An Encounter with Girl Who

A young girl suddenly appeared in front of my eyes. She smiled at me, and I responded. I took a quick glance at her with the help of the flashing lights. Long, blond hair, simple T-shirt with a seven-tenths jean, she was a just a little girl of sixteen of seventeen, I suppose with the addition of her vigorous and a slightly childish expression. We started to talk to each other. I found out that she was about the same age as my cousin who recently graduated from high school. She quit school after graduation in her hometown, Hu'nan province, and came toGuangzhouto work. Working in a factory as an office clerk near Huangbian, whereTimesMuseum is, she often has nowhere to go after lunch. She complained that the factory was a little noisy, and people here inGuangzhou were not as friendly and sincere as the ones she met at school. She missed her classmates.

You may assume that she is just a so-called migrant worker who can't adapt herself into the fast-paced industrial world as many similar cases unfold. Yes, she is. However, in her tone and through her eyes, I saw a ray of hope and vitality instead of complaint and despair. She was dancing when I stepped into the dark room, I could tell. Afterwards she told me she would love to take a dancing class to practice Hip-Hop, which is her favorite. Not satisfied with her current work and situation, she told me that she would not work there for a long time and she believed that she would realize her dream someday and have a good future with strong conviction. She liked the environment here, especially this discotheque with flashing lights, which create a stage atmosphere where she can show her performances. She even waved her arms and danced her steps. Though I knew nothing about Hip-Hop, I was attracted by her youthful look and energetic temperament. And then I noticed that she was wearing slippers, which stood out a stark contrast with this so-called Museum. Yet, all my mind now was saturated with the girl's smiling face and my blessings for her dreams.

I browsed the pamphlet of this exhibition months later, and came across some descriptions of this installation, ''when the viewer stepped into the three-dimensional canvas painted by the lights, one also steps into an expectation that is destined to be neglected.'' What is my expectation? Does this installation disappoint me? Almost half a year has passed; I can't erase this girl out of my mind. I wonder if she still goes to the museum, and if she takes dancing classes or not. She is unusual in this place, yet she is as usual as everyone else. I don't mean to elevate art, but I begin to realize how significant a museum is for someone in need of a spiritual pure land, for someone who still holds a dream in an alienated city.