Nighttime in Guangzhou
To the editor:
It’s summer time. This means it’s hot, humid, sunny and wet. In short it would be called steamy. Keeping cool is an art. Traditional to modern, there are many ways that people keep cool during the day and into the deep, dark night.
Nighttime in Guangzhou is its own world. Those of us who have grown up with electric lights shining on the barn doors and alleyways it is not an unusual sight to see the skyline lit up when the sun is asleep. Here in the city for the last several years there has been an ongoing effort to add light to anything that can hold a light bulb. Trees and windows have strings of lights wrapped through the leaves and branches; hanging from the eaves and lamp posts. Green, blue, red and white are draped throughout the environment, often to outline a building or give shape to a creature of the night.
When asked about it many longtime residents say that it is a way to attract people to tour the city. The only time that one can tour the city by river is at night. Popular cruises take passengers around the city by boat to see the lights on the buildings and trees. Pretty but can’t compare to the daylight scene.
Keeping cool is also part of the nighttime environment. Crowds of people are out walking around the buildings and enjoying the night. It’s cooler. Much cooler. As soon as the sun drops the temperature can go down 10 degrees. from the early evening until 10 or 11 at night, groups of families and friends wander the blocks walking through the cooling air. Someone has a hand fan and someone else has one of the new spinning fans. Both are in high demand. The spinning fan is nothing more than a hand cranked blade on a pistol grip. You turn the handle, spin the blade and get a very cooling breeze. Maybe you also get some exercise for turning the handle. Seems like a lot of work to blow air. Still, any breeze is welcome in the hot, humid air.
Gradually the crowds wander off. Some go to the roofs where they camp out under the open sky. Others retreat to air conditioned bliss. It’s hot, humid, sticky and dark. The moon is large and the wind is soft. Time to take a nap.
Orpheus Allison
Guangzhou, China
orpheusallison@mac.com
