My Three Female Friends from Shanghai

Reconnecting with some old friends, who are at different stages in life than you, sharing that conversation with them…translated…

After my performances ended in Nanking, I’d made my way to Shanghai to visit a few friends.

As I was on a film in 2010, I’d made two best friends, one was the makeup artist who was born and raised in Shanghai, L, the other, a girl who came from Chengdu, Sichuan to work in the cities, J.

getting into contact with some old friends here, not my photo

L only worked as the makeup artist for one production (the one I took part), very shortly afterwards, she’d set up her own studio, and started taking cases. As I’d met her, she just got married, I’d recalled how she’d told me, that life is supporting each other, living together in peace. Back then, we’re both under age thirty, seeing how lightly she’d taken life, I was, very moved, and knowing, that it’s very difficult, to be able to, find someone who gets us in life. A few years later, she was divorced, and started sinking and swimming in the world. This time as I bumped into her, she was, married again, and is due next month. She’d smiled and told me, I’d gone on two rounds in my life already,y and you’re still the same? I’d not envied how she was about to become a mother, she’d not envied my freedom, but we’re both glad for one another, for being where we are currently in our lives.

Another girl, J, is still the usual too. I’d met her over a decade ago, when she was still single, and now, she’s still single, it’s just that she now owns a suite, became a young landlady. A couple of years ago, her father died abruptly, in her old home in Chengdu, there was only her mother there, and so, she’d gotten her mother to live in Shanghai with her, as company. The mother was originally very worried about her marriage, but as she’d lived in the city with her daughter for a while, seeing how she’s able to hold her own in work, not relying on anybody else in life, she’d slowly dropped nagging her about getting married. She’d told me she’d never given up on the thought of marriage or children, but she’d not wanted to get married, because she wanted to have children, nor did she want to have a child, just because she wanted one, although she’s getting older, but in what space she has left, she’d, persisted on. She’d told her mother, there need not to be too much money, that being happy alive is the most important thing for them. Her father’s sudden passing away surely had, impacted her, we’d lost contact for seven years, and she’d still faced herself truthfully, never wanted to become someone, just walked forward with time, and liked herself more and more by the day.

The last one who’s on my heart, was a girl from Taipei, living in Shanghai, someone I’d known since my elementary school years. She’s working in PR at a men’s fashion company, she’s primarily based in Shanghai, but every week, she’d gone on business trips to other cities, an old-styled suite, in the French Quarters, with a high-end western restaurant, bars, and cafés, for someone who loved socializing, it’s convenient and free. We woke early in the morn, she’d asked me if I wanted a full brunch or an excellent European style breakfast: bread with coffee? I’d selected the European style breakfast, the breads were really hard, coffee aromatic, the way I liked it. Over half of the foreigners in the shop had dogs with them, we’d selected to sit next to a Corgi, and not long thereafter, we’d started conversation with its Taiwanese owner.

from our younger days, photo from online…

After breakfast, I went for a walk, my friend to work, and we’d decided to meet up for dinner at seven, she’d given me three choices, and I’d chosen the Shanghai table feast, she said, then we’d needed to get more people there, and we’d found a couple of people who are away from home from Taipei to eat with. The evening before my departure, we lay on the couch, drinking red wine and conversing, “Hip-Hop of China” was playing on the television, and we’d started discussing the differences between hip-hop and rap, I’d said, that the program should be renamed as “Rap in China”, she’d said it didn’t sound quite right, we’d started arguing on it, then, returned back to watching the program, and, the red wine was, completely finished up.

In the end, the friend I’d known the longest, was the one whom I’d conversed with most casually. The stories of our youth, the bad memories, we’d stopped talking about them then; as for the hopes for our future, we’d both known in our hearts, and, we’d taken advantage of the moment, in my pajamas, slightly drunk, said goodnight, to a friend for over twenty years, away from my hometown.

So, you can see how these women had, related to each other, and, the woman still felt most connected to her friend from the longest time, and, because as they grew older, their lifepath varied, marriage, work, starting a family, etc., etc., etc., etc., they’d had less and less things in common, but, they’re still able to find that needed connection between them, and that is how friends should be!