The Windownesian: Ch 10-12

By The Sapient Sabre

The Windownesian series features the adventures of the university student Jonathan Wills with his friends Meander, Athena, Zedekiah, as well as his roommates Alex the AI and Bobby the Alien. Each chapter centres around one topic, recording our characters experiencing it, and discussing it.

“I still love my motherland and the sensible people living in it. But there’re dark histories I’m ashamed of and selfish people I avoid.” This is Chapter 10 centring national identity which foregrounds the conflicts Jonathan faces when interacting with people of his bloodline.

“I’d rather be an incomplete human than a somewhat robot”, the attitude of Jonathan on prosthetics. Chapter 11 is where after some hesitations, he replaces his broken left arm with a robotic one. Complications arise when he finds out his prosthetic limb can…

“Are [boars] more dangerous or are we more dangerous?” Chapter 12 centres around this controversial wild beast, and pits animal rights against human safety. This is a chapter where, Jonathan becomes something he didn’t expect to be.

“We think difference, differently!”, perhaps the most iconic line of the series. But what does it mean? And how is it related to the series? Read the Writer’s Commentary to find out.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Partridge Publishing Singapore
• Release date: Aug 15, 2023
• ISBN: 9781543780598

The Sapient Sabre

Graduated with First Honours and currently teaching, The Sapient Sabre (aka Tim) enjoys creative writing. The English Department of Hong Kong Shue Yan University broadened his horizon with Cultural Studies and more, as well as encouraged him to voice out for the have-nots in our world. He thinks difference, differently!

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Contents

Chapter 10   Bother My Bloodline

Chapter 11   Becoming McSheen

Chapter 12   The Boar Roars

Humans, Non-humans, and The Windownesian -Writer’s Commentary

The Windownesian

Chapter 10

Bother My Bloodline

2003: Hong Kong launched the Individual Visit Scheme welcoming Mainland visitors to boost the economy

Late 2021: The Policy Address was presented with a plan for the Northern Metropolis Development Strategy

Mid-2022: The Chinese Government announced to take control and oversee the Development Strategy

2025: The first railway line across Hong Kong and Mainland was established

2026: The first Public Estate was established in the Northern Metropolis

2027: The first batch of residents moved to the Northern Metropolis

January 2028:

Winter holiday is not over. But here I am, taking a long trip from rural Yuen Long to the campus in Braemar Hill. I don’t usually travel for 2 hours, not when I don’t have to. Now I chose to suffer, for a very good reason. I need to borrow some books for my Honours Project. As I return to the stuffy room from the campus library, I see my roommate Alex the AI in his seat.

I thought you were away until the next semester, he says as he sees me.

I need these, I place two thick books on the table with my right hand, can’t get these elsewhere.

You don’t use E-books? They are easier to obtain and convenient to read, my roommate suggests.

Nah, I want to keep a physical copy, so that it would be easier to jot notes, I explain.

Doubt, says the AI, you can highlight any line you want in your digital books and they automatically become your notes.

Handwritten notes are ten times better, you remember what you noted. Suddenly, my mind reminds me that today is a holiday. And I say to Alex, wait a second. Why are you here? I thought you went travelling.

Well, I did. And it was so much fun, says the AI.

So, where have you been? I ask him.

Shenzhen. And boy what a wonderful experience, he remarks, You know, they are advanced, really advanced in technology! They use fully automatic cars to get themselves around. I can take a driverless taxi, basically a moving pod to get around. They use robotic dogs to deliver goods. They have service bots in cafes and restaurants. The whole thing is just superb! I have recorded some footage, wanna have a look?

What about the people there? Are they nice? I ask.

Well, most of them are nice and will kindly talk to you. Just… Alex stops and says, I don’t like some of them. They talk aloud. The cars move fast and never let pedestrians go first. You know, he complains, I almost got hit by a manned car! Luckily I dodged that.

Or else you would have been like this, I point at my left arm, having flashbacks of a car with a Chinese car licence crushing at me. (Jonathan had an accident last month.)

Ooo yea. Oh wait, with just an arm, how are you going to move your books back home? Alex asks.

I have a backpack. Well, at least their windows are open right? I ask.

Indeed they are! Alex exclaims, fresh air and plants everywhere! Unlike the Windownesian.

Speaking of the elephant, where is he? I address my alien roommate named Bobby Tataraka.

Bobby is not an elephant, Alex notes.

I know. It’s metaphorical, I explain.

I don’t know man, haven’t seen him since I am here, says Alex. But the windows are still closed. He may not be gone for long. Anyway, I will be leaving this airless room soon. I am just here to pack a few things for my next trip.

Oh really? To where? I ask.

Shanghai, Alex answers.

Good for you. I cannot go travelling now. I have books to read, I say.

Told you to get digital books, so that you can read them on the way, he says.

I will just read them at home. Bye. I leave the room.

I return to my home. It is a three-storey house in the middle of Tai Tong, Nam Hang Tsuen, rural Yuen Long, the green outskirts of Hong Kong. My family lives on the middle floor, whereas the ground floor and the third floor belong to our neighbours. In Hong Kong, only the extremely rich can afford the whole building. Families like mine can only afford a unit. There is a balcony just next to the living room, we use it for laundry. From time to time, I love to meander on the balcony. After opening a glass door, then a loud heavy metal gate, a similarly tall pink building is in sight. According to the previous owner, decades ago when this house was just built, one could watch the sunrise from here. Nowadays, the frontal scene is blocked because of the building. The only way to enjoy the scenery is to move to the sides of the balcony. On the right, there is not much to look at. There used to be short three-storey buildings filling up the scenery. Now that the so-called Northern Metropolis Development Strategy is a thing, I watched these concrete huts getting demolished one by one. Large trucks visited this rural land every day and slowly, also quite annoyingly, buildings reaching ten, sometimes twenty storeys spawned across the land. It didn’t take long for these grey giants to replace the sky we once saw. What the developers didn’t dare to take, are the landlords’ houses. Moving a few steps to the left side of the balcony, walk past the washing machine, there you can lay your arms on the railings and enjoy the scenery. Short houses scatter scarcely across the road. Mountains fill the backdrop. These dark green giants stand next to each other with dense trees covering them. Birds of all sorts used to sing to wake people up. There are fewer birds compared to several years ago because of the construction. Since the Northern Metropolis flattened many hills in the New Territories to create space, this scenery is believed to be the last piece of green you can see in Yuen Long.

The neighbours downstairs have moved away since the father of the house passed away. Their children decided that it is a good idea to move the mother to the town centre for better care, leaving the house empty. They had a garden, planting all sorts of greens and floras you can imagine. Two tall mango trees are reaching our window. So close to us, we can touch them with ease. For some reason, we didn’t collect even one. Every late Summer as the mangoes ripe, they managed to collect all the fruits and share some with us. Now that they are gone, the garden is filled with the remains of once-thriving plants and long wild grasses. Every time I look down from the balcony, I can’t help but feel hollow.

One evening, a large truck appears at the gate of the once-populated house. Noises start occurring since then. It takes us a few hours to realise, someone is moving in. After dinner, someone rings our doorbell. Since I am just reading on the sofa in the living room, I am closest to the door, so I proceed to open the door. Outside the metal gate stands a guy, possibly the same age as me. His face is round, so round as if he comes from a cartoon. By instinct, I know he is not local. I proceed to open the gate. He reaches out a hand and, in a Chinese accent, he says,

Ni hao, I am Ka Ho. I am new move-in.

Oh hi, I softly shake his hands with my right hand, Jonathan.

Sorry, what are you saying? He asks with an accent.

Oh. My friends call me Jonathan or Jon. You can call me Zhuang Man, I say.

Hi, Zhuang Man.

Ka…Ka Ho is it? Where are you from? I ask him.

I am from Sichuan, he says, with an accent.

Sichuan? My brother is studying there, I say.

Zhuang Man, he glances at my left arm, what happened to it?

Broken. Don’t touch it!

Mum comes to the door. She greets Ka Ho,

Oh hi, you must be the new neighbour!

Nice night, Auntie.

I leave them talking at the door, and dive into my room with my books.

The next morning shortly after dawn, I am woken by something outside. Usually, it is birds, but not this time. It has rhythm, it has lyrics. It is music. My room is right above the garden downstairs. I can see the garden by peeking out of my window. The Chinese melody is loud on full blast. Worse is the awful quality as it sounds like it is played from a cheap radio. I cover my head with my pillow and attempt to sleep. It works, I soon feel drowsy and sleepy. Just when I am hitting the sleeping point, a sudden fap of a folding fan wakes me up. Half-annoyed, half curious, I look down from the window. Ka Ho’s mother is in pink Chinese traditional cheongsam, or is that just pyjamas, dancing to the slow beat of the deafening rhythm. It’s not a school day, I want to sleep more. So I put on my furry slippers and leave my bed. To my surprise, the door of my house is opened. Meanwhile, the music stops. Must be Mum or Dad standing up to that noise. But soon after some female chattering noises, the music starts again. I drag myself down the stairs and reach their garden gate. Through the gate I see, oh no, Mum and Auntie are dancing to the music, looking cheerful. This won’t end well. Reluctantly I walk back to the room, and force myself to sleep with tiredness. I wake up several hours later, not naturally but being disturbed. I can hear the news. They must be watching TV at full volume. I can’t stand them. I move to the living room to close the balcony gate so that it will be quieter. Thankfully, they close the TV and leave in the early afternoon. The place is at peace again.

But peace doesn’t last long. In the early evening, as I am reading some books on the balcony, my nose detects something stimulating. It is the smell of burning toxic grasses. I should know, that was the smell of my dead grandpa whom I hated being hugged by. I look down, Uncle is standing in the garden smoking. He notices me and waves hi. I disappear into the living room, and close all the windows as tight as possible.

Soon it is Thursday the sixth. In the evening I meet up with my girlfriend Meander by Victoria Harbour to join her job. Meander works as a part-time host at a local broadcast called The People, a post she secured since her internship as a Journalism Major. And man, how good they are at picking nice scenery. Depending on the season, we always get to watch the sunset shining dim gold on the buildings before or after, sometimes during the programme. I find Meander leaning by the railing glancing at the amber waters.

You’re getting late, I greet her from behind.

So as my interviewee, she takes out her holophone, is it too difficult to understand addresses?

Is it a government official this time? I ask her.

Big one, called…I need my notes, she says.

Well, perhaps they are stuck not knowing how to take the MTR! I jest.

Very funny, Jonathan Wills.

The director has contacted the previous show to play one more song to buy us time. As everyone is in position, red lights are on and the director counts: five, four, three, two, and one…

Good evening ladies and gentlemen, welcome to ‘The People’, guardian of your voice and your right to information. I am your host, Meander Lee. Several years ago our government drafted the Northern Metropolis Development Strategy. With the first batch of residents ready to move into this metropolis, it is a good time for us to review this quite revolutionary city development plan. Today discussing the topic with us is Mister Mok Kwan Yu, the Commissioner for the Development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. Good evening Mister Mok.

Good evening Meander. Good evening audience. Please Meander, just call me Benjamin, says Mr Mok.

Benjamin is here to share with us this development strategy. So, let’s cut to the chase, Ben, tell us about the Northern Metropolis.

Sure. The Northern Metropolis is our new town development plan, a self-sustaining town across Hong Kong and Mainland China. It aims to alleviate the housing problem in Hong Kong and enhance Hong Kong-China cooperation. As a metropolis, it provides 926 thousand residential units and 650 thousand local jobs for the 2.5 million population. Basically a cross-border city.

You said a cross-border city with two and a half million people, but where does the number come from? I mean, are those populations from Hong Kong’s side or China’s side? asks Meander.

We have no exact answer and statistics here, says Benjamin, but we aim to include the population from both sides of the bay.

So, Benjamin, you said that the Northern Metropolis is going to be self-sustaining…

It is its biggest feature, says the guest.

How self-sustaining is it? asks Meander.

How self-sustaining? To explain how it works, I first need to address one feature that is different from previous projects. One weird thing in Hong Kong is that, jobs are generally concentrated in the South or the Central areas, while the residents mainly live in the North. That’s why every morning and evening you see people travelling every day. For instance, commercial areas are in Central or such, and Insurance companies are concentrated in Kwun Tong, so people cannot live where they work. That is not self-sustaining, residents cannot conveniently fulfil their career needs in the same area. Northern Metropolis, on the contrary, is the whole package, we provide everything. You can work and live in the same area. Not any low-paying jobs such as salesman or local restaurants which have little career development, but a hub of top jobs such as business, insurance, research and creative industries. It is going to outperform the old towns we have here.

Right, I see that you are thoughtful, comments Meander. Now, I don’t study town planning in detail, but putting housing and jobs together doesn’t sound reassuring to me. Take Kwun Tong as an example, it is infamous for its traffic congestion because of its mixed land use. So, how is the Northern Metropolis better?

The key here, Meander, is infrastructure, Benjamin explains, we admit, we didn’t do well enough in Kwun Tong. To be fair, we didn’t foresee it to be that crowded during planning. When we first set the main roads, we didn’t know the place would develop this fast. This happens in many towns such as Yuen Long and Tuen Mun, we built roads and arranged infrastructure before the buildings. Therefore the infrastructure can only sustain one land use. As towns developed, roads became too small. As the population grew, we realised that mere housing was not enough and had a hard time cramping schools, town halls, markets, and everything a community needed into the already crowded area. The Northern Metropolis will be different. We are generous when it comes to the quality and quantity of infrastructure, overdoing it so that not only does it sustain this decade, but also the decades to come when it further develops. Just like how we first developed areas around Victoria Harbour, but with an insight to prepare for the future at the very start.

So you are building a Victoria Harbour of the North? Meander says.

We are building the Victoria Harbour of the North but better, says Benjamin.

I see. Now before we continue, ‘The People’ values your voice. So dear audience, should you have any questions or opinions, please don’t hesitate to message us via CloudSound The People 2028, one word all lowercase. Yes, we have updated our account name to 2028. Moving on. Benjamin, there is one important thing we haven’t tackled yet about the Northern Metropolis. If housing is the problem you want to solve, then why is it necessary that the metropolis connect with Shenzhen? Clearing land in remote areas might be more feasible.

Umm one, relocating land use of existing lands proved more controversial than expected. The discussion on golf courses and the periphery of country parks never stops. But that’s another topic. Back to the connection with Shenzhen. Other than the cliche of telling you we want to connect Hong Kong with our motherland, says Benjamin, "we have a more insightful reason, that is Research and Development, we make use of the strengths of both places. We have to cooperate so that we can thrive together. I am talking about the development of every aspect from technology to business. A few years ago, we would say that Hong Kong do the research, whereas Shenzhen sustain the market and business promoting technological discoveries to the Mainland market. Now, things changed. Shenzhen is in many ways better equipped and advanced than Hong Kong, at least from a technological perspective. Shenzhen is now doing more research. Hong Kong is still important, it is a stepping stone to the global market and we still need Hong Kong to reach international corporations. Building