Life style in the West

I run an errand this afternoon to the nearby little supermarket for some milk. There was a market there. A number of stalls run by Indian selling a variety of things, vegetables, snacks, and daily necessities. These markets and other Indian or Paki stores might sell something specific for Indian. The stall sellers seemed quite happy talking to passers-by.

I had got a sudden feeling. If you want to settle down in London in the future, even if you will be very rich, leading a very good life envious by other Chinese who can't come abroad, you are losing something at the same time. Your lifestyle. You are giving up your very own lifestyle in exchange for Western one.

We will celebrate Christmas and new years with the whole country and people around us, but when it comes to Chinese new year, it will only be a festival for me and Kai, and the city become very quiet about it, like nothing happens. We can only go to Chinese shops for certain Chinese food and eat in the Chinese restaurant when I have a craving for aubergine or Beijing Duck, rather than going shopping in the biggest department stores in Oxford street or Regent street, or eat out in a western gourmet restaurant. I am already fortunate to live close to Chinatown, however, I still feel that the Chinese community is an absolutely small community in London.

I attended a launch of a series of photographs taken in China many years ago reflecting ancient China in Royal geographical society. At the launch I saw those old Chinese people who came here decades ago probably as labours were fascinated about the Chinese dance and music which apparently far less than an amature level in China. I guess they had never have the chance to see and experience the great Chinese culture here in the UK. Even in the year of China Now, I still don't feel much about celebrating Chinese culture apart from hanging lantern in Oxford street or the Terracotta Warrior exhibition in British Museum.

UK is not my mother country, and I don't feel connected to it, althought it is one of the most powerful and advanced countries in the world. That's also the reason why Kai doesn't want to settle down in the UK aside from family reason.