Preface - Eurologos

… I’m sure you’re wondering, dear readers, where else our globetrotter could possibly endup?! And here he is, on the banks of the Huangpu, admiring the bright lights of Pudong:Raimondo had begun a new adventure. His home in the shikumen lane was alwaysbrimming over with parties and friendly gatherings, plans and new opportunities.Then one cool spring evening, what do you think happened? It was one of those rareencounters, those meetings which seem to happen by chance… in the Yuyuan garden, inthe very middle of the old quarter, on the crooked bridge across the pond, they exchangedglances. A minor miracle.In an instant, Yang Yang and Raimondo the globetrotter blended perfumes, sounds, words,stories from lands far, far away. A sigh lingered in the air, then they began to tell theirstories. As they listened, they realised they were different but complementary, like theday fading into night and the night fading into day. Two became one, in the midst of thatpearl-like city.He said to her: 1Si beddu commu u suli,a ma vita fussi vacanti senza ri tiapirchi tu si troppu ‘mpurtanti ‘ppi mia...She answered: 2寒 冷 的 北 风 层 层 掀 起 , 雨 拥 抱 着 冰 雹 飞 舞 。如 果 你 真 心 爱 我 , 请 牵 我 的 手 一 起 同 行 。由 不 得 一 丝 迟 疑 ……So they sped away to the island of a thousand colours, before an ancient, most wonderfulsea: and what a great celebration there was! Raimondo in an immaculate and elegantmorning suit, complete with pocket watch and cane, and Yang Yang in her eleganttraditional cheongsam. They were married, and everyone rejoiced: the red dragon onthe hill roared, fuses blew on the Bund, in Paris the Eiffel Tower quivered, in Milan theMadonnina statue nodded, the fiery mountain erupted, and everyone danced.It was the triumph of Glocalland: a place where the union of faraway stories reached a peakof understanding. Love had blossomed, a new fruit had appeared on the tree of life. Andthat, after all, is what really counts.1Popular Sicilian poem: You are beautiful like the sun, / my life would be empty without you / because you areso important to me…2Lines from the Chinese poem “The North Wind”, taken from Poesie cinesi d’amore e di nostalgia, G. Mancuso,Newton Compton, Roma, 1995: If you are kind and you love me, / take my hand / and take me away with you. /Hurry! Hurry! / There’s no time to waste…29