Returning To Paris!
I am having a hard time wrapping my head around the notion that we will be returning to Paris only a short two months from now. Back in February, when we were invited to display my father’s work at Cite de l’architecture & du patrimione in October, it seemed so far away.
And, now we are once again preparing to go back.
Not that I’m complaining, mind you!
For Jenn, it means getting all the materials to the museum and making contacts with other people we weren’t able to meet up with last time we were there.
For me, it means booking us rooms and our flight. I immediately contacted the person whose lovely home we stayed at last time, but she informed us that her children were visiting so her place would not be available at that time. In conjunction with going onto websites for rooms, I do what I always do when I travel. I start telling friends about our impending visit and asked them to let us know if they knew anyone who would rent us rooms, perhaps someone wanting some extra income.
To my complete surprise, a friend came through for us. I will call her H because I’m not sure she would want her named mentioned, but she knows who she is. I accosted her in the rest room at the last conference after I heard her speak on architecture in Indonesia. I was so excited to tell her that I had spent 6 months in Bali. Somehow, after she met Jenn and Matthew, we all became good friends and have stayed in touch since then. She offered for me to stay in her room because she will be away then. Not only that – she asked her roommate how he felt about moving out for the duration, and word just came back that he would be willing to do so.
Not only do we have rooms, but they are much more affordable than last time. I am so grateful for this gift because we didn’t get the grant we applied for, so we are still personally funding this project.
Once again, I am in awe at the generosity of friends, old and new, who have supported us and continue to do so. It certainly makes me feel that we are doing the right thing in continuing with this research.
Needless to say, but I will anyway, I can’t wait to get back to Paris!
Gayook (Liou) Wong
Good luck with your research, this lost chapter of Chinese Architecture history shouldn’t be forgotten in dust.
Btw, a web page recently came in to my attention : http://www.xici.net/d172901814.htm.
The creator of this page declared that it’s Mr Liu’s work, and the style does looks to be so. It’s in Nanjing. What do you think of it ?
Thank you for your comments! Yes, the buildings on Yihe Lu were built by Liu. I used google translate to get the gist of the article you sent me but unfortunately I will have to get it translated for more accurate details. To see more recent photos of 9 Yihe Lu property and information as it has been told to my our family, go to: http://liujipiao.com/my-first-view-of-our-nanjing-house/