I met this man on the steps of a subway station in Beijing, China.
What initially drew me to him was the beautiful drawings he had displayed on the walkway in front of him.
He knew very little English, and at the time I spoke very little Mandarin. We could communicate enough for him to explain to me that his drawings were 60 Chinese dollars ($8 American), he was very polite and patient.
I had several excursions planned this day, and could not carry one of his drawings with me; however, since he was a good sport about me taking a photograph of him, and did his best at communicating with me, I handed him 100 Chinese dollars ($15 American).
He replied by thanking me graciously, (“Xie, Xie, Miss, Xie, Xie”). $15 dollars doesn’t seem like much to an American, such as myself, but it seemed to make this talented man’s day.
Of all of the street drawers I encountered in China, he was by far one of the most talented, and most interesting.
-Elizabeth
Leave a Reply