gray as they soar up into the sky .
shanghai 's longtang come in many different form , each with color and sound of its own .
unable to decide on any one appearance , they remain fickle , sometimes look like this , sometimes look like that .
actually , despite they constant fluctuation , they always remain the same — the shape may shift but the spirit be unchanged .
back and forth they go , but in the end it be the same old story , like a army of a thousand unite by a single goal .
those longtang that have entryway with stone gate emanate a aura of power .
they have inherit the style of shanghai 's glorious old mansion .
sporting the facade of a official residence , they make it a point to have a grandiose entrance and high surround wall .
but , upon enter , one discover that the courtyard be modest and the reception area narrow — two or three step and you be already at the wooden staircase across the room .
the staircase be not curved , but lead straight up into the bedroom , where a window overlook the street hint at romantic ardor .
the trendy longtang neighborhood in the eastern district of shanghai have do away with such haughty air .
they greet you with low wrought-iron gate of floral design .
for they a small window overlook a side street be not enough ; they all have to have walk-out balcony , the better to enjoy the street scenery .
fragrant oleander reach out over the courtyard wall , as if no longer able to contain they springtime passion .
deep down , however , those inside still have they guard up : the back door be bolt shut with spring lock of german manufacture , the window on the ground floor all have steel bar , the low front gate of work iron be crown with ornamented spike , and wall protect the courtyard on all side .
one may enter at will , but escape seem virtually impossible .
on the western side of the city , the apartment-style longtang take a even stricter approach to security .
these structure be build in cluster , with door that look as if not even a army of ten thousand could force they way inside .
the wall be soundproof so that people live even in close quarter can not hear one another , and the building be widely space so that neighbor can avoid one another .
this be security of a democratic sort — trans-atlantic style — to ensure and protect individual freedom .
here people can do whatever they heart desire , and there be no one to stop they .
the longtang in the slum be open-air .
the makeshift roof leak in the rain , the thin plywood wall fail to keep out the wind , and the door and window never seem to close properly .
apartment structure be build virtually on top of one another , cheek by jowl , breathe down upon each other 's neck .
they light be like tiny glowing pea , not very bright , but dense as a pot of pea porridge .
like a great river , these longtang have innumerable tributary , and they countless branch resemble those of a tall tree .
crisscross , they form a giant web .
on the surface they appear entirely expose , but in reality they conceal a complex inner soul that remain mysterious , unfathomable .
as dusk approach , flock of pigeon hover about the shanghai skyline in search of they nest .
the rooftop ridge rise and fall , extend into the distance ; view from the side , they form a endless mountain range , and from the front , a series of vertical summit .
view from the highest peak , they merge into one boundless vista that look the same from all direction .
like water flow aimlessly , they seem to creep into every crevice and crack , but upon closer inspection they fall into a orderly pattern .
at once dense and wide-ranging , they resemble rye field where the farmer , have scatter they seed , be now harvest a rich crop .
then again , they be a little like a pristine forest , living and die accord to its own cycle .
altogether they make for a scene of the utmost beauty and splendor .
the longtang of shanghai exude a sensuality like the intimacy of flesh on flesh — cool and warm , tangible and knowable , a little self-centered .
the grease-stained rear kitchen window be where the amah gossip .
beside the window be the back door ; from this the eldest daughter go out to school and hold she secret rendezvous with she boyfriend .
the front door , reserve for distinguished guest , open only on important occasion .
on each side of the door hang couplet announce marriage , funeral , and other family event .
the door seem always to be in a state of uncontrollable , even garrulous , excitement .
echo of secret whisper linger around the flat roof , the balcony , and the window .
at night , the sound of rap on the door rise and fall in the darkness .
to return to the highest point in the city and look down on it from another angle : clothes hang out to dry on the cluttered bamboo pole hint at the private life and love that lie hide beneath .
in the garden , potted balsam , ghost flower , scallion , and garlic also breathe the faint air of a secret affair .
the empty pigeon cage up on the roof be a empty heart .
broken roof tile lie in disarray be symbol of the body and soul .
some of the gullylike alley be line with cement , other with cobblestone .
the cement alley make you feel cut off , while the cobblestone alley give the sensation of a fleshy hand .
footstep sound different in these two type of longtang .
in the former the sound be crisp and bright , but in the latter it be something that you absorb and keep inside .
the former be a collection of polite pleasantry , the latter of word speak from the bottom of one 's heart .
neither be like a official document ; both belong to the necessary language of the everyday .
the back alley of shanghai try even harder to work they way into people 's heart .
the pavement be cover with a layer of crack .
gutter overflow ; float in the discolor water be fish scale and rotten vegetable leave , as well as the greasy lampblack from the stovetop .
it be dirty and grimy , impure , here .
here the most private secret be expose , and not always in the most conventional fashion .
because of this a pall hang over these back alley .
the sunlight do not shine through until three o'clock in the afternoon and before long the sun begin to set in the west .
but this little bit of sunlight envelop the back alley in a blanket of warm color .
the wall turn a brilliant yellow , highlight the unevenness of the rough whetstone and give it the texture of coarse sand .
the window also turn a golden yellow , but they be scratch and stain .
by now the sun have be shine down for a long time and be begin to show sign of fatigue .
summon up the last vestige of radiance from the depths , the linger ray of sunlight flicker with a sticky thickness of built-up residue , rather dirty .
as twilight encroach , flock of pigeon soar overhead , dust mote drift , and stray cat wander in and out of sight .
this be a feeling that , have penetrate the flesh , go beyond closeness .
one begin to weary of it .
it breed a secret fear , but hide within that fear be a excitement that gnaw down to the bone .
what move you about the longtang of shanghai stem from the most mundane scene : not the surge rush of cloud and rain , but something steadily accumulate over time .
it be the excitement of cooking smoke and human vitality .
something be flow through the longtang that be unpredictable yet entirely rational , small , not large , and trivial — but then even a castle can be make out of sand .
it have nothing to do with thing like " history , " not even " unofficial history " : we can only call it gossip .
gossip be yet another landscape in the shanghai longtang — you can almost see it as it sneak out through the rear window and the back door .
what emerge from the front door and balcony be a bit more proper — but it be still gossip .
these rumor may not necessarily qualify as history , but they carry with they the shadow of time .
there be order in they progression , which follow the law of preordained consequence .
these rumor cling to the skin and stick to the flesh ; they be not cold or stiff , like a pile of musty old book .
though mar by untruth , these be falsehood that have feeling .
when the city 's streetlight be ablaze , its longtang remain in darkness , save the lonely street lamp hang on the alley corner .
the lamp , enclose in crude frame of rusty iron cover with dust , emit a murky yellow glow .
on the ground , a shroud of thick mist form and begin to spread out — this be the time when rumor and gossip start to brew .
it be a gloomy hour , when nothing be clear , yet it be enough to break the heart .
pigeons coo in they cage , talk they language of secret whisper .
the streetlight shine with a prim and proper light , but as soon as that light stream into the longtang alley , it be overwhelm by darkness .
the kind of gossip exchange in the front room and adjoining wing belong to the old school and smack faintly of potpourri .
the gossip in the rooftop tingzijian and staircase be new school and smell of mothball .
but , old school or new , gossip be always tell in earnest — you could even say it be tell in the spirit of truth .
this be like scoop water with one 's hand : even though you might lose half the water along the way , with enough persistence you can still fill up a pond .
or like the swallow that , though she may drop half the earth and twig she be carry in she beak , can still build a nest — there be no need for laziness or trickery .
the longtang of shanghai be a unbearable sight .
the patch of green moss grow in the shade be , in truth , like scar grow over a wound ; it take time for the wound to heal .
it be because the moss lack a proper place that it grow in the shade and shadow — year go by and it never see the sun .
now ivy grow out in the open , but it serve as time 's curtain and always have something to hide .
the pigeon gaze down at the outstretch billow of roof tile as they take to the air , and they heart be stab with pain .
come up over the longtang rooftop , the sun shoot out its belabored ray — a majestic sight piece together from countless minute fragment , a immense power bear of immeasurable patience .
gossip
gossip always carry with it a exhalation of gloom .
this murky air sometimes smell like lavender in a bedroom , sometimes like mothball , and at other time like a kitchen chop block .
it do not remind you of the smell of tobacco plug or cigar , nor be it even faintly reminiscent of the smell of insecticide like lindane or dichlorvos .
it be not a strong masculine scent , but a soft feminine one — the scent of a woman .
it combine the smell of the bedroom and the kitchen , the smell of cosmetic and cooking oil , mix in with a bit of sweat .
gossip be always trail by cloud and a screen of mist .
shadowy and indistinct , it be a fogged-up window — a windowpane cover with a layer of dust .
shanghai have as many rumor as longtang : too many to be count , too many to be tell .
there be something infectious about gossip ; it can transform a official biography into a collection of dubious tale , so that truth become indistinguishable from gossip .
in the world of rumor , fact can not be separate from fiction ; there be truth within lie , and lie within the truth .
that gossip should put on a absurd face be unavoidable ; this absurdity be the incredulity bear of girlish inexperience , and be at least in part a illusion .
in place like the longtang , it travel from back door to back door , and in the blink of a eye the whole world know all .
gossip be like the silent electrical wave crisscross in the air above the city , like formless cloud that enshroud the whole city , slowly brew into a shower , intermix right and wrong .
the rain come down not in a torrent but as a hazy springtime drizzle .
although not violent , it drench the air with a inescapable humidity .
never underestimate these rumor : soft and fine as these raindrop may be , you will never struggle free of they .
every longtang in shanghai be steep in a atmosphere of gossip , where right and wrong get twist and confuse .
in the elegant apartment-style longtang on the west side of town , this atmosphere be free of cloud , refreshing and transparent as a bright autumn day .
move down among the modern-style longtang neighborhood , the atmosphere become a bit more turgid and turbulent , blow to and fro like the wind .
lower down still be the fractious atmosphere of the old-style longtang neighborhood with the stone gate .
here the wind have die , replace by the vapor of a humid day .
by the time one get to where the slum-dweller live , all be envelop in mist — not the roseate mist of dawn , but the thick fog that come before a torrential downpour , when you can not see you hand in front of you face .
but regardless of the type of longtang , this atmosphere penetrate everywhere .
you could say that it be the genius locus of shanghai 's alley .
if the longtang of shanghai could speak , they would undoubtedly speak in rumor .
they be the thought of shanghai 's longtang , disseminate themselves through day and night .
if the longtang of shanghai could dream , that dream would be gossip .
gossip be base .
with this vulgar heart , it can not help wallow in self-degradation .
it be like sewer water , use , contaminate .
there be nothing aboveboard about it , nothing straight and narrow ; it can only whisper secret behind people 's back .
it feel no sense of responsibility , never take the blame for the outcome — whatever that outcome may be .
because of this , gossip have learn to do as it please , run wild like a flood out of control .
it never bother to think thing over — and no one ever bother to think it over .
it be a bit like verbal garbage , but then again one can occasionally find small treasure in the garbage .
gossip be make up of fragment discard from serious conversation , like the shrivel outer leaf of vegetable , or grain of sand in a bag of rice .
these bit and piece have face that be not quite decent ; always up to something , they be spoil merchandise .
they be actually make from the crudest material .
however , even the girl in shanghai 's west-end apartment feel compel to stockpile some of this lowly stuff , because bury deep inside this shamefully base material be where one can find a few genuine article .
these article lie outside the parameter of what be dignified ; they nature be such that no one dare speak of they aloud — and so they be take and mold into gossip .
if gossip have a positive side , it be the part of it that be genuine .
the genuine , however , have a false appearance ; this be what be know as " make truth out of falsehood , fact from fiction " — it be always dish itself up in a new form , make a feint to the east while attack from the west .
this truth be what give you the courage to go out into the world and not fear lose face , or the courage to become a ghost — to go against prevail opinion .
but there be a kind of sorrow that come with this courage — the sorrow that come from be thwart , from be keep from do what one wish .
however , there be a certain vital energy in this sorrow , because even in the midst of it one 's heart surge with high-flying ambition ; in fact , it be because of these surge ambition that one feel such bafflement and loss .
this sorrow be not refine like tang dynasty poetry and song dynasty lyric , but belong to the world of vulgar grievance air out in the street .
one can feel the weight of this sorrow as it sink to the bottom .
it have nothing of the airy-fairy — the wind , flower , snow , and the moon dancing on the water — it be the sediment that accumulate at the bottom .
gossip always sink to the lowest place .
there be no need to go look for it , it be already there — and it will always be there .
it can not be purify by fire or wash clean with water .
it have the tenacity for hold onto life that keep the muscle intact when the bone be shatter , that enable one to swallow the tooth break in one 's mouth — a brazen-faced tenacity .
gossip can not help but be swashbuckling and sensational .
it travel in the company of monster and goblin ; rise with the wind , its elusive tail can never be catch .
only in gossip can the true heart of this city be find .
no matter how gorgeous and splendid the city may look on the outside , its heart be vulgar .
that heart be bear of gossip , and gossip be bear of the shanghai longtang .
magnificent tale of the far east can be hear all over this paris of the orient ; but peel away the outer shell and you will discover that gossip lie at its core .
like the center of a pearl — which be actually a rough grain of sand — coarse sand be the material of which gossip be make .
gossip always muddle the sens .
start with inconsequential thing , it wind up try to rewrite history .
like woodworm , it slowly chew up the book and record , eat away magnificent building like a army of termite .
its method be chaotic , without rhyme , reason , or logic .
it go wherever it want , swagger like a hooligan , and waste no time on long-winded theory , nor do it go into too much detail .
it simply spread across the city , launch surprise attack ; by the time you turn around to see what sneak up on you from behind , it have already go without a trace .
it leave in its wake a chain of injustice with no one to take the blame and a string of score with no one to settle with .
it make no big , sudden movement but quietly work away without stop .
in the end , " many a little make a lot , " and trickle water flow into a great river .
this be what be mean by the say , " rumor rise in swarm " ; they indeed drone and buzz like a nest of hornet .
a bit contemptible , maybe , but they be also conscientious .
they pick up discard matchstick to make a fire .
if they see a lone piece of thread on the floor , they will take it up and begin to sew .
though always make trouble , they be nevertheless earnest and sincere .
gossip be never cynical ; even if the thing in question be nothing but empty rumor , the utmost care be still put into they creation .
baseless and unreliable as these rumor may be , they be not without a certain warmth of feeling .
they mind they own business : whatever other may say , they will stick to they version — to they even settle opinion be take under advisement .
it be not that gossip take a different political view , but that it do not take any political view ; in fact , it lack the most basic knowledge about politics .
always go by back road and enter through side door , it do not stand in opposition to society — it form its own society .
as far as society be concern , these be small and inconsequential thing , like twig and knot on a tree .
and precisely because society never take these thing seriously , they be able to maneuver unseen through the darkness and have they way .
combine together , they constitute a power that should not be underestimate , in the way that a butterfly beat its wing here can cause a hurricane in a faraway place .
rumor deviate from traditional moral code but never claim to be antifeudal .
like a true bum , they chip away at the foundation of public decency .
they would not hesitate to pull the emperor down off he horse — not in order to install a new republic , but merely as a act of defiance .
despise revolutionary and counterrevolutionary alike , they themselves be consistently slight and desert by both side .
indeed , there be not a presentable one in the whole lot — if there be , they could be promote to the level of " public opinion , " where they could advance into the open .
instead , they have to be content with make secret maneuver under the cover of darkness .
they care not that they be mere whisper in people 's ear ; they 'll make they home wherever they wanderings take they , have no conception of what it mean to build a enterprise .
these be creature without ambition , hold out no hope ; in fact , they do not even have the ability to think .
all they have be the natural capacity to cause trouble and make mischief ; they grow and reproduce in complete ignorance .
they reproduce at quite startling rate , hatch all at once like spawn .
they method of reproduction be also vary ; sometimes linear , like a chain of interlock ring , at other time concentric , like a suite of riddle .
they spread through the city air like a pack of down-at-the-heel vagrant .
but the truth be , gossip be one of the thing that make this city so romantic .
what make gossip romantic be its unbridled imagination .
with the imagination completely free from all fetter , gossip can leap through the dragon 's gate and squeeze through the dog 's den .
no one be better at make up story , tell lie , and wag its tongue than gossip .
it also have boundless energy — nothing can kill it dead .
wildfire burn but , come spring , the grass will grow again .
like the lowliest of seed , gossip be carry by the wind to sprout and bloom in between rock .
it work its way into every crack , even get behind the heavy curtain of lady ' boudoir , where it float amid the embroidery needle in the young mistress 's pincushion ; and linger among the tear-stained page of those heartwrenching novel the schoolgirl read in she spare time .
as the clock on the table tick , gossip stretch itself out , even fill the basin where milady wash she rouge away .
it thrive in the most secret of place : a clandestine atmosphere be particularly beneficial to its development .
the longtang of shanghai be very good at protect they privacy , allow gossip to prosper and proliferate .
deep in the night , after everyone have turn out they light , there be a narrow patch of light peek out through the crack under someone 's door — that be gossip .
the pair of embroidered shoe in the moonlight beside the bed — that too be gossip .
when the old amah , carry she box of toiletries , say she be go out to comb she hair , she be actually off to spread gossip .
the clatter of young wife shuffling mahjong tile — that be the sound of gossip .
sparrow hop around desert courtyard on winter afternoon chirp about gossip .
the word " self " be embed into gossip ; and within this word " self " there be a unmentionable pain .
this bottled-up pain be different from what the tang emperor feel at the death of yang guifei or the king of chu for he beloved concubine .
it be not the kind of grand and heroic suffering that move heaven and earth , but base and lowly , like pebble and dirt , or the tentacle of ivy creep stealthily out of bound .
the longtang of shanghai be incapable of harbor the kind of suffer that inspire legend .
the pain be break up and evenly allocate throughout the city , so that each person end up with a small share .
even when they suffer deep sorrow , its inhabitant keep it down inside they belly ; they do not put it on stage for people to admire , nor do they make it into lyric to be sing by other .
only they themselves know where it come from and whither it go .
they alone carry its burden .
this be also where the word " self " come into play , and herein , incidentally , lie the true meaning of sorrow .
therefore we can say that gossip be painful ; even if the pain do not arise from proper cause , it be still excruciate .
the pain be suffer individually , elicit no sympathy — a lonely pain .
this be also what be move about gossip .
the moment that gossip be bear be actually the moment that people be try they hardest to conduct themselves properly .
the people in shanghai 's longtang neighborhood conduct themselves with the utmost attention and care ; all they energy be direct to the way they carry themselves .
they eye be focus exclusively on themselves , and they be never distract by they surroundings .
they do not want to create a place for themselves in history : they want to create themselves .
without be ambitious , they expend every ounce of what strength they have .
this strength , too , be evenly allocate .
everyone have he fair share .
