Lu Xun Park (Guest spot)

Today’s guest spotter is Jeff Stewart – author, artist and sometime bread-seller at his local Sunday market

DSCN1451 JS outlineI love Lu Xun Park. It’s in Hongkou, Shanghai, and is my most favourite place on earth at the moment. Everything happens here – there is dance, tai chi, singing, talking, and sitting. Lovely, to me, and I can’t even speak Chinese.

People also write on the footpath there in water or chalk. They often write poetry, advertise their calligraphy skills, or quote common Chinese sayings. In the first photograph the man is writing characters in outline, which is very difficult.

writing JS colourblurSometimes migrant workers write their story on the ground asking for help. They come to the city from rural areas and often have trouble finding work. The second photograph was taken after rain had blurred a woman’s story about her current living situation.

Jeff’s  photograph of a man writing on the pavement in water accompanies his journal entry Translating Lu Xun Park on the  Kai Xin (Happy Heart)website