A Hotel Wall Painting

During a third visit to Dalian, China, a painting inspires your author to pen these verses.

I’ve traveled to Dalian three times in life,
Regarding E&E with long intervals in between.
I trust architects and designers have ever tried,
To explore the art features a traction system may mean.
Shortly after I push the button in the lobby,
A pair of black panels open to a well-lit car smoothly.
The cozy car brings to my notice its wall surrounding,
Using black and yellow colors to describe,
A machine pulley around which the ropes turn shining,
Amid which the doors close dark or open bright.
What a wonder work is one of our industry’s present,
In today’s buildings can elevators be never absent!

My first visit to the city of Dalian in China was to work on a new escalator job in 1985 (if it is remembered correctly) when such installations were rarely seen across the country. The year 1999 saw my second visit there on a mission for ELEVATOR WORLD to report on an event (EW, February 2000). During both visits, I had little time to spare for sightseeing, although I knew it was well worth doing. 

Now that I’m free to sightsee as a retiree, I decided to visit Dalian again for purely private purposes. However, when I stood waiting in front of the hotel lift doors, I was surprised by the black duplex doors that function as moving parts within an industrial drawing. Someone has used a machine room painting to decorate the front wall in which the elevator doors are set, making the installation come alive! So many plain aesthetic elements are drawn from a real traction pulley, and the ropes and drives can be seen as mechanical art. Hence, the verses shared reflect on what I saw on my third visit to Dalian.