Hong Kong Young Writers Anthologies Fiction 12 | Page 495

The New Tales of Old Shanghai
The Independent Schools Foundation Academy, Tao, Matthew Guo Hao – 10
M
y family and I were walking around the Shanghai Museum reading about the war between the poor and
the rich throughout the history of China. I felt very sorry for the poor in those days and was curious to
find out how they lived, so for the first time I decided to use my time turner which I had earlier acquired in an
antiques market nearby. I twisted the screw delicately a few times because every turn was supposed to bring me
back a decade in time.
After twisting the screw about ten times, I felt as if I was falling from the top of a chimney into an empty fireplace.
When I opened my eyes, I found myself in the courtyard of someone’s home. The decorations reminded me of a
stately home from old Shanghai at the turn of the twentieth century. The ornate bricks on the walls of the house,
the delicate tiles on the flower beds and the stained-glass windows were distinctively Shanghainese, and possibly
characteristic of the late Qing Dynasty. My marvel at the decadent surroundings was abruptly interrupted by loud
voices directed at me, saying in Chinese, “Get out or we will kill you!”
Two men wearing tattered rags and old Chinese clothes ran towards me angrily. In a flash, I remembered the heavy
gold coins from my latest purchase at the antiques market in Shanghai, so I quickly reached for them in my pocket
and offered them to the men.
“May I please see your master?” I requested politely. Seeing the shiny gold coins, their eyes sparkled with joy and
their faces lit up as if they had not smiled for a hundred years, beaming from ear to ear. They immediately led me
inside the house. It was a glamorous home fit for imperial officials if not emperors and royalties. Every corner was
extravagantly adorned with fine silks and intricate embroideries. After shaking hands with the master of the house, I
sat down and was served tea by the servants.
“Hello, I am Li Mao from Modern China, which means I have come from the year of 2017 in the future.” The
master of the house gasped in disbelief, “Nonsense! You are only a normal person.”
Ignoring his stubbornness, I pressed on eagerly, “Mr. Fu, please believe me. I simply want to warn you that there
will soon be a revolution because for years, you and your friends from the elite society have not treated your
servants well, and you are not looking after the poor. May I advise you to start taking care of the underprivileged?
Give them decent clothes that will keep them warm in this bitterly cold weather. Feed their starving children,
provide them with an education and give them a chance to build a better future for themselves. Be fair to them.”
Mr. Fu was not impressed. He answered sheepishly,” Are you saying they are planning to fight us? They will never
win the war against us! We are strong, and have the means to prepare ourselves with the latest and expensively
sophisticated weapons.”
“Well, who will fight for you? All the soldiers are from the poor and have been badly treated by people like you.
They will not want to serve you as they loathe your class of people.”
I tried to reason with him. But Mr. Fu only became more aggressive and shouted at me with an air of arrogance, “I
have all the money in the world, more than you will ever earn in your lifetime. I will take care of my soldiers. Leave
at once!” Provoked, I shouted back at him, “If you do not listen to me, you and your wife and all your children will
be assassinated in no time.” In disbelief, he barked at his servants ordering them to escort me out of his home.
As soon as his master was well out of earshot, the servant whispered to me with curiosity, “What happened in there?
Why was there so much shouting from Mr. Fu?” I answered him calmly, “I simply asked him to take better care of