Sara Paradisi Journeys

Shanghai, summer, early afternnon in mandarin Yu Yuan’s garden. The oppressing heat was numbing our senses while sunshine drew shadows through plants leaves and building shapes. The still air framed the ancient wooden chinese structures and pavillons. The guide’s voice reached me softened “..built in honour of his father who loved mountains and woods but couldn’t go to see them..” I whispered I wish I’d have a son like him. While I was admiring the general beauty, porches, trees, ravines, streams, bridges, rocks, large ponds, porticos, red lanterns,..I let myself go to this peaceful and quiet atmosphere and let it overwhelm my senses. The only moving things, apart from us, were colourful red and orange carps following us and the golden sparkling of water above their whirling, winding swimming. I entered his study and looked around at the objects, desk and chair, writing tools, calligraphy practice papers, a tea table. I turned amazed: as walls were made of drilled wood panels, even if indoor I felt in the garden. Out of the door there was a huge irregular stone, “it is a lake stone, all its cavities have been digged by water currents. He used to put incense in a bottom hole and it came out from its one hundred cavities.” In no time I had travelled back in time and I was seeing trough Yu’s eyes in a similar sunny afternoon in my study: starring at the stone, getting lost in many thoughts as incense spirals flew in the still air; in the background calm green leaves, sunrays and a far water burble of fish echoing my thoughts.