One day on earth: my date with Teresa Teng

"How do you feel Chinese?"

"I remember a Japanese friend asking me the same question. I gave him that answer. I am five thousand times as Chinese as the Chinese civilization. No more no less. Take it or leave it!"

"You lived a long period of time in Japan. As far as I know, you are always flying back to this country for some show. What is your outlook of a country that hurts China so deeply in the late thirties?"

"When I came to Japan at the late sixties, I was a young singer. In those years, few Chinese artists were acting in the Japanese scene. Because of my concern about my people's history, I remembered an uncontrollable force made me give my best. Unconsciously, I was trying to setup a bridge of friendship between Chinese and Japanese."

"Like a subliminal message?"

"Between a man and a woman, sometimes they loved each other sometimes not. If this happens, my ambition is to encourage them to love each other once again. As the years passed, I assumed this message for the two countries. Of course, at my level, that’s a tiny contribution. Because fate has given to me a voice, I had to make sense. I bring my stone."

She stopped a moment to breath deeply and added in a gentle voice.

"I am a lovesong singer, no more than that. What I am sure about, you shouldn’t impose love by decree. Love is intrinsically a subsequent part of freedom. A man and a woman need to impose on themselves a complete understanding of their freedom: the freedom to choose each other, the freedom to give birth to a wonderful feeling."

As silence felt between us, I wasn’t able to ask her another question. As I listen to her during this priceless interview, I come to realize how exemplary she is: a model of beauty, in-depth class and charisma, evolving together in a beautiful spirit.

I asked her to join me to attend a piano concert in the church of Saint Germain. A Rachmaninoff sonata will be played.

After the session, we walked a few miles through the Paris streets, crossing the Seine River. We talked about the mysteries of life. Destiny and fate. She was exuberant arguing as well. Lastly, we reach the old-fashioned Brasserie, Chartier, where we have dinner. I suggested that she eat andouillette sauce moutarde, the famous meat of this restaurant. I didn’t recall how many times we laughed together on any subject. It is then that a waiter went to our table and said, "A man and a woman so happy! That’s the purpose of love!"

I turned red while she posed a sweet smile on me.

The meal ended, she thanked me for this evening. On her way to take a cab, she said, "Please, don’t communicate my word to anybody. Just have it classified! Be cautious! Today's world is not like a love song."

As I intended to take her hand, she concluded, "Don’t be romantic! You told me that I am an icon. An icon doesn’t love anybody else other than her mirror!"

Then she laughed and got into the cab.

I then understood that I had to stay a man in the crowd away form any useless dream.

I never saw her again.

The original blog is at: http://blog.chinadaily.com.cn/blog-2067059-34948.html