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Faces of Wuxi Series, vol. 8 – Lyu Qixiang

Wuxi resident Bradley Johnson here.

I love exploring and getting to know all kinds of wonderful people in this city.

Let me tell you about Lyu Qixiang.

Gate guards come in all shapes and sizes, with different backgrounds and personalities, and attitudes and accents, and thoughts, and things to say. We give and receive smiles and waves, and possibly even engage in small talk with some of them.

Yet, the truth is we probably don't even notice most of the men and women who watch over the many gates we pass through every day. At least, we don't actually think for a second who they really are. I am no exception. Places to go and people to see...

I am grateful, therefore, to 吕其香 Lyu Qixiang, for helping open my eyes.

On a given regular weekday morning, a thousand vehicles and warm-blooded mammals rush in and out of the various entrances and exits at the east gate of my former housing complex in Binhu district.

And every single day for the year I lived there, as I and my fellow residents whizzed by with all our busy-ness in tow and our eyes glued to a social media feed or starting up GPS navigation, Lyu Qixiang was a constant presence.

And by constant, I mean constant. In 2023, she manned her post from 7 am to 7 pm for exactly 365 days. When I interviewed her a few weeks ago, she told me she hadn't missed a day in 2024, either.

I decided to talk to her that day because it was a quiet moment at the gate and, well, she's awesome.

I'd noticed her friendly waves and warm smiles immediately upon moving in to the community. Her easy chats with residents, patience with everyone she dealt with, and the way she laughed with people's kids and bent down to pet their dogs all stood out to me. I told myself a hundred times I wanted to get to know her better.

But it took me almost a year to go up and initiate a full-on conversation. I didn't feel rushed, though. After all, she was always there.

When we finally talked, she laughed 69 times in 15 minutes—once every 13.81 seconds. Yes, I counted. And it wasn't just politeness. It was real, effortless joy, and it made me feel lighter just standing there talking to her.

Lyu Qixiang. [Photo provided to wuxi.gov.cn]

I asked her about her schedule—those long days, week after week—and she just shrugged and said, "We're used to it!" as if zero days off was no big deal. "I like working. The days go by quickly. Never a dull moment."

I commented to her that it seems like she is good friends with everyone. Her response:

"Ohhh, I wouldn't say that. It's just basic manners, you know? If people look my way, of course I'm gonna greet them and say hi. If they don't look at me, it's not like I'm gonna chase them down and make them say hi to me, haha. It's all about respecting each other."

"Are you ever in a bad mood and just don't feel like greeting people?" I asked.

"No, no, how could I not feel good when someone says hi to me?"

"Honestly, I feel like you're an endless source of sunshine."

Another one of the 69 genuinely humble, adorable laughs, plus a simple: "Thank you."

I left our chat feeling happy and inspired. At one point she had asked me if I had a business card because she wanted to stay in touch, but couldn't get out her phone to add my WeChat (she's a rule keeper!).

I didn't have a card, but I went home and made one—purposely cheesy and printed out on regular paper. I imagined her laughing again when she saw it.

When I went to give it to her the next day, she wasn't there.

A day passed. Then another. By the fourth or fifth day, I stopped to ask her coworker, and that's when I learned that Lyu Qixiang had moved on to a factory job. A good one, he said. They're laoxiang (from the same hometown), and he has promised me he'll pass along my card to her when he gets the chance.

I've since moved on from Wuxi, and she's moved on from that job, but I'm so glad I talked to Lyu Qixiang when I did. She was even more delightful than I'd imagined, and that's saying something because I already imagined her delightfulness level to be off the charts.

It's funny how an absolute constant—someone you think will always be there—can suddenly move on. Yet her impact on me lingers. Even now, when I pass the gate of my new housing complex in an entirely different city, I half-expect to see her smile and wave.

I hope she gets my card.

And I hope I—and all of us—learn to smile more often, to notice the watchers in our lives, and to bring as much light into the world as Lyu Qixiang did every single day she stood at that gate.

Can't you just feel her awesomeness? [Photo provided to wuxi.gov.cn]

Wuxi friends! Is there someone you think readers would like to see featured in the Faces of Wuxi series? Hit me up! facesofwuxi@outlook.com