On a balmy August afternoon, I strolled into a bookshop in the neighbourhood. Some kids were reading in the fairy tales section. Some high school students, like me, were choosing from coaching books. Some middle-aged adults were browsing through books on success. Some young mothers were getting pictorials for their babies.

I headed for the literature shelves, where I saw a man in shabby clothes on a book. He was probably forty years old, but his dark complexion made him look much older. When I got closer, I found him immersed in a book by Mo Yan. He was not seated in a chair as most readers in a bookshop are. Instead, he was standing alone in a corner, reading.

The book I wanted was on a shelf behind him. I accidentally bumped into him when reaching my hand for the book. To my surprise, the man apologised. Right away I said sorry to him. Actually, it had been my fault.

Obvious was the reason why the man did not take a chair to read the book in the shop. Some customers showed palpable contempt for him, their eyes telling everything. Some even pointed to the man, whispering something to their family or friends.

The Chinese language has an expression which means, Don’t look at people through coloured glasses. In English, the proverb, Don’t judge a book by its cover, is well circulated. Both are time-honoured entries in books of sayings and proverbs. Yet, it is so hard for us to grasp the spirit and live it in real life.