Time: 3:08PM, October 28th, 2012
Place: Lang Family Hutong
Character: “The Chairman”, 42 years old

“Hey girl, are you in middle school or high school? Do you go to gym?” While hesitating about whether or not to talk to a sofa sitter, the man sitting on the brown couch ends up starting the conversation for me.

“Can you swim?”

“Yeah.”

“What stroke? Freestyle or breaststroke?”

“Both, but my freestyle’s a little better.”

“Do you usually swim? How many times a week?”

“No, it’s just for fun. And you are?”

“I do physical education work. Your build really fits swimming. Interested in some formal training?” He says I just need to leave a number with him

I quickly explain, “No, no. I’ve already got a job. I’m almost 30. At that age, I’d be about to retire in the sports world.”

The older woman next to him cracks a smile and says, “These days you can never tell people’s age from their face. He’s a board member, and we’re looking for talent. Ha-ha!”

“The Chairman” is from Shanghai and his face actually has stereotypical Shanghainese features, he’s holding a glass and sitting on a sofa chatting an older woman. He’s already been in Beijing’s Lang Family Hutong for about 15 years. ” The sofa belongs here,” he says and points across the way at the mahjong room. “It used to be in there but they bought a new one and put the old sofa by the door. The mahjong room’s small and when there’s not enough room for customers they would wait outside. So this sofa was perfect.”

“Is the mahjong room yours?”

“Nope. It’s a friend’s, the husband of the old woman who was just here. We’re good friends, so when I’ve got nothing to do I come and hangout out in the sun and drink tea.”

The mahjong room was actually converted from the first floor a residential building by opening up the wall and installing a sliding door. Walking through the hutong’s wall-lined street, this is the only door you come across. Thus, this has become a place for the building’s residents to pass time and hang out.

“There are quite a few elderly in this building. During the day they’ll come out and sit here.”

“How many times has the sofa here changed? What number is sofa are these two?”

“Many times! When my family got a new sofa we threw our old one here. Everyone from this building throws their old sofas here.”

I pull out my camera and say, “Can I take a photo?”

“The Chairman” happily consents and even gives me pointers on my shooting technique, “You should take a candid shot of me drinking tea and chatting. That would be more natural, but when I’m actually sipping the tea don’t shoot. It doesn’t look good when your mouth’s open.”

As I leave, he asks if I’ll come back and take photos of the sofa. I say I’ll frequently come visit, and he says I’ll definitely run into him again and see him drinking tea.

(Two weeks later I returned to Lang Family Hutong, the mahjong room had a “For Rent” sign hanging outside the door, the sofa has gone, and the Chairman was nowhere to be seen.)

（Text and Photos by Tangran）