Chen Yiqi, Class 9, Senior 1, Shenzhen Foreign Languages School Instructed by Yang Suning

You might be surprised to hear that my favorite place is the open-air parking area in the housing estate where I used to live. To me, it’s not only a parking lot for the residents, but also a place full of unforgettable memories.

It’s just a common area with various cars parked around, leaving quite a large open space in the center. Alongside are planted a few trees, tall enough to provide a big shade for you in summer. When you look up from there, you can find your balcony where your mother always shouts at you, calling you back home.

Time seems to rewind whenever I think of this place. In retrospect, the picture of our family going on a tour in spring unfolds before me. I can never forget the laughter filling up the whole car.

In summer, it’s amazing to stretch your toes out of the sandals and feel the heat given off from the ground, which is what I used to do.

In autumn, I’d like to cycle down from the top of a slope and rush to the other side of this area where I learnt to ride the bicycle when I was 10. Picking up the so-called “seeds,” a kind of black little specks dropped from the trees, is also a good recollection.

And in winter, you would always see me staring at it from the balcony, waiting for my father’s car to come in sight. So many fond memories preserved here spring up to me when I think of it. Without a doubt it’s the place I like best.

Maybe there are also some places that can remind me of things, but this parking lot has stored so much happiness that I will never forget.

How I wish to rush down the slope on my bicycle again and feel the familiar breeze.