Hawa (Happy) Liu

Hawa changes his name to Happy in order for it to reflect his true nature and influence those around him. He moves to Xi'an from the rural town of Freshwind, in search of a better life. He feels connected to the city because he sold his kidney to a Xi'an man. Along with his best friend Wufu, he moves into the Leftover House in prosper street and dreams of gaining a higher status in life. He sees his work as a trash picker as a valuable yet temporary trade in between his present and future greatness. Happy often dreams and fantasizes that he is like a tree growing in the city, that will someday flourish. One of his greatest pleasures is biking around the city and getting to know its streets intimately.

Happy is a talented flute player and he plays the flute on the streets...