When we set aside our usual aesthetic perspectives and look at the streets, we can perceive a different, emotionally charged atmosphere. In China, where I live, people are not particularly adept at expressing their feelings, and the emotions on the streets reflect similar traits to the national character: they are not intense, but rather subtle and understated, chaotic and bizarre. Whenever these fleeting moments strike my nerves, I am reminded of something my English teacher used to say when I was a child: ‘Don’t worry, be happy!’