"28-May-02" "Sunny, late afternoon" "The sky in Hong Kong looks so blue lately" "I wonder if the sky in Qingdao is as beautiful" "A place I used to wander around as a kid that landscape emerges more and more clearly in my mind" "I know my days are numbered" "I can't do anything about that." "It's a pity." "I can't take Maan to see that landscape" "Lucky to run into you in such rain" "You sure are!" "Don't bother." "Leave it" "It's dirty." "I like doing it" "Careful" "Come on!" "Here I come!" "Here are the paints" "Don't rush" "Once at a time" "Split up over there" "Do it evenly" "Add some more" "More?" "No more" "Excuse me..." "Excuse me..." "You're there" "Here... come over here" "Hello" "Hold this for me" "Can you..." "Tell me how to get there?" "Go out the main entrance." "Turn right at the lights" "Go straight for 3 blocks, then turn left" "It's the second shop" "You got a pen?" "I got one here" "Lit" "How do I apply the colors evenly?" "Use the shovel, paint along the edge" "Go ahead, I'll join you later" "Excuse me, is Tung here?" "You must be Maan." "I'm Tung" "My cousin called" "Come in" "Get some rest" "I'll call you when dinner's ready" "Thanks" "Here's the key" "Just treat this as Sam's old home" "Make yourself comfortable" "Thank you" "13-Jan-99" "Chilly, early morning" "When I got to the gallery," "I saw a girl standing in front of that portrait" "I've never seen anyone look at my paintings so attentively" "I wonder what she finds so fascinating" "She looks at it as if she's watching a happy musical" "For you" "For... me?" "I see it" "So you see it now" "When you're taller, you'll see better" "As a matter of fact, I came here to look for a place" "My cousin filled me in a little." "It's Sam's last work" "What kind of a place is it?" "I'm not too sure..." "It looks like some kind of mountain" "Maybe I can help you" "Really?" "I n return, can you help me out in the shop?" "No problem" "Thanks a lot" "Your Mandarin is quite good." "Been studying it long?" "No, it's because my mom is Taiwanese" "Oh, see that kid?" "He's nicknamed 'Goldfish Dung'!" "Excuse me?" "The postman over there..." "I don't know why the kid... simply loves to follow him around, just like the dung that trails behind a goldfish" "So he is a postman..." "What's his name?" "Him?" "He's Lit." "Have you met him?" "Yeah" "I got lost on my way here, he helped me out" "Really?" "He works in this area" "Let's go" "With the fog, it's hard to find the place" "Wait till it clears" "I'm sure we can find it" "Can I ask you something?" "Can I say no?" "Why do you have to look for that landscape?" "The past should be left in the past" "Why get yourself tangled up in it?" "When I was little, I had this favorite doll" "I had to sleep with it every night" "Later, when I got new toys," "I forgot all about this doll" "When we moved..." "I found it under my bed, covered in dust" "You are too old for dolls now" "Right!" "But... people have short memories" "I'd rather live happily in the present than living in memories of the past" "That's just torturing yourself" "Is that so?" "Sorry for trying to lecture you" "Don't be." "May be you're right" "That must be the love line" "Who are you?" "I asked you a question!" "Stop it, Wu!" "What're you doing?" "Wu..." "Stop it!" "1-Jan-00" "Cold, late night" "Another new year." "Looks like I've earned another year" "My stomach hurts again today" "I remember how Uncle died" "This genetic disease is killing me" "Thinking of Maan... makes me so guilty" "Knowing that the end is inevitable but still staying with her..." "Let's go out" "No thanks." "It's too cold for me" "I'll get you something to eat when I come back" "Don't bother." "Have fun" "OK then" "See you later Bye" "Hello!" "Been exercising?" "What?" "Exercising" "Here's your paper" "Thank you" "Here, Lit" "Take it..." "No" "Keep it yourself" "We have plenty." "Take it" "Thanks then" "Anytime" "Thanks a lot" "How's your husband today?" "He's OK" "Doctor" "Feeling better now?" "Yes" "Here're some medicines, smell it" "Tell me if there's any difference" "Any difference?" "No" "Let me see her file" "Doc, how is she?" "Be careful with gas from now on" "She may have lost her sense of smell" "Why is that?" "Many reasons..." "The change of environment... it may be temporary" "Just take extra care from now on" "Thank you, Doctor" "Anytime." "Get some rest" "Thanks it'll be OK." "Don't worry" "Tung..." "I wanna know something about Sam's childhood" "Can you tell me?" "What about?" "I feel that the landscape evokes a place he used to go when he was little" "Sam left for Hong Kong when he was 13" "But Auntie had left much earlier, leaving Sam with his grandma" "You could say he had a lonely childhood but he never complained" "He was always cheerful and gentle" "The Maternity's the only cheerful place in the hospital" "Babies come naked" "Life is just as simple" "It's similar to usual makeup" "Just use thicker foundation for his complexion" "Thank you" "Take your time" "How's it going?" "Feeling better?" "Much better, thanks" "Come here" "You've taken the medicine?" "Yeah" "I've bought some cosmetics" "See if they suit my skin type" "Ok" "Us beauticians rely so much on smell to see if it's right" "Looks like I can't do it anymore" "Don't worry." "The doctor said it's just temporary" "You'll soon recover" "Have you heard of that saying..." ""Attraction between man and woman comes mainly from taste and smell"" "Heard that before?" "Really?" "I think this suits you better" "It has a moisturizing effect" "Yeah, it feels good" "I called my cousin" "She and Auntie are worried" "Make sure you give them a call" "OK, thanks" "Wanna have a ride?" "No" "OK, you walk" "Letter for you, Mr Li" "Wonderful!" "How come that kid always follows you around, Lit?" "Because Lit's cute" "Right, Maan?" "Have you ever seen such a place, Lit?" "All covered with bare trees" "All mountains are like that" "That's right" "That landscape is not such a special place after all" "Maan..." "Just give it up" "Lit, you go places everyday," "Why don't you help Maan?" "Sure!" "I can find it myself..." "I don't want to trouble you" "What a coincidence!" "Yeah, I'm looking for the place" "Are you busy?" "Plenty of letters to deliver, got to go" "How much is the yogurt?" "3 yuan" "Here you are, thanks" "Where's that little boy today?" "Goldfish Dung?" "He's hooked onto another goldfish" "One with a big bowl of popcorn" "Thank you for saving me the other day" "Did you hurt your leg?" "Just an old wound" "Tung said you've lost your sense of smell" "I thought you were trying to..." "Kill myself?" "People don't take their lives so easily" "It's not that easy to die" "Excuse me, how can I get to this place?" "Cross the road to that shop" "Turn right and then left" "Cross the road to that shop," "Turn right and then left" "Thanks That's OK" "Thank you" "For knowing how to speak Cantonese?" "Still after the place in the sketch?" "My boyfriend drew this before he passed away" "He said the landscape lingered in his mind all the time" "It was a mystery to him" "It's been 6 months since I found this" "Somehow the landscape... has been transplanted into my mind instead" "I just wanna take a look at it" "Perhaps I can solve the mystery for him" "Must be very special" "I'm sure we can find it" "The first time I met you, I was asking for direction too" "Oh, you remember" "Hang on" "This is the map you drew for me" "There's a picture." "Did you draw it?" "Yeah, I did" "I long to become a children's book illustrator" "Heard of the Czech, Peter Sis?" "Yeah, he's famous" "Illustrates children's books, right?" "Do you write stories as well?" "I remember I once read a fable about a ginseng tree turning into a mischievous genie" "'Ginseng Doll'" "Ginseng Doll..." "My stories need work on them" "I hope they'll be published one day" "Any progress so far?" "No, my drawings are not as good as your boyfriend's" "20-May-00" "Hot, late afternoon" "Looks like going to rain" "The sky is burning red" "Just like Maan's red dress" "All of a sudden, I'm elated" "Within seconds, my worries vanish without a trace" "I feel like the happiest man on earth" "Excuse me, gentlemen" "Do you know this tree?" "Plum tree" "Is it?" "Yes" "Cherry" "These are old houses" "See if they're in the photos" "Thank you" "Thanks" "Try this, it's delicious" "What do you think of today?" "To look for it this way seems too desperate" "See, Qingdao is quite big" "The distance we covered today is just from here to there" "May I come in?" "Sure" "What a pretty dress!" "What happened just now didn't scare you?" "No, it's alright" "Have some water" "Thanks" "That man is my ex-husband, Wu" "This hotel belongs to his grandfather" "You got married very young?" "See that old bike in the yard?" "Since I was ten," "Wu took me to school on that bike every day" "I always knew we'd get married" "When I turned 19, we just did it" "It must have been a great romance" "On the contrary" "We turned out to be an ordinary couple" "It lasted only three years, and we got divorced" "But Wu just wouldn't let go" "If he wouldn't let go... that means he must love you very much" "Who can tell?" "What are you writing?" "That's Sam's diary" "I'm copying it" "Have you finished?" "Not yet, I only copy one piece a day" "Why?" "It doesn't feel right to copy too much at a time" "After all, he wrote it day by day" "I should copy it one piece a day, too" "The neighbor copies the Buddhist sutra every day" "Book of Heart'?" "She does it to improve her husband's karma and calm herself too" "And here you are, copying a diary" "That's really something!" "It's an owl" "So that's how an owl sounds" "Never heard one beforet?" "There are no owls in Hong Kong" "How about this?" "I don't know" "And this?" "No." "What is it?" "Two choices:" "Cuckoo or nightingale" "I've never heard of cuckoo" "So... what's the other one?" "Nightingale" "Nightingale!" "Must be a nightingale" "Right?" "A cuckoo" "No way." "There's no such bird" "There is!" "No" "Listen its name comes from the way it sounds" "Try another one" "I'm sure you know this" "What?" "A baby" "A baby crying!" "OK, seriously" "Listen to this" "I know that" "What?" "Chicken" "Hen" "A hen" "Another one..." "Shut it up, it's late!" "Quiet..." "Be quiet..." "What do you do in Hong Kong?" "Take a guess" "Give me a clue" "A clue..." "OK" "I don't know" "No idea..." "Another clue" "You don't get it?" "No" "You don't get it..." "Forget it then" "I really envy your boyfriend" "You miss him so much" "It must be the same with your girlfriend" "I don't have one" "You don't?" "No, it's true" "Really?" "No way!" "You must be kidding" "What kind of man was your boyfriend?" "Where are your gloves?" "My gloves..." "I left them in the shop the other day" "Take these." "I'll get them back off you later" "Don't bother, keep them for yourself" "The shopkeeper's a friend of mine" "Wear these" "You'll catch cold" "I don't feel cold" "You will catch cold" "Take this" "One for you, one for me" "Thanks" "We had hotpot last night, where were you?" "Too tired, I went home straight to sleep" "Excellent hotpot!" "I won't miss it next time" "Is a girl from Hong Kong in your area" "Tung's relative" "You've met her?" "Pretty?" "They say she is" "Not bad." "But she looks so melancholy all the time" "Sound likes you know her pretty well" "It's not like that!" "Come on, admit it" "Mai, stop joking around" "Joking?" "What do you say?" "Fine." "We're in love, satisfied?" "I n love!" "I bet you'll soon break up" "Don't you know?" "The latest roster is out" "Make sure you check it out" "Where are you posted to?" "Another district" "Sorry" "Am I late or are you early?" "Whatever" "Which way?" "That way" "Is that Sam's elementary school?" "I guess so" "Tung mentioned" "Sam had once buried a time capsule under a tree" "I wonder if it's still there" "Let's check it out" "It's this tree" "How do you know?" "I just feel it" "Sam would pick this tree" "Be careful" "Careful!" "A comic book" "Which sport's this medal for?" "Decathlon" "I have my own time capsule, too" "My first diary entry" "Mother left today to go to Hong Kong" "I'll write down everything each day from now on" "So, when Mother sees me again she won't miss anything" "Alright, let's go" "Be careful" "Why bother?" "It's buried anyway" "What do you mean?" "Let's go" "What's wrong with you?" "Something's wrong with you" "You're so obsessed in someone's past" "It's none of your business" "I can't believe you were lovers" "You know nothing about him" "Why'd you change areas with Dong?" "You know how careless he is" "Are you serious about that girl?" "My turn..." "Don't be like that" "Do you know what she wants?" "She looking for the landscape her dead boyfriend painted" "So once she finds it, she'll leave?" "I just want to help her" "You're such a fool!" "The noodles are too hard" "Hard?" "I just remembered something." "You know I told you a landscape keeps coming into my head?" "It must be somewhere in Qingdao" "Qingdao?" "The place where you lived as a kid?" "Perhaps a place I used to go..." "I'm not sure" "How about..." "Let's go there to take a look" "Maybe it only exists in my imagination" "Hello, Lit." "Hi, Tung" "Any letters?" "No" "Maan's out shopping for me, she'll be back soon" "Come in for a while" "Alright, it's cold outside" "Come on in" "Let me check again" "Plenty to be delivered" "Nice drawings!" "Did you draw them?" "Is this a blind girl?" "Yeah" "She's looking for something, right?" "I've got to go now" "OK" "Bye" "Thanks" "Have a nice day You too" "I have to go" "Wait!" "What do you think of this scarf?" "Pretty good" "It's for you" "Why?" "Wear it on your round" "Keep it for yourself" "Maan" "Why are you here?" "What's the hurry?" "Let's have a race" "Sorry" "Sorry." "I won" "Come on, The drinks are on me" "What's so funny?" "I just came by the hotel to look for you" "You did?" "I've thought of a place... that might help us" "Door's closed" "What?" "This way" "Where are we going?" "Get the chair" "The chair?" "Yes" "The chair" "Quiet" "Be careful" "What're you looking for?" "Got it!" "History of Qingdao" "What?" "History of Qingdao" "Which was your boyfriend's childhood favorite place?" "I'm not sure" "18-Sep-00" "Drizzly afternoon" "I opened the drawer today to find my socks ordered neatly like mushrooms" "So this is how Maan folds socks" "Looking at the mushroom socks" "I feel the certainty of blissfulness" "What's wrong?" "What took you so long?" "Dong has gone in" "He's lost a very important letter." "Go" "Come in" "Why are you in such a hurry?" "I've found it!" "What?" "I've found that place" "Really?" "Shall we go?" "Waita minute" "It's not here!" "Why not?" "It's definitely the place" "It's different from Sam's painting" "What's different?" "I don't have the feeling" "So this isn't it after all..." "You really want to find that place?" "Of course" "Don't you?" "Once you found it, will you leave?" "Let me... stay here by myself for a while" "12-Aug-01" "Late night" "I can't remember since when" "I can no longer taste food" "The doctor told me today" "I'll only live until next July" "When I get back home, I won't dare even look at the calendar" "Why am I denied of chance to taste life's bitterness?" "All by yourself?" "Where's Tung?" "She went out" "Again" "Is the shop closed today?" "No wonder she keeps you" "Day off?" "Yeah." "I'm off today" "Look, I found lots of old postcards at a stall" "See if any place looks similar" "Lit, you know what?" "You are the only person who's seriously helping me." "Really?" "Maybe it's because I'm a postman" "I have the feeling I can find that place" "I won't rest till I do" "Sometimes I wonder... if that place really exists" "Your hair's too long." "Let me cut it for you" "Don't bother!" "It's OK" "I've bothered you too much as it is" "Alright then" "What's wrong?" "Nothing" "All done" "I'm sorry" "Did I blow hair in your eye?" "Let me do it" "Open your eye" "Is that better?" "It's late." "I should go" "I'll be going" "Something wrong with the bulb" "I'll turn it off" "No, it's just loose" "OK, it's fixed." "Just a bit loose" "I have to go" "I'll go now" "I thought... you wouldn't come to the park today" "Why?" "I don't know..." "Anyway..." "I'm glad that you've come" "I'm relieved that you did come" "There's a snack bar over there" "I'll go get some ice cream" "It's good to have ice cream in winter" "Wait here" "Time slips by quietly" "There's no turning back" "Even though I've long been expecting this disease" "I dreamed I could go on living somehow" "There it is" "It comes up into my head more and more frequently" "Why would that landscape be the very last thing on my mind?" "I get more and more annoyed by that mental image" "Seems like that's the place..." "I'll go when I die" "Hey!" "Are you going out?" "Sorry I idin't tell you" "You've made some for me?" "It's OK" "Why don't you come along too!" "I know a good restaurant" "No, aren't you on a date?" "I'd only be in the way" "That doesn't matter" "Haven't seen Lit for quite some time..." "Is it not working out between you two?" "When I was with Sam, he never talked about his childhood" "or how he grew up." "And I never thought about it" "But since I got here" "I have such a strong feeling... of having him around... breathing the same air, seeing the same scenery" "Or even eating the same snacks" "But lately..." "I'm been afraid" "I've started to think of him less and less" "What I've been cherished in my heart is beginning... to fade away" "And right in this city where he grew up" "I've been thinking of another man" "It's incredibly painful for me" "Wu, what's wrong with you?" "Stop it!" "Stop it, Wu!" "Stop it!" "Go away!" "Go away!" "Are you making New Year rice cakes?" "Smells good" "Being able to eat the rice cakes you prepare makes my whole life worth living" "Get in this side" "Be careful" "The old lady's locked herself away since her husband died" "I'm so worried" "Shall we ask her to eat with us tonight?" "Yeah" "Take some dumplings from the kitchen with you" "It's me, Maan" "Thus I have heard." "Once the Blessed One was dwelling in Rajagriha at Vulture Peak Mountain..." "What happened, Maan?" "Thus I have heard" "Once the Blessed One was dwelling in Rajagriha at Vulture Peak Mountain together with a great gathering of the sangha of monks..." "How's it going?" "Fine" "Hello, Tung" "Good morning" "Good morning" "Are you good at making rice cakes?" "Don't you know she's a famous cook around here!" "I've heard that you're looking for a place" "Have you found it?" "Not yet" "It's been more than four months" "Isn't there a sketch?" "Let me have a look" "Go get it, Maan" "Alright" "This is it" "Isn't this Deng Ying?" "No" "I've been there." "It looks different" "Is that so?" "How could I have forgotten" "Sam and his family lived there till he was 5" "Spring there is the most striking but it's entirely different from winter" "This is a sketch of spring in Deng Ying" "The white empty parts... are the blooming pear blossoms" "Everybody knew this place when I was young" "Why're you here by yourself?" "Where's Lit?" "His leg' hurt, he can no longer be a postman" "Lit lives on the 2nd floor of that warehouse" "Go ahead" "It's not locked, come in" "Maan..." "It's you!" "Come on in" "I heard you hurt your leg" "It's nothing, just an old wound" "Take a seat" "I've come to say thank you" "I've found the place" "It's spring in Deng Ying" "So it really is Deng Ying." "He's given you an entire sea of flowers" "It's too dark here" "Let me open the curtain" "The truth is..." "I'm afraid... of actually finding the place" "I've a hunch... that once I've found it" "everything will disappear for real;" "Sam will disappear for good..." "and everything will end" "I'm..." "I'm sorry" "Don't say that" "Will you go to have a look?" "Maan!" "This is for you" "I draw it after I've met you" "I haven't drawn the ending yet" "Lit!" "I haven't seen you in ages" "I heard you quit" "Found a new job yet?" "I'm going to Beijing tomorrow" "Beijing?" "I've sent my drawings to a publisher there" "They want to see me" "I'll leaving tomorrow" "Maan is leaving tomorrow too" "Will you come to see her off?" "I'm afraid there might not be time" "You were friends after all" "I have to go now, Tung" "Lit!" "Maan" "You left these in your room" "Thank you" "The taxi's waiting, let's go" "Thanks for everything, Tung" "You're welcome." "Take care" "I will" "I ran into Lit yesterday," "He's going to Beijing for work" "He can't come today" "Time to go" "Write me when you get home" "Have a safe trip" "The painting on that wall is beautiful" "What place is it?" "It must be Deng Ying" "That's not far" "How about going to take a look?" "I'll charge you a fair price if you want to go"