Just before the Fengs were due to move, two children found a body among the ruins behind their house. That made Feng’s wife even more uneasy.
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Her children are too busy to come back and see her. Mr Feng was also busy and didn’t get back until very late.
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That night, Mr Feng’s son-in-law came to try and persuade his mother-in-law to move to the new apartment that night.
The upcoming move is preying on Mr Feng’s mind.
The old brands in the Jiumen Food Court are also a major concern for him. He is vice-president of the Beijing Traditional Snacks Protection and Development Association, which is opening up new avenues for Beijing’s traditional snacks. However, business in the Jiumen Food Court isn’t as good as it was when it first opened. With the weather turning colder, the numbers of visitors and tourists are dwindling, and several problems are beginning to surface.
"Some things are very cheap in summer.Cucumbers are a good example. They were only 1 yuan a kilo in the summer but the price has doubled now. So what can we do about the price variations? We can’t price things too differently on a seasonal basis. We need to take all the factors into consideration in pricing. It’s a tough process. If we set the price too high, we can’t make a living. If we set the price according to the actual costs, our business won’t last. The fact is, we can’t operate as we did in Niujie or Yangqiao Streets or Qianmen. It won’t last long."
Feng Guangju has begun to lead the old brands in a search for new cooperative ventures. The customers here are relatively rich.They’re willing to spend money. Many of them work for big multinationals, such as the global 500 companies. They generally make more than 10,000 yuan a month, so they can easily spend 15 yuan on lunch here.
The old brands have found a new location charging a lower deduction rate, but they still have to pay taxes. They negotiated with the owner on this point.
Finally, Feng Guangju and his wife have started to move.
"We’ve been living here for 60 years, and now we’re moving out. Really, 60 years. You won’t be able to come here or even see it again."
In spring 2007, the traditional Flat Peach Banquet Temple Fair was held outside the Ming Dynasty City Wall Relics Park. The Palace of Flat Peaches once stood
facing the walls on the other side of the road, but now it’s gone. The temple fair is a commemoration.
"Silk flower embroidery. Donghuashi Street. It’s changed now. Guangqumen North Community, Zaoyuan Community, Donghuashi North Community. They’re all covered with high-rise buildings now. Society is advancing, isn’t it?"
He says China doesn’t have time for reflection. It’s not that China doesn’t have time for it, but that it hasn’t done it due to the circumstances. It’s a major regret for China’s traditional culture that so much damage has been done to it during the past decades.
Editor:Yang
