BY SHANNON
談及七年以後的港島，我發現人們都不太懷舊了。
七年之間，我又到過了香港，一樣的繁華，一樣的冷漠，不一樣的是我自己。曾經新鮮感過了，卻又想探索一些新的東西；不再想單純地記錄每天發生了什麽，經歷了什麽以後的變化對我來說才更可貴。不論什麽季節，告別和新知永遠並存；而一年四季的恒常變化，在如今高速的軌道上、速幹的空調房裏，已不復永恒。這些微妙的自然界或人類世界的變遷常常被人忽略，但被寫進歌裏又會被些許喚起。在區區二三十幾平的空間，如果可以，讓每個人都安靜地呆上一整天吧。
七年前後，香港變化應是不大的，雖是一樣的語言環境，但人愈發謙遜。在這個城市，我也有了熟識的朋友或打過照面的陌生人，感覺真是到了一個更好的年代。或許因為這樣，香港讓我感覺親近了許多。朋友的老爸說，希望世界大同，環境改善，兒女都有好歸宿。每個父親都會想著後者吧，但也許只有經歷過風雨才會開始關心全人類，抑或是天真爛漫的心靈。
每個人都有故事，但不一定每個人都有聽故事的耳朵。一路過來，和太多人談天說地，一面之交也深深難忘。我深知見面不易，即使是陌生人，也只有千億分之一的幾率相遇。何況這世上這麽多有緣相聚的人，都錯過了彼此，只能說我們也只是他們生命中的千億分之一罷了。宇宙很大，旦夕之間或許毀滅；在千年之間，一切城池都化為灰燼，有什麽能夠永恒地傳遞下來嗎？我想是物質世界的精神。流轉於每一個平常的朝夕，在靜默與繁忙之間不偏不倚。千年之後，也許香港也不再是香港，人們也都不再有那些情結，但我們說過的話、寫過的文字、或每一次的相視而笑都在不經意間重塑了物質世界的靈魂。這一切，或許將悄然改變以後的以後。
這一次我也只是想單純地記錄一下我的香港情結而已。小時候就知道香港很繁華，電視裏的粵語很動聽，我知道的也僅限於此。即使七年前的那一次正式會面也並沒有讓我了解更多，只感受到無數摩天樓坐落的城市，必定有人情冷暖。那時候的香港很熱鬧，外來人占據了很大一部分，而周到的城市建設硬是塞下了大多數人。但以前並不知道香港多山。
只在書中見過香港的城景，繁華得不像會容納自然的存在。此去倒是真明白了狹小空間裏自由靈魂的去處。這些山，綿延數裏，在城市的夾縫之間與之共生，山中自有無數高樓，但已然成為了自然界的點綴。這些山，大多是野山，不像內地大部分城市裏的山都有人為臺階，而是全靠手腳並用去翻越。接觸到這些山之後，我被點亮了久遠時代的記憶：人類不也是由此開始征服自然的嗎？作為一個來自丘陵小城的陸客，我反倒是被地球最繁忙的城市之一喚回了野性。
我的香港情結也許應該從無數高樓說起。但是如今電影裏的場景已不復存在，現在的人也比電影裏溫和了許多，不會那麽激進，故事也不再那麽戲劇性。但我本是一個愛做夢的人，愛在現實中找夢境的習慣在這裏也不會止步。這些大樓裏浮華的場景，雜亂無章的聚落也曾成為別人筆下的靈感吧。伊人已去，而今的世界才最值得珍惜！
Speaking of Hong Kong Island after seven years, I find that most people no longer reminisce about it.
I returned to Hong Kong again after seven years; it is still the same bustling, indifferent city. The only difference was me. The novelty was now gone but still I wished to explore new things. I didn’t want to simply record what happened every day; what I had experienced and the changes brought by them were more valuable to me. Regardless of the season, farewells and learnings go hand in hand. In today’s fast-moving world and arid air-conditioned rooms, the constant change of the four seasons are no longer apparent. We often overlook these amazing details in our natural or human world, but we are gently aroused again when they are written into lyrics. In a tiny space of mere 20 to 30 square meters, I hope everyone can find their own tranquility.
In seven years, the changes in Hong Kong have been minute. Although it is still the same language and environment, its people have become more modest. I have since made friends and acquaintances in this city; it feels like we’re in a better era. Perhaps, because of this, Hong Kong feels more intimate to me now. As my friend’s father said, a hope for the world to be in harmony, for the environment to improve and for children to have a good home. I presume every father will think about the latter, but one usually cares about the entire human race after one has gone through certain hardships, unless he truly has a kind naïve soul.
Everyone has a story but not everyone has a listening ear. Along the way, I have talked to many people who were unforgettable. I know that meeting someone is not easy. Even among strangers, there is only one in a billion chance to meet. What’s more, so many people in this world who were destined to meet have missed each other; we really are one-in-a-billionth in each other’s’ lives. This vast universe could be destroyed in the blink of an eye and the Earth reduced to ashes in a millennium, but what can be passed on for eternity? I think it is the spirit of the material world. It flows through our everyday lives, impartial between silence and constant flux. Hong Kong might no longer be the same in another thousand years and we might no longer feel the same, but the words that were spoken and written, and the smiles that were exchanged, will inadvertently bring back the soul of the material world. All these may change our future.
This time, I wanted to make a simple record of my reflections in Hong Kong. Since young, I always known Hong Kong to be a vibrant city from television, and that was about it. Even when I first stepped foot here seven years ago, I never knew warmth existed beyond its skyscrapers. It was a busy city, made up of mostly foreigners, and its buildings were filled with many people. But I didn’t know that Hong Kong was mountainous.
I’ve only seen images of the Hong Kong cityscape in books, where it did not seem like it had any places of nature. This time I really understood how free souls could roam in tiny spaces. These mountains stretch for several miles, coexisting within the crevices of the city. There are numerous buildings in the mountains, which become embellishments of nature. They remain untouched unlike those found in the Mainland which has been paved for pedestrians. These encounters brought up memories from a long time ago—wasn’t this how humans began to conquer nature? As someone coming from a small hilly city, the world’s busiest city has instead, brought me back to the wildness of nature.
Maybe my Hong Kong journey should have started with a towering cityscape. However, those scenes from movies no longer exist, the people now are also more gentle and the plots not as dramatic as before. But I am a dreamer, and I love finding fantasies in reality. Those vivid and chaotic scenes must have inspired many. The past is now gone, but we should cherish the world today!
Shannon is an architect who loves searching for avant-garde art (which are not buildings) in her travels. Her everyday life is revolves around music creation and scientific fantasies. She used to live in Chicago and Prague, but currently lives in Shanghai practising architecture and navigating through contemporary art.
胡桃橙子（Shannon）喜愛在旅行中探索非建築與前衛藝術的建築師，日常生活常與音樂創作和科學幻想有關;她曾暫住於Chicago及Prague,目前居住在上海，設計建築之外也是當代藝術導覽者。
Instagram: @wonderwall3027
