The Proper Place for Culture

When I walked out of the train station, Su-Yue, a young woman in a bright blue silk jacket in the traditional style, was waiting. I followed her to a car waiting nearby. We then negotiated a highway years out of repair and lined with endless unfinished buildings. Our destination was her studio hiding off the city of Hangzhou.

Twenty minutes later, I found myself showed around a garden. It was already winter, yet the relatively mild climate in the south encouraged plants to remain green, sweet plum trees in full bloom to perfume the air. Before entering the main hall, we crossed a bamboo bridge running across a small pond. It was a one-story house as classical in style as anything around.