到台北已是下午。天空有雨，真个是冬季到台北来看雨。机场出发到酒店路上，眼前的这个城市普通得不能再普通，甚至有些许破败之感，当然与大陆城市的高楼大厦，甚至一些奇葩建筑群是不能比的，不能比的我甚至有些失落。我冬雨台北，来者为何？

    酒店门口，下车。上了年纪的司机极有礼节，甚至又有些固执的坚持，不用我帮手，与我拿下置于后备箱的很大的行李，致使我壮年一旁,心有不忍。酒店对面一栋高高的旧楼上，用大陆老式的水泥字凸出在墙上的黑字一行，让我心底一热，“贫者因书而富，富者因书而贵”。黑色繁体大宋，显得字字沉稳，如临江湖，铿锵有力。像是宣言，又似呐喊。只这一刻，瞬间便找到了，我要来干什么，要怎样的游走这冬雨里的台北。寻找人文，寻找许久不见的人文，找我的故旧。趁着，这冬雨。

    这个城市，因民主而显破败的市容，满眼的岁月流逝，所带给我们的时间烙印，每一个烙印似乎都在无尽的说着那个年月所发生的事情，就如一个归乡的战士，满身的伤疤在证明着一个刀戈沙场的往事。我想哪一个不会为如此的真实的而心有感触呢？

想我大陆，城市亮丽，老房子左涂右抹，仿如艳粉街。真实何在，真诚何在。视觉上已经找不到任何时间流过所带给我们的城市脉络。一座座塑料城市正在诞生，或者说已经诞生，千城一面。

我想中国的规划官员对台北的城市市容是不感冒的。因为也不敢感冒，感冒后会羞愧。谁又愿意当众羞愧呢。“破”怎么了，“破”得真实。这种精神，便是我们在不停扔掉的城市人文。从店铺招牌，到街边小档，请你们看看，你们汗颜的看看，你们给我们生活的城市创造的是什么。为官一任啊！

没到过“诚品书店”，只闻其名，想来唯哪家书店而已。进入其中，方知我之肤浅。原来是一个偌大的文化综合体。文化在经济不景气的台湾能经营到如此地步，实在难以想象。又能说些什么呢？还是不说了，其实有谁不明白，黄口小儿也心知肚明罢了。

雨中的巷子，旧时幌子的小档。餐馆的招牌，也是简单的繁体汉字，没有多少大陆式广告。“度小月”，“声声慢”，一个个店牌在细雨中的街里。从尺度，到情感，都有一种人文怀旧的小调。这小调，恰似让你如返国人丢失多年的，传统的过去。

冬雨台北，我愿淋一身传统人文之雨，书卷之雨。仿若民国，徘徊几处街头，便是一篇散文。游走几栋老屋，便添诗意。台北的冬雨，多下几场比较好。便为了这个多几场的冬雨，我愿常来。

                                                             Taipei in Winter Rain

It was already afternoon in Taipei at my arrival. The rainy weather reminds me of the singing “Come to Taipei in winter to see the rain”. On the way to the hotel, I was amazed, even a bit disappointed, by the plain look of this city flying over in front of my eyes. It is in no comparison with Chinese cities of fancy buildings and occasionally bizarre constructions. Why would I come all the way to Taipei in the winter rain? 

As we got off the taxi at the hotel entrance, this elderly taxi driver insisted to take out my huge luggage from the trunk all by himself, without me laying a finger on. It was a scene that’s a bit hard to bear for a young man like me. Up high on the old building apposite the hotel, a line of black concrete characters, in the old Chinese form, was projected on the wall. An inmost warmth traveled through me. It says “Books enrich the poor and ennoble the rich”. These black traditional Song style characters carried some powerful strength, like a statement, or a cry. That was the moment when I found the reason of my presence and my approach to wander through Taipei in winter rain. Search for humanity, the long-lost humanity, the old friend of mine, at the time of the winter rain.

The worn out face of this city as if recorded the years that would never come back again. The imprints of time are as if telling the endless stories of that time. Like a returned soldier covered in scars, proving the battles and wars. Who would not be touched by this realness?

Back in the mainland, old houses are disguised in bright paint, sacrificing for the glory of modernity. Where is the realness? Where is the sincerity? The veins of city drawn by time vanished from our eyes. Cities of plastic are being or already born. A thousand towns, one same face.

I don't think Chinese urban planning officers would care for Taipei’s appearance. They would probably be ashamed if they do. Who would like to be ashamed in public? What’s wrong with looking shabby? This spirit of realness is the very humanity we constantly discarding in our cities. Please take a look. From shop signs to street stands, what have you done to the cities we live in?

Heard a lot about but never been to The Eslite Bookstore. I figured it wouldn’t be anything more than some bookshop, however, saw my misjudgment the moment I walked into it. This space turned out to be a massive culture complex. It was hard to imagine culture industry can still thrive like this in the depressed economy. But somehow, we all knew why.

Lanes in rain, stalls with old-fashioned sign. Even at restaurants, you can’t see any mainland style advertisement but signs written in simple traditional Chinese characters. “Du Xiao Yue”, “Sheng Sheng Man”, these shop signs stand quietly in the drizzle. Like a chanson, bringing me back to our long-lost past.

Taipei, in the winter rain, I am willing to shower myself with your rain of humanity, rain of culture. As if back to the old China, linger at the streets and houses like a poem, a picture. My frequent visits to you would be paid just for the winter rain.