Sparkle on! Never-ending star sparkle
Friday, March 3rd, 2006My epic 25 hour train journey, spanning 1,500km across southern China is drawing to a close. I am almost in Guangzhou, another giant Chinese city, this one the heart of Canton. The trip has been comfortable, with beautiful views of the terraced countryside ablaze with the yellow blossoms of yo tsai, which is pressed to make oil for cooking. We also passed the limestone towers of the stone garden, great monoliths that dot the fields and hills around Shilin.I’ve had time to write, read a book, and occasionally chat with the three Chinese girls sitting beside me. This morning they asked me if I had a Chinese name. I didn’t, so they anointed me Dan ni, red star sparkle. I’ve since learned that the Chinese character used for “red” was also used to describe a mythical pill that Chinese potion masters tried to create for immortality. So “red star sparkle” has become “eternal star sparkle”, or “never-ending star shine.” I will still respond to any variation of Daniel, thanks.
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