Dong Hong (manager of the store) studied in Environmental Sciences in Germany and came back here to open a coffee shop (as she learnt to roast beans there as well) as well as taking care of her parents. She is a kind, calm, thoughtful and friendly person who has made a world of difference to my time here. I do not know what I would have done here without her. Probably done more sight seeing which ultimately would have been added to just more places I have been to.
Qiu yue (new store assistant) is a sweet and adorable girl from the village Yang Lou. Her father died when she was 13 and she had to quit school in order to work and support her mother and her younger brother. She is sparky and speaks with verve at times but mostly softley. I showed her photos from around the world and a video of London (the sultans elephant) which she thought was unreal (literally). She had not seen much imagery from the west before and not in such vivid form. Despite self confessing naïvety, she’s interesting to talk to, via excellent translation from Dong Hong.
Although I could not live here in Beijing, they have made me feel like it was my home, the fact that I planned to go to The Forbidden City (home to may Emperors in the past) yesterday but ended up staying at the coffee shop the whole day instead is, what it is. A connection with people is as important to me (if not more) in a foreign country as architecture, historical sites or geographical areas of interest I will visit.
- J
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