not the time.’
‘Later? You’ll tell me all about it?’
‘Later. I promise. I will.’
‘So teaching martial arts is a part of it?’
‘Yes. A very large part. I go out to teach as well.’
So that was what he did. He went out to give international spies their basic training in martial arts. How cool was this. ‘Can you teach me?’
He studied me carefully. ‘You want to learn?’
‘Yes!’
He watched me silently for a while. Then he turned away. ‘No. I won’t teach you.’ I opened my mouth to object.
He spoke before I had a chance to. ‘I won’t teach you. Don’t bother asking again, because the answer will always be no.’
‘Why on earth not? Is it because I’m a woman?’
‘Here they come. They’re both soaked.’
He was right. Simone was full of smiles, but Leo was miserable. He gestured at the bottom of his smart designer slacks. ‘Ruined.’
‘I’m all wet too,’ Simone said. She pulled at her T-shirt. ‘Leo hates it, Daddy, can you fix it for him?’
‘Simone…’ Leo said, warning.
Mr Chen rose. ‘Could you fold up the mat for us please, Miss Donahoe?’ ‘Sure.’
When I’d finished folding the mat, both Simone and Leo were perfectly dry. Mr Chen took Simone’s hand and led her down the beach towards the statues. Leo followed. I brought up the rear, holding the mat and wondering.
The government had concreted the little peninsula at the end of the beach, and local rich people had donatedstatues of the various deities to be placed there. Most of them were life-sized, but some were enormous.
The two largest statues were of goddesses: one stood wearing flowing white robes and holding an urn; the other sat on a throne, wearing brightly coloured robes.
‘Is that Kwan Yin?’ I asked Mr Chen, pointing at the standing goddess.
‘Yes, it is,’ Mr Chen said.
‘I’ve heard about her, and seen her on temple tours.’ Everybody who’d spent any amount of time in Asia quickly learned to recognise Kwan Yin. People put statues and images of her everywhere, from small roadside altars to the front panels of taxis. The Goddess that Hears the Cries of the World. She was depicted in both Buddhist and Taoist temples, and was the only deity that the temple guides would talk about in detail. Everybody loved her; she was the spirit of mercy. She even had her own type of tea.
‘Who’s the other one?’ I said.
‘That’s Tin Hau, Goddess of the Sea.’
‘The same one as the MTR station?’
‘Yes. The station is called “Tin Hau” because there’s a temple nearby. Tin Hau has many temples in Hong Kong; the people here are traditionally seafarers, and she cares for them. Both of these ladies care for the sailors.’
‘What about the god in the temple on Cheung Chau island? He’s supposed to be a water god as well.’
‘Pak Tai? He’s very boring,’ Mr Chen said. He raised his voice to call to Simone. ‘Don’t go too far, sweetheart.’ He grinned at me. ‘You said you didn’t know anything about the deities.’
‘I thought I didn’t,’ I said.
‘Look at the dragon, Daddy,’ Simone called from a statue a short distance away. ‘It’s blue ! Dragons are supposed to be green !’
‘Dragons can be any colour they like, darling,’ he said.
I stopped to look at a statue of an old man smiling with his arms raised. He wasn’t in the book they’d so conveniently left in my room. ‘Who’s this?’
‘That’s the Old Man Under the Moon,’ Mr Chen said. ‘Yuexia Laoren in Putonghua. He makes sure everybody finds the right partner. Bang on the rock next to him and ask him to find you a good man.’
I just grinned at him. We moved further on.
‘Why does this one have a rabbit? And what’s the rabbit doing?’ The woman wore flowing brilliantly coloured robes, and the rabbit next to her seemed to be pounding something in a mortar and pestle. This goddess wasn’t in the book either.
‘You never stop asking questions, do you?’ Mr Chen said with
‘Later? You’ll tell me all about it?’
‘Later. I promise. I will.’
‘So teaching martial arts is a part of it?’
‘Yes. A very large part. I go out to teach as well.’
So that was what he did. He went out to give international spies their basic training in martial arts. How cool was this. ‘Can you teach me?’
He studied me carefully. ‘You want to learn?’
‘Yes!’
He watched me silently for a while. Then he turned away. ‘No. I won’t teach you.’ I opened my mouth to object.
He spoke before I had a chance to. ‘I won’t teach you. Don’t bother asking again, because the answer will always be no.’
‘Why on earth not? Is it because I’m a woman?’
‘Here they come. They’re both soaked.’
He was right. Simone was full of smiles, but Leo was miserable. He gestured at the bottom of his smart designer slacks. ‘Ruined.’
‘I’m all wet too,’ Simone said. She pulled at her T-shirt. ‘Leo hates it, Daddy, can you fix it for him?’
‘Simone…’ Leo said, warning.
Mr Chen rose. ‘Could you fold up the mat for us please, Miss Donahoe?’ ‘Sure.’
When I’d finished folding the mat, both Simone and Leo were perfectly dry. Mr Chen took Simone’s hand and led her down the beach towards the statues. Leo followed. I brought up the rear, holding the mat and wondering.
The government had concreted the little peninsula at the end of the beach, and local rich people had donatedstatues of the various deities to be placed there. Most of them were life-sized, but some were enormous.
The two largest statues were of goddesses: one stood wearing flowing white robes and holding an urn; the other sat on a throne, wearing brightly coloured robes.
‘Is that Kwan Yin?’ I asked Mr Chen, pointing at the standing goddess.
‘Yes, it is,’ Mr Chen said.
‘I’ve heard about her, and seen her on temple tours.’ Everybody who’d spent any amount of time in Asia quickly learned to recognise Kwan Yin. People put statues and images of her everywhere, from small roadside altars to the front panels of taxis. The Goddess that Hears the Cries of the World. She was depicted in both Buddhist and Taoist temples, and was the only deity that the temple guides would talk about in detail. Everybody loved her; she was the spirit of mercy. She even had her own type of tea.
‘Who’s the other one?’ I said.
‘That’s Tin Hau, Goddess of the Sea.’
‘The same one as the MTR station?’
‘Yes. The station is called “Tin Hau” because there’s a temple nearby. Tin Hau has many temples in Hong Kong; the people here are traditionally seafarers, and she cares for them. Both of these ladies care for the sailors.’
‘What about the god in the temple on Cheung Chau island? He’s supposed to be a water god as well.’
‘Pak Tai? He’s very boring,’ Mr Chen said. He raised his voice to call to Simone. ‘Don’t go too far, sweetheart.’ He grinned at me. ‘You said you didn’t know anything about the deities.’
‘I thought I didn’t,’ I said.
‘Look at the dragon, Daddy,’ Simone called from a statue a short distance away. ‘It’s blue ! Dragons are supposed to be green !’
‘Dragons can be any colour they like, darling,’ he said.
I stopped to look at a statue of an old man smiling with his arms raised. He wasn’t in the book they’d so conveniently left in my room. ‘Who’s this?’
‘That’s the Old Man Under the Moon,’ Mr Chen said. ‘Yuexia Laoren in Putonghua. He makes sure everybody finds the right partner. Bang on the rock next to him and ask him to find you a good man.’
I just grinned at him. We moved further on.
‘Why does this one have a rabbit? And what’s the rabbit doing?’ The woman wore flowing brilliantly coloured robes, and the rabbit next to her seemed to be pounding something in a mortar and pestle. This goddess wasn’t in the book either.
‘You never stop asking questions, do you?’ Mr Chen said with
Similar Books
