In the Washington Post, essayist Mao Jian writes about the changing attitudes in China toward love:
These days in China, five years in business is a lifetime. One place near my apartment was a Sichuanese restaurant for a few months, then an Internet caf√© for a few more. By springtime it was a bookstore, and by summer a flower shop. “Keep pace with the times,” the political slogan goes.
Sizzling in the wok are not stuffed buns, but hearts beating fast, faster and faster still. Got to speed up to make a buck. Tear down the old courtyard, fill in Suzhou Creek, race to register that domain name. One day late is forever late. Overnight a fairy sprinkles her pixie dust and that corner shed turns into an idyllic café. But when you walk in, you see the owner reading a how-to guide on opening a restaurant. Yet another new idea is sprouting. Longevity is not the goal; speed is the style in China today. [Full text]
