The entrance of Gu's Painting and Calligraphy Gallery.
Old Gu, half-bald, had a bucket at his feet and was using a large sponge to wash the rugged-looking old Lexus LS.
"Hey, look at this car paint, this design, so powerful..."
The old man was humming to himself while washing the car.
Like playing chess, car washing is one of the few hobbies Gu Tongxiang has retained from his youth to the present.
Other old men, when happy, might enjoy dancing in the square, but Gu Tongxiang prefers to stand on the street with a bucket, breathing hard while washing a car.
Besides saving a bit of car wash fees, washing cars provides a spiritual joy.
Maintaining his beloved car in front of old neighbors provides a sense of vanity, not fundamentally different from young men whistling at girls from their sports cars on the street.
Thirty years ago, driving a business car with a 4.0-liter V8 engine on the streets of Yangon was as flashy as driving a Porsche or Maserati.
