demon

From the photos in the photo book, I couldn't tell Mei's gender at all. The photo book was printed in the 1960s and contains photographs of Chinese immigrants from the 1850s to the 1960s. Ah Mei, who belonged to the Chinatown bigwig of the 1930s, was 16 at the time. In the brown-toned black and white photo, Ah Mei is blurred into a few features: her eyes are huge, her mouth is small, and her forehead is pointed down from her cheeks, making her a caricature of beauty. A Mei behind, water lily Garden all the Denier net end ugly, more unclear, the lens focal length is aimed at a Mei. Below the picture was a comment in English, to the effect of: Look at this little beauty, can you believe she is a boy?

I asked the old man guarding the exhibition hall, "Is this a famous man?" The old man said, "May?" That was the first time I heard Mei's name.

It's much better to have a name. I don't have to get confused between "she" and "he" in English. I find a strange phenomenon that people who learn English late, for example, over 20 years old, often speak "she" and "he" when they do not pay attention, "he" and "she" at will to reverse, let the audience suffer.

The old man's name was John Winn. The name was written on a small white plaque on his chest. John Winn said there had been three such oddities in Chinatown's history. Because the first two let the troupe's fortunes turn, so it will be extremely difficult to find a Mei. A May such a person is there, and must look much the same, also have a similar mind, temperament, but how many years to a May. The old man asked me why I suddenly wanted to look for Mei. I said, it was you who told me about Mei; I walked into this gallery with no idea what I was looking for. The old man had a deceitful smile.

The exhibition hall is the size of a large living room, and there are two corridors and two corners, which are used as exhibition halls, lined with pictures and objects. The patchwork of the whole space thickens the rich shadows. Its door was one floor below street level, and it was the cheapest kind of apartment that had been converted. When you see the "Chinese Immigrant History Museum" sign, you either miss the entrance or you fall into a trap. The vast majority of people missed it, and I just walked right in. Later, more and more, I realized the existence of the ladder; The steps bend so steeply that they lead into the exhibition hall where you think the sewer opens.

Mei was 12 years old when she boarded the San Francisco pier, only three years old, and when she reached out, she could do kung fu with all her fingers. See a rose's blue fingers, others can't see. Ah Mei wore a white bamboo gown, leaving no doubt in the immigration office that he had nothing to do with the boatload of Chinese farmers. The immigration officer spoke with a big gesture, Ah Mei's two big black eyes followed his hand. The head of immigration does not understand the "far-eye" in the Chinese drama. He thought there was something suspicious about the child with the beautiful eyes. He thought Ah Mei must be a girl, dressed as a man because girls are extremely difficult to enter the country. The "Chinese Exclusion Act" mainly excluded women. A people without a woman is easy to manage, can not be rooted.

A May does not understand a word but is deeply attracted by the speaker. His eyes that follow people's movements and expressions are mesmerized, making people feel that he is understanding, is a deeper understanding and understanding. This is the beginning of all good misunderstanding. A May refused to undress, three tall head of the woman to a May coax scared, think the child is not understand. Ah May grind to the end also did not let them to strip clothes. Then Ah Xiang came. Ah Xiang was the foreman of the troupe. He froze at the sight of Ah Mei. Ah Mei is clearly a Lu who has been walking again and again for 30 years. Ah Xiang is very skillful, of course, let a Mei without any damage out of the immigration bureau checkpoint. He beat his chest to guarantee Ah attack is not a woman, is a woman he a Xiang first return. When he made this pledge, the immigration officers gave a kind of smile, as if they had suddenly seen the light. China has a tradition of eunuchs dating back thousands of years, and they have an exceptional understanding of the Chinese gender.

At 12 years old, Ah Cheng soon became what he looked like in the photos. His waist was so wrapped around the jaws of two tigers that he could touch his fingers. His eyebrows were drawn, and there was only a thin shadow; The mouth is small enough to be painted into a bright red bean.

I asked people about Mei in the street square. In the morning, there are old people around 70 playing the piano. The old men were keen to tell me that they had never heard of Mei, and that the Ho-Cheung did. He Xiang Theatre has changed its name several times, but its appearance is still basically that of A Mei. John Winn insists that no one over the age of 70 is unaware of Mei. At that time, Chinese people had few good things, except tea, tobacco, Ah Mei. Earlier gambling and kilns sister is a good thing, are banned, how can not remember a May? The old man John Wen was a little worried, for a May wronged, think I never told the truth when I entered the exhibition hall from the first time. He said, "And Mei made such a fuss!"

"What is it?" I asked.