Of all the cities I have ever been to, no matter where, there was not one that wasn’t populated by what some chose to call “beggars and suchlike”.

Every one of those individuals is different of course. Some are nice, while others are wankers.

Back in Beijing, there was one guy I found particularly nice, and who I enjoyed helping out every now and then:

Beijing, September 5th 2005.

He spent a summer and a fall on a bridge across from my school. Whenever I was walking by him, it always felt like life had just slowed down just a tad. I never noticed him ask for anything. He would just lay there, often asleep. At other times he seemed caught up in some kind of mysterious activity. Did he play an instrument or do something else to attract passers-by? Don’t I remember him having a bad leg? The more I think about it, the less sure I am.

There was one thing that struck me about his appearance though.

Can you see what it is?