Looking forheritage inthe ordinary

Last week, I learned from online reports that the nearly century-old Xunlimen Railway Station in Hankou, Hubei province, had been demolished for commercial development. The news saddened me, for I spent my childhood in its vicinity.

During the 1950s and 1960s, my family lived in Xunlimen, after which the primary school I attended was also named. Every day, I passed by the railway station on my way to school and back home. The station was used for goods, not passengers, and I often slipped into it after school to play.

I loved seeing the railway staff in impressive uniforms, some of who were neighbors, waving red and green pennants to usher trains in and out of the station. The porters instilled a sense of awe in me as beads of perspiration covered their muscular bodies while they carried goods on gangplanks from the wagons to the platforms. I often peeped through gaps in large crates trying to see what was inside.