Did You See It? "Ghosts Fighting"

Text and photos by Chen Chi-Hsiang. This is a vivid and moving phrase that stirs emotions and strikes the nerves. How can language use such deep-rooted metaphors? The phrase "ghosts fighting" rarely appears in our accustomed lives, yet it can describe anything unfamiliar or bizarre that we have become desensitized to (or subversive) people, things, or events. Once you leave your familiar living space, encountering fresh or curious people and things becomes commonplace. After seeing them often or becoming familiar with them, they cease to be strange; the "ghosts" will not appear, nor will they fight. Haha! When novel things become ordinary, curiosity fades, leading to dryness and even boredom. No wonder one eventually reaches a state of "good mountains, good waters, good boredom."

This phrase was something I heard friends from Taiwan exclaim with amazement and emotion while chatting in Paris, leaving a lasting impression on me. It is a powerful, forceful descriptor, a language that is incisive, profound, and aesthetically evocative. The character "ghost" is neither a negation nor an affirmation; it refers to the ineffable and indescribable. It is an object of fear and surprise, but what exactly? No one knows. It could be amazement or fright, depending on the individual's heart. Those with curiosity or those who are skeptical want to peek into the truth, to see the true face of the ghost, and even more so, to see how ghosts fight. That must be absolutely spectacular. Come with me to the museum or the Palais de Tokyo in Paris – Contemporary Art Center. Did you see it? "Ghosts fighting" is just like that.