What Color Are the Cars?

It is really strange that I did not notice the color of the cars in China until a few months ago. I certainly did notice as soon as we arrived one and half years ago how different the ambiance here was compared to what I had expected. We have lived in Asia before (1988-1995). The cities we were used to were brilliant to the point of being glaring. There was a plethora of lights: blinking, neon, garish. The ancient buildings had clashing colors and sweeping eaves, with lots of symbols embedded in the arches. Signs hung from every available surface with stylized characters advertising everything imaginable.(That dangerously blew down in every typhoon, and then were replaced waiting for the next big wind.)

This is not what I see where I live now. There are big square sky scrapers for miles after mile. All street signs are sedate statements of street names and directions, in characters and pinyin.  There are signs painted directly on stores, but not hanging from the eves and the signs are basically very subdued. Now and then a neon light might light up the front, but they are quite conservative. Things are quite tasteful….and at times very dull.

But I had not realized that the cars themselves are all black, white, tan. It was just background, and I did not pay any attention.  But then I looked at the parking lot in front of our apartment. They are all the same!  I have seen about 2 cars lately that are different: one yellow one, and one rusty red. But that is 2 out of the literally thousands and thousands of cars around us. Just saying.

P.S. Thank you for remembering us. There was the same young man at Friday night meeting. Still seeking direction.

P.S. 2. Even if it is colorless, we have received some of the most careful customer care possible in our housing situation. We just realized that our refrigerator was not running at 4:30 on a Saturday afternoon. I called our apartment main desk. Within 10 minutes there were 4 people here looking at it. Ten minutes after that, two ladies came and helped us empty our fridge, and trade it for the fridge in our old apartment which is empty just across the hallway. Wow.