What a coincidence yesterday.
This morning, Xiaodan, an editor I hadn’t seen in a while, dropped by unexpectedly. We chatted about her recently completed book, “The Complete Works of Seaton’s Animal Stories,” and it was a delightful conversation. However, I’ll always remember another book Xiaodan lovingly edited and published: “The Cat Who Lived a Million Times.”
In the afternoon, I received two calls. I unexpectedly discovered that on this Thursday night, I had become a “free man” for the first time. I could go wherever I wanted and do whatever I wanted. Haha! I immediately thought of “Youth Unending-Spiritual Growth Group”, there is a children’s book club every Thursday night, but I never had the chance to go before. Well,I opened Qing Wei Liao’s blog and saw that tonight’s discussion was: “The Cat Who Lived a Million Times”!
How could such a coincidence happen? — I quickly texted An Lan, asking if he could add me to the group. He replied, “Great! Come on, be there before 7.” — Haha, that’s heartwarming. Later, I learned that An Lan was still on the road.
There were still several hours until seven o’clock. So, I spent the rest of the afternoon thinking about the woman in a foreign country — Ms. Yoko Sano.
We met in Beijing in May 2007. I recorded the following:
[Review] Record of Yoko Sano’s 2007 Beijing Readers’ Meeting
She returned to Beijing that time to revisit her childhood home once again (and possibly for the last time):
Yoko Sano’s life ends in Beijing (Beijing Youth Daily)
This afternoon, I found the recording file again and listened to it quietly.The Cat Who Lived a Million Times, read by Yoko Sano and Tang YamingI wonder if this beautiful lady is doing well now?
In 2007, nearing her 70s, she was diagnosed with cancer and doctors gave her only two years to live. So, in May of that year, she decided to return to the ancient capital of Beijing, where she was born and spent her childhood in a courtyard house at No. 16, a small alleyway. She said she was working on a picture book about the sky above the courtyard house.
In June 2009, she still had new works coming out, but the picture book about the courtyard house had not yet been seen.
I think, no need to rush, I’d rather wait a little longer, until the spring of 2010, and then until the spring of next year…
In the evening, I walked all the way to Qingweilai. In Beijing, an ancient capital that is now not much different from other international metropolises, during the evening rush hour on a weekday, there is probably no more pleasant way to get around than walking.
Normally, when I walk down the street, I listen to something to replace the clamor of traffic. But this evening, I happily recited a poem to myself, oblivious to the surroundings. The poem is called “The Day the Birds Disappeared from the Sky,” and it’s written by the Japanese poet Shuntaro Tanikawa—you might not be familiar with him, but you’ve undoubtedly heard the children’s song he wrote, “Astro Boy’s Song.”
This is a deeply prophetic poem, incredibly powerful and deeply moving. I wondered how Yoko Sano fell in love with the poet? How did she become his wife (rumored to be his third wife)? How did they have a child? How did she continue to create while raising her child, and even one day, she saw the cat that had been reborn a million times? And how did they finally break up? …
I remembered what Mr. Sano said at the meeting: “I now understand that this book actually reflects a wish of mine, my own wish.”
At the “Qing Wei Liao” book club, everyone had a great time chatting. What everyone said might have been something I wanted to say, or something I hadn’t thought of but was also part of my understanding, and perhaps also something Yoko Sano wanted to express. Although she always insisted that she didn’t think the story was that complicated, she just had a sudden inspiration and quickly wrote it down and drew it.
However, this writer and painter also said, “I express and burn everything in my life in my works.”
So, last night’s book club session also gave me a lot of inspiration. I discovered why those classic fairy tales and picture books are so captivating. One reason is their perfect simplicity, omitting countless details and leaving endless blanks. Into these non-blanks and blanks, the author pours his or her entire life. And if readers can be equally attentive, pouring their own life into the process of reading, burning it out, they too can gain a complete life experience. So, a small book is merely a medium through which we can read the great book of life.
This is probably what Brother An Lan said, “What we read is ourselves.”
I would like to add that every “self” you read about is “I.” This “I” includes everyone who is reading this book, including Yoko Sano, and probably also those who have not read this book.
Last night, the question that was asked and explained the most about this story was: Why did the tabby cat fall in love with the white cat? This is a question that was rarely asked in the book clubs I participated in with children or mothers. It was really interesting!
My answer is: the tabby cat just happened to grow up to be able to “see” the white cat and have the ability to love her! — This answer is obviously talking about myself, O(∩_∩)O haha~
In my mind, Sano is as beautiful as that white cat. To be honest, sometimes I wonder if I were born 30 or 40 years earlier, would I have the chance to imitate that tabby cat and bravely say to the white cat, “Can I stay with you?”
This morning, my wife and I were chatting about last night’s book club, and we almost simultaneously remembered that in 2007, the three of us went to the meeting with Yoko Sano! What a coincidence! I half-jokingly said to her, “The more I look at you, the more you look like that white cat!” Hehe ^_^
Milan Kundera said that life is a sketch that can only be drawn once…
I wish Ms. Yoko Sano all the best!
Ajia …
January 29, 2010, Beijing
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Yoko Sano visited the Forbidden City in May 2007
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Visiting my childhood home, I met an old man in the alley who I had seen the last time I came back.
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There seemed to be a small square here before
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She just remembered that there used to be two trees at the entrance of the alley, but it was definitely not…
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The scene of playing in the yard with my brother in the summer of my childhood…
Attached is a short poem:
The day when the birds disappeared from the sky
Written by Shuntaro Tanigawa and translated by Tahara
The day when the beasts disappeared from the forest
The forest is silent, hold your breath
The day when the beasts disappeared from the forest
People are still paving the way
The day when fish disappear in the sea
The surging waves of the sea are groans in vain
The day when fish disappear in the sea
People are still building the port
The day when children disappeared from the streets
The streets became more lively
The day when children disappeared from the streets
People are still building parks
The days when I disappeared in the crowd
People become very similar to each other
The days when I disappeared in the crowd
People continue to believe in the future
The day when the birds disappeared from the sky
The sky is quietly shedding tears
The day when the birds disappeared from the sky
People continue to sing in ignorance
