Deep in Siheyuan: A Dream of 1958

An unremarkable, weathered old wooden door. Nobody thought there was anything special about it. But Ling Yun alone knew that every time he opened it and stepped through, the world beneath his feet changed. Outside the courtyard, there were no modern streetlights, traffic, or city noise. Instead, he found himself in the old lanes of 1958.

There were no exhaust fumes in the breeze. The air carried the homey scent of rice steaming over a coal stove, and bicycles stood outside the state-run supply store. Bicycle bells rang brightly along the street. People wore blue jackets washed pale with use, yet their faces held contented smiles.

Beneath the old locust tree at the entrance to the lane, old men chatted as they fanned themselves. Children ran around barefoot, clutching fruit candies and red bean ice pops that cost just a few cents.

The glass counter at the supply store’s grocery section was polished until it gleamed. Bulk soy sauce, coarse salt, malt candy: simple fare, yet full of genuine warmth...

When he closed the wooden door and returned to the present, he would look back at its weathered panels, feeling a little more warmth and reverence in his heart.

Unfortunately, our protagonist Ling Yun has no grand ambitions. All he wants is to slack off and lie flat. Come see how he appraises and identifies antiques, finds clever ways to get ahead, and makes the most of two different eras, eating, drinking, and having fun without a care in the world.