Who posted a painting to Paris
Author: Mr. Nima / Emptiness, Ning
Photographer: Mr. Nima / Emptiness, Ning
December 31, 2025, the last morning of the year. I accompanied Mr. Zero to the town post office. He was sending a parcel from this remote southern Chinese town to Paris, France. The recipient’s info was all in French, which annoyed me as an English learner. He didn’t even have a mailbox or proper address, yet he dared to send something that far.
Opening his package surprised me. Inside were just two neatly folded, paint-stained pieces of cloth. Mr. Zero said earnestly they were two paintings he’d made during his mountain seclusion, to be sent to the Grand Palais in Paris for its February 2026 exhibition. The paintings were tightly wrapped, so I never saw them. I know nothing about art anyway, so I just took his word for it.
After all, who in this rural area would spend hundreds of yuan shipping a parcel to a major European city? Contemporary art and salons sound so far from our daily lives. I know LV and French perfumes, but I’ve never flown Air France. Fine, I believed him — at least he didn’t seem crazy.
It’s New Year’s Eve. Everyone is waiting for the New Year bell. I’m off to meet friends, wishing for years of peace ahead. I’m heading back to the city to celebrate New Year’s Eve with them. As for this story, I’ll pick it up tomorrow, in the new year.
