Jonathan Tel, in "The Beijing of Possibilities," reminds us that megalopolises such as Beijing are inexhaustible, and therefore offer endless possibilities. In good ways and bad, they never cease to surprise. One is much more likely to see, for example, a gorilla pedaling a bicycle through urban streets than through country lanes.
Such an apparition appears in the first tale of this collection, "Year of the Gorilla," a story that showcases qualities and concerns that return throughout the book. We have, on one hand, the smile induced by the image of an ape who, having entered an office building, "steps out of the elevator and jogs right up to the reception desk, banging on his chest . . . [and is] directed to the appropriate cubicle, where he sings 'Happy Birthday to You'. . ."
On the other hand, inside that smile-inducing gorilla suit is a migrant from the south, hot, itchy and delivering gorilla-grams for a pittance. Later, while harassed by the police, the monkey- migrant offers to "remove his head." The police tell him not to bother, because "nobody wanted to see the face of an ordinary migrant worker."