2013的 （Elizabeth的）:
A trip to the old city
I will tell a little story, a story of a foreigner who is loving the great Chinese culture; about a
person who is feeling home in every niche of China, even the obvious difference in the
appearances, with European education and totally different thinking. I love traveling, I love
shooting pictures and enjoy discovering new places, I like to meet new people and
understand their life path, to understand their philosophy. Because I feel that although every
person is very unique, yet everyone in such diversity is so much alike. All of us want to be
happy, to be healthy, to have a good income, to enjoy family life and to make our dreams
come true. Only our treasured dreams change our path so sharply. The thing that I want to
share is a personal view of the parts of the Chinese life never known by a foreigner who
didn't step in the land of China. I will not speak about the familiar things about the Chinese
people such as, the hardworking, young looking, respect and love in the family, the huge
celebrations, the fireworks, the Chinese food, the tea, the silk, the industry, the bargaining,
all these parts of the Chinese culture are known worldwide. I will try to show you the little
details that have caught my eye, after one and a half years of studying in China. What really
is the feeling to go beyond the limit of understanding a different culture? I like small cities
and villages. There the people are not sucked senseless from the demoralization of material
possessing dreams of vapor. I like the Chinese history and all the places I visited are
connected with my intention to see the real China, without makeup. I have been in few cities
like Chengde, Xingcheng, Benxi, Shenyang, Dandong, Lvshun, Wuzhen, Wuxi, Qiandaohu,
Shaoxing, Zhouzhuang, Hengdian… and dare to say that every place is unique and it cares
the sense of the nature and the people, who are living there. But I cannot tell all of the
stories, so I'm choosing the most recent one, just 5 days old.
I have been planning to go to Xingcheng (兴城) for quite some time, but I always had
too many things to deal with and always ended up postponing the trip… Until one day I just
woke up and said to myself “Now or never”. So I fetched my bag, and headed to the train
station. Traffic, such traffic this morning, ah, automobiles moving at tortoise pace. The
street was full as usual, in China people are everywhere, even on the road or just busy with
their routine tasks; selling, buying, cooking, moving, carrying, offering things… As a
foreigner with green eyes and light auburn hair the Chinese people always look at me with a
high interest, at the beginning I was not feeling very comfortable but nowadays I’ve grown
quite accustomed to such nuances. The children are most impressed, showing their parents
that there is a real foreigner (外国人). By the time I reached the ticket office I was quite
exhausted and needed some time to relax. However I mustered some energy and glanced at
the train schedule only to find that the train was already gone, and there was no other choice
for the day.
So I decided hesitantly to commute via bus, although being little more expensive, it’s
probably a little bit faster. There was no direct bus, so first stop was Jinzhou (锦州) and then
Xingcheng. There were no tickets for the next bus to Jinzhou, so I needed to wait yet another
hour. I went to the nearest KFC, to rest before the trip, bought one hot tofu drink (豆浆) and
lost myself in thoughts. Similar to Chinese I like to drink tea and tofu drink, they are so
healthy and delicious. This always recharges me with a fresh jolt of energy. Finally I got into
the bus, found my place and prepared for the journey. There was a nice lady, dressed as a
flight attendant, helping the passengers, showing their seats and even offered nausea pills.
This was a firsttime experience for me. The bus was so nice, so clean, there was air
condition and even a mineral water for everyone, I was pleasantly surprised. Engrossed in
the diverse scenery and different facilities in my window, I didn't realize when we arrived at
Jinzhou.
Upon exiting the bus, passengers were overwhelmed by the assault of proposals by
taxi drivers and rickshaws owners of a cheap fast ride to the needed location. I simply asked
the driver of our bus where I can buy a ticket to Xingcheng. He curiously looked at me and
plainly pointed to the head of the street and prepared to leave for the garage. I quickly
embarked on that direction and found the office easily, bought a ticket and placed my bag
onto the bus, as still 45 minutes remained for departure. I was willing to take a look near the
station but frankly a few people in the bus were looking kind of suspicious, so I didn't dare to
leave my luggage without supervision. This bus was vastly different from the previous one. It
was dirty, smelly, and full of dusty and stuffy air, I concluded out of probability, that not
every company in China is capable of being as advanced as the other parts of the world. I
understood that in instances where cash is limited, willpower alone is insufficient to enhance
the conditions. However, such different aspects bring serenity in the path of life. Yet
internally I still wished but that on this hot afternoon, airconditioner was available. I was
trying to access internet form my mobile phone to reserve a hotel, but the connection was so
incessantly slow that I even restarted my phone a few times that, until I eventually gave up.
Usually there are so many hotels near to the train station, that it should be a pushover to
find a free room by dinner time. The heat was unbearable. I was about to get sick, it was
really hot, like a real sauna, “Nice – I said to myself free sauna, you can make it! I tried to
drink more and more water to keep myself hydrated and avoiding becoming anhydrous. I
was just about to pass out due to the absence of oxygen. Then the driver came and turned on
the fans. It was certainly not aircondition, but imperceptibly it started to work. Finally,
twenty minutes after our departure, the sauna was about to end. My mind started to wonder
how an elderly man or woman can manage this without having a heart attack. I looked
around, saw a lot of sweat dripping faces looking out of the windows in absolute silence.
Some must have had pretty good training as a few were even blissfully asleep.
Finally I had comfort to look out into the surrounding streets of Jinzhou. It was full
of people, just as atypical foreigner imagine Chinese society. Everyone out and about for their
daily tasks on buses, cars, taxis, motors, rickshaws, bicycles. But the unpredictable scene
was that everything was moving in one ceaseless stream of uncoordinated movements.
Almost as if they don't observe any rules, one pell-mell, driving off, stopping, horning,
turning without indicator, overtaking on the left, topsy-turvy...but everyone managed to keep
on their path without any accident. Lucky people! In the suburbs one can still see the
following picture: pair harnessed mules pulling a heavy load on the black road, which is
inaccessible for cars. I deeply sympathize the miserable animals, but there is no other way,
people must survive somehow...
Here it comes, Xingcheng city. From the outskirts it looked like a little village
compared to the other cities I have visited before, and more traditional. Exactly what I like. A
few stops before the final one, I took my stuff and proceeded to get out. I noticed a
harmonious chime in the air. Such great music. I heard a famous song and saw a lot of
people in the big square. So typical, so traditional. Chinese people really like to be noisy all
of the time, they are carrying small speakers nonstop. I don’t like the famous pop music, but
I certainly enjoy the 草原歌, the minor group songs and even sailor songs, which immolate
the deep emotions of the singers.
跑马溜溜的山上，一朵溜溜的云哟，端端溜溜的照在，康定溜溜的城哟，月亮弯弯，康定溜溜的
城哟....
Now first hotel, and then dinner. I bought a map of the city to make a good plan for
the next day. I had entered into a few ordinary hotels, but they rejected me stating that they
don't have the permission to accept foreign guests. Why is that happening? It seemed that
only one hotel possessed such a right and sure it’s an expensive one. Needless to say I'm just
a student, and not an entrepreneur with an elastic pay grade. I accepted my fate and
anticipated dinner! Oh, to get good food in a new place for me is the most complicated thing
in China... because I am a vegan and allergic to many types of food and sometimes vomit
impulsively. And in contrary the most of the Chinese restaurants usually place little or no
significance on these aspects. I eventually found a small local restaurant for 小吃 and
ordered 香菇炒油菜，the owner was very pleasant person and the food was really tasty, but it
was such a big portion, that I was unable to finish.
I woke up early in the morning, ready to go to the ancient city and take some surreal
photos. But was unpleasantly surprised by the weather, it was foggy, and just about to rain.
Just my luck huh. So I changed my plan, and decided to take a walk into the near mountain
until the weather got better and then venture off to the ancient city. Taxis are always an
option, but budgeting carefully, I took the bus instead. As usual, it was full of people going
for work. I asked one girl next to me where should I get down and I listened carefully until
the stop came. Upon arrival, it started raining... just perfect! I pondered whether to continue
walking and face the perilous ordeal of getting soaked or to head back to the hotel to fetch my
jacket. All the people around were with umbrellas. Never mind, I said, I'll keep walking in
the May rain. It soon became windy and colder so I returned to the hotel. Thinking that I
don't want to go out now, but I said to myself, is that why I came??? To stay in the hotel all
day?
NO. So I went to the bus again, all the way to the Shou Mountain (首山). No other
crazy people were willing to climb in this weather. But the nature was shining, enjoying the
warm spring rain. Everything around was bathed in green and glistening with fresh
raindrops. The birds were singing, the wind echoing in the distance. The fervor of nature has
always charged me with so much positive energy. I enjoyed the walk all the way to the top,
quite breathless, I came to a lookout tower and watched the entire city, filtered by fog. I was
so far from that city, my mind was flying into the sky, I wanted to stay here in the heavenly
nature and care for nothing else.
Nearby I saw many huge stones perched on the hill, as I drifted closer it felt like
moving in a different dimension. There were sounds of drums, neighing of horses, clanging
of swords, a pure battle, and silence. The rain was raining heavily now and my face was wet
of tears. Songs... the songs of the wind. Heroes... Yes, I have been here before.
After few minutes I continued on my way and came to a gazebo and of course climbed
to the top. In the distance I saw houses in the old Chinese style and a statue of a man
wrapped in a cloak and instinctively realized my next niche. It was a monastery. Fantastic,
beautiful, looked a bit deserted. It was decorated with modern art that looked quite
authentic. I shot some footage and spoke with a nice woman, she unlocked one door
especially for me, to show me the Buddha and invited me for the t morning prayer. The
Buddha statue was so majestic, always looking you in the eyes, preaching respect, leading to
a meditation and state of Nirvana. I could hardly help myself not to shoot, but since before I
know that Buddha should not be shot, and didn't do it. Though I have never been given a
proper explanation and I often see posters with pictures of Buddha, I respectfully obliged.
I proceeded, the rain was still in the air, so I decided to go to the sea. It was foggy. The
lady sculpture in the middle of the beach was radiating a pleasant feeling all over the place.
Several boats were tied up and were swaying on the waves. Few gulls chased in the air, few
fishermen were luring baited hooks for their potential catch. There were few bridges and few
pavilions built in an ancient style. I went there and enjoyed the serenity, the sea and the
whispering wind...
The rain stopped, I was in a hurry, as I was not sure when the ancient city closed. I
entered the gates and started observing the monuments. The city walls were part ancient
part reconstructed. One strange thing caught my eye – a lot of plants where living into the
wall, coming out of the concrete, going out and just hanging in the air. Four main gates
located East-west-north-south, decorated with a lot of beautiful colorful flags. A lot of shops
for special souvenirs were all over the main streets, no one door was empty, everywhere there
was something to be bought. Chinese people are always open to do business, pure business
experts. I saw a beautiful bamboo flute, and I was about to buy one as I finished the view. I
heard a birdsong, and unbelievably found a nightingale in a cage. We talked a little and I
wanted to buy it and set if free. But the owner obviously enjoyed the song as I did, so I quit
my involuntarily quirk. I continued the walk and saw a lot of children with big bags, which
were coming back from school, they were walking together and speaking vividly after the
classes. There were few mothers who rode a bicycle with their child. There were a lot of lilac
trees, spreading its aroma everywhere. I reached one tower and wanted to enter, but one girl
asked me for a ticket.
- What ticket? - I asked - I don't have a ticket.
- No ticket, not allowed going up.
- But where can I buy a ticket?
- It is late. Come tomorrow.
What a pity, I came but I haven't got a chance to see the details... Never mind I just kept
walking. One museum was just about to close, they didn't let me in. One monastery also
closed just before my eyes, “Come tomorrow“ said the man. So I just keep walking, saw a lot
of ordinary people coming back home after a long day. I saw a lot of strange views in the
backyards, near to the wall, such as garbage, solar panels, little vegetable markets on the
streets. I walked it all and decided to take the last path in the main road.
I reached an old building resembling a gate a very old one, sure back to around 1400. The
scenes, the people, the horses ornamented on the gate were so realistic. I shot a few photos.
Few lions were waiting as guards, one of them was quite strange, with a scar on his mouth.
One old lady stared at me and asked
- Do you know the story?
- What story? – I looked at her expectantly.
And she began:
Long, long time ago, in one family house there was a man who was making tofu, and
he realized that every morning he found less tofu powder than he left the other night. So
one night he hid himself in the dark room and waited to see who is stealing his tofu. The
midnight came but nobody was entering the room, and then in a flash with the speed of a
thunder one lion came in and started eating the tofu. The owner was so angry that he took
shovel and hit the lion in the head. The lion jump from the open window and never showed
up again.
The lion was hurt badly and was bleeding all night and when it came down it
became a stone lion. One old woman saw the blood near to the stone lion one day and saw
his pain grimace and his smashed mouth. She felt sorry for poor little animal and started
helping him by scrubbing it’s wounds with hot salt. The old lady was living nearby, but she
was suffering from back and leg pain, yet every day at sunrise she came and treated the
lion with salt. One night, the old lady had a dream, she was dreaming that the stone lion
was in her home, she was shocked.
I’m healing your wound, will you go to bite the hand that helps you?
I was suffering and you saved me, I will return you the favor!– said the lion
How are you going to do that? – asked the old lady
Tomorrow at sunrise, when you came to me just touch me, touch the part of my body that
hurts you, and I will take your pain away.
That was all, the lion disappeared as he came and the old lady was wondering about her
chimera. In the morning dew, she woke up and go to the lion. She touched every part that
she felt any pain, the waist and the legs, and the back and she was healed. That happens to
be exactly on the fifteenth day of the first moon month. From that day on, all the people
knew the story of the stone lion that can heal.
- This is the story – said the old lady before me. Thus, emerges the tradition in
Xingcheng to touch the stone lion on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month every
year…
What a story! I thanked the old lady and continued on my way. What a wonderful day I
had. Scent of lilac...Day dreaming at sunset...
Elizabeth
Dalian city
2013/05/16
Topic: 随便 (Read 39131 times)