The Preciousness of Encounters

I went to Shanghai for work.

At a Japan-China flower goodwill event, I was to give a demonstration and lecture at a large gallery in the city.

Our waiting room was the break room usually used by an elderly man who cleans this gallery.

Even when I greeted this man, he was brusque, with an annoyed expression, merely giving a light nod while drinking his tea.

By the time I leave here, I’ll definitely become friends with this person—thus began a challenge of mine apart from work.

The next morning, I bought an iced coffee at a coffee shop near the gallery, and when I offered it to the man in place of “let’s get along, starting today,” he shook his head with a scowl.

The female organizer who had been watching this came up to me and told me, “Shanghai people never drink cold things—not even beer,” so I could read the heart of the man who wouldn’t accept the iced coffee, and felt a little relieved.

When the preliminary preparations for the demonstration were done and I returned to the break room, the man was sitting on a chair at the table, listening to the radio and gazing at a photo—of what looked like his family—in a small frame on the table. I promptly asked in English, “Is this your family?” and didn’t he take out from his wallet a photo of what looked like his grandchild and hold it out to me, speaking to me in Chinese I couldn’t make out.

Even without understanding the words, the expression of one boasting about a grandchild is universal across all nations. Delighted, photo in hand, I gave him an OK sign.

The next day, the morning of the actual demonstration, when I entered the break room, the man, with a beaming smile, held out to me warm Chinese tea in a plastic container he must have made at home.

What a warm, good person. I patted him on the shoulder, spoke my heartfelt words of gratitude, and finished the demonstration and lecture in fine spirits.

Thus my challenge was achieved sooner than I’d expected.

On the day of parting, I gave him tea sweets bought at the morning market and a thank-you letter, and with a hug and a handshake we prayed for a reunion.

For me, the real thrill of business travel never begins without an encounter with someone.