Do you understand what I am saying?

Tonight I have a story for you. A true story that happened to me at the Fuxing Park in Shanghai. The story that maybe will shake my life forever. The ones that know me will feel from my words; the ones that do not knowing will understand because the essence of the human being is the capability of thinking with openness and different eyes. For a long time I was predicting that something was going to happen in this trip. The senses of some people are building around experiences, colours and smells. Through intuition and sensibility. The world is only world because are populated by men and women capable of the worse and the better … still.. is our world and so much to see. This is my words that close a chapter of this trip. The Chapter of understanding. Today is 9th of October, two month for my 31 birthday!
Fuxing Park, 15h10, I sat down for a couple of minutes to rest from the long walk around the city. I took some photos of flowers, one café and a building. Suddenly a man with 90 years old (I was told later his age) approached me and said “That building is a club where people go dancing at night”. I just smiled and appreciated the perfect British English that was coming from that old chines mouth. His name was Tai. He asked me my country which I answered Portugal, and he immediately sat next to me, opened his bag and took out two big atlas, one in English another in Chinese. “In Portugal you speak Portuguese, is that it? You have a very small country but very nice people, isn’t it? I know that. Do you want to hear what the Chinese tell about Portugal?”He asked and started reading the Chinese Atlas: You are the western country of Europe the one towards the United States. And Lisbon is the most beautiful city in Europe. Is that true?” He was talking no stop asking questions and answered them at the same time. “Portugal is a Democratic country isn’t it?” China is not. I cannot read wherever I want, my newspaper is corrected by the communist and they are the ones that control this country” He told me.
He had learned English by himself and he used to speak French and German when was younger. Tai just loved foreign languages. For him different languages were the gate of the world, the escape of the arrogance, the understanding of the others, the community diversification and the true love for the world. Then he just told me his opinion about china:
“China in a non democratic country, we used to be very good workers, discovers and fighters. Now, we are just a people following a regime that dictates the rules which forbidden people of opening doors for a long time. Now people celebrate the 1st of October as the day of China, the National Day, and this is a package bought by the government to keep people happy. Do you realize that the biggest vacation of china is not in summer or New Year? Is the National Day, the day that Mao Zedong screamed the Republic Popular of China? The day that the government “offer” more seven days of vacation to travel around China, not out. They buy people with this psychotically way of living. Beijing is now preparing the Olympic Games. Everyone thinks that this is a great thing for China, which is our opening towards the world. But it is not, It’s just a strategically and political measure from the government, to buy the democratic countries and to show them “look at us! We’re open now”But the essence never change! China was extremely influenced by the Soviet Union before, and they became communists and the government do not want a perestroika in China or people against the regime because they prohibit the language learning and openness. So they open a little bit to give people a bone like a big dog that needs to be feed. Do you understanding what I am saying?”
This man at the end of each sentence about a delicate subject ended asking me: Do you understand what I am saying? He wanted me to get it profoundly, to understand and go deeply to the opinion of a lucid 90 years old man. Then I asked if he used to be a politician and if he had family ... Tai continued his story:
“No!! I am not a politician, I am just an engineer. My specialization was Naval Engineering. I used to work hard and in the top boats of China, before...Just before the communism. I am alone now. My family was injected with some poison as me ... but I just didn’t die. They were not so lucky. You know, we were democratic. And I am still very democratic, each day more. I know I always did the right thing, I know that I defend the right things. Now I cannot fight so much anymore, so I just carry my Atlas and I speak English. I would like to tell the world what is china and the manoeuvres from the government to defend the system with manipulative policies and disturbance measures of false openness. Beijing Olympic Games is superficial…the essence will never change. Only the young people have some power and world trends. Do you see the Statues of Engels and Marx over there? If China were democratic that Statues were on the ground. China is a big country with very nice people. But the communists for a long time forbidden to learn languages, to talk to foreigners, to get people in to our county. Now they see they have to conducted and control in a different way to be accepted in the world. See the North Korea case, they want to fit in because of the world trends. Countries want to fit in but china is doing in the wrong way, this president, Hu Jingtao, his worse than the former president Chen Shui Bian, because he was the second choice of the former president! Here president are choice s!He is just one more communist flash by power. Do you Know China policies do not kill people (like me) that are against the regime? they make us commit suicide. THey injected us to be crazy and to suffer and then we kill ourselves. I never did, I just suffered and skipped the suicide part. I sleep every night 7 hours. I sleep well because I always did the right thing, I do not have afraid. The Political Police comes here every day to check if I am not talking in another language and also to ask me my age. They want to see me dead. One day I Will die but not because they want me dead but because It was my time to die. Portugal used to be a Fascist country I recall now? It was Franco or Salazar? Ah I know, small country big name, big country small name. So it was Salazar that’s right! I like the Iberian Peninsula, look the tube that is joining Spain with France. Look it is like a boat that wants to go to the sea, and the small Portugal is there in the front, looking at the sea. That’s why you were navigators. You looked straight forwards. I kno about boats. Are you friends? Portugal and Spain?”
I said yes!! And he just said “Good I like Iberian Peninsula.”
He looked deeply in my eyes, I felt it in my spine, and smiled. The amazing the memory of that man, the memory of someone with the high associative power, the memory of someone that, for 10 minutes I thought was old fool in the park, was just an amazing person with his personal story and strong political opinions that would not bow down, for sure, until the day of his death. Suddenly 3 political policeman arrived a stayed there with us, serious looking into our faces, hearing our conversations. And they stay there for quite a bit. Then one by one they went away. Tai told me that they try to hear the conversation, but their English is so poor that they cannot catch the context and the meaning of the conversation. So he continued his story:
I cannot spend time home. The communist took me out everything, my TV and my radios (schhh I have a hidden one, that’s why I can listen and I ask people to give the newspapers ehehehehe). My House has a lot of Mosquitoes if I stay there I get sick. So I just stay here in the park with my world in the bag! If you have time go to Nanjing, maybe there you can know the truth of China, there you will find things you do not find in Shanghai. I know Clinton. Hilary once tried to take me out of China to go to the hospital because of the injections I ahd before. But the communist took out my passport. The have afraid of old man. Why? I am just an old now! You have to go to Nanjing.You will know the truth because you will understand the essence. Ines, Its 17.35 in 15 minutes the night will come really fast. Maybe you want to go to another place; we are here for a long time and you are just listening an old man. I will give you my address if you want to write me and if you want to know something about china. Please write…if you want or you need...
We took a picture that I promised I will send him. He didn’t want to tell me his birthday because we never know when we die so each day is a birthday. And that’s the essence of life for that man. Sleeping every night to the right side of bed, to fight for his believes, wrong or right, doesn’t matter, for him and for his heart are right. After the goodbyes I saw that man going away, he looked once more and he smiled and wave his hand, Do you understand what I am saying?