Fiction: Group 4
A New Tale of the Pearl River Delta
The Mission Covenant Church Holm Glad College, Ho, Tak Kin - 16,
Fiction: Group 4
nd, this is the time machine, or the probabilistic time travel device to be technical.
Remember, time travel won’t be comfortable, but it’s always enjoyable. Now Jake,
are you ready for the journey?”
“All ready, Professor Cheung. I’ll see you once I’ve got my project finished!”
There goes Jake, a fresh 19-and-a-half-year old boy who has just finished his first semester at the
Chinese University of Hong Kong, for the technologically advanced of the year 2314. With time travel
being a piece of highly developed technology, Professor Cheung, the person-in-charge for this first project,
says every student joining the University may travel in time, allowing Jake to travel to the past as his method
of first-hand information collection.
Jake lands in a spare room of the dormitory in the University, as if it is intended or scheduled.
Feeling nauseous and dizzy, Jake can barely take a glance on the calendar, on which “3rd February, 2017” is
printed. Beside Jake is his portable computer, which can supply all his needs required for the project –
ranging from taking photographs, recording voice to organizing PowerPoint. Jake picks up the computer,
stands up, turns the doorknob and walks out of the dimly lit, confined room, with the best hopes of
collecting useful resources for his project, entitled “The History of the Pearl River Delta”.
Jake is fascinated by whatever that is in front of his eyes – a sparkling blue sky with fluffy white
clouds as the background of the scenery, luscious tress and the silhouette of a row of patrolling eagles
decorating the campus. This is a rare sight from where Jake is from, at which environmental protection is
overridden by economic development, at which the sky is a dark grey with only the skyline of towering
commercial structures barely visible through the blinding smog, at which birds are only seen in zoos.
Without anyone in sight, Jake takes a brief walk in the campus, snapping a number of photographs on his
way at whatever he sees.
A poster catches Take’s attention when he walks past the Student Union Notice Board, on which
details about an upcoming camping trip to Sai Kung are written. Jake stands there, thinking for a while, then
takes a bus to Sai Kung. With little but adequate equipment, Jake goes hiking in Sai Kung Country Park.
When the sky turns dark, Jake returns to Sai Kung Town Centre in search for accommodation, with tons of
images of the wildlife in his portable computer. While dining in a seafood restaurant, Jake sees a piece of
news on the television screen, entitled “Sun Yat-sen Statue demolished for Future Commercial Zone”. Jake
quickly notes it down in his digital schedule book.
Early on the next day, Jake takes an express bus to Zhongshan. On route the bus traverses through
central business districts, industrial zones and densely packed residential buildings. Upon arrival at the
construction site, the Statue is already half-shattered, with the parts below its waist intact but the rest in
pieces. Stunned by the scene, Jake stands motionless for a while, then leaves with, as usual, a few photos.
Jake also visits a number of museums before eventually returning to the University, to that spare room that
he has landed in.
“This should be enough for my project. Let me return to the future for further organization.”
Saying that, Jake jumps back into the wormhole that has been open since the very first moment he arrived.
The hole closes in a blink and Jake is back to the future.
While Jake is skimming through the pictures and the scribbled notes he took in his room, Professor
Cheung knocks on his door. Jake saves his documents, and opens the door.
“A
