Old miracles

Afraid to visit Lake Xi and remember the days gone by.
At a tender young age, went down to Hanzhou.
Ten-thousand people come and go, all saying how nice the lake is.
For a thousand ten-thousand years, visits made to this scenic spot.
From antiquity til now, people who come wish it would last forever.
Through many changes and several wars, still kept here.
A work of God, truly!

Lake Xi (pronounced like 'she') is a famous lake in the city of Hanzhou.
Thousand ten-thousand years means from the beginning of time, in all of history.

Eight Blossom Garden

Fan Zu truly has a way of healthy living:
Do whatever is in your heart without worry.
Plate-plant was sought from Kuyedao,
Endured wind, frost and drought, flood.
Eight Blossom Garden's woods and streams are all good,
Man and pine tree both aren't old.

In Dongjing, there was a Japanese politician and businessman named Jiouyuanfanzizu. He had a lot of contact with Chinese. Though he was over 80 years old, he was healthy like a 50-something. After the war, he retired to Eight Blossom Garden. He heard that we were coming and specially invited us to visit him. He loved to share health tips and have people admire his bonsai from Kuyedao (an island in northern Japan).

*It a pine tree and less than a foot high but several hundred years old.

Confucius said once you're 70 you can do whatever you want to do but you won't cross any lines.

Pengzai - place planting - banzai 

Eyebrows

The past few years feels all over the place.
In the midst, much fascinating joy, many sweet tastes.
Who deserves to be so blessed?
Wishing you more, long-lasting and effortless.
Half a letter, half a sonnet,
To let you know my present peace.
The past few years, what's left is healthy.
When next we meet, we'll raise our brows.

To raise eyebrows means that their wishes will be fulfilled.

Old poem: there was an old couple who was poor, everything that happened to them was sad. Later on the wife died. The husband wrote all these poems. There were two sentences he wrote:

Since you died, my eyes are open all night,
To compensate for your lifetime of never raising your eyebrows.

The Geisha of the Garden Pagoda

Pretty, in thick make-up, carrying jade cups,
Waitresses, don't need to guess what's in their hearts.
Nightmares about battle zone, a wife's dwelling cold,
After ten years, the ones who went to war have not returned.

There was a Japanese named Ben Cuan. In the war, he was in the military and his army was placed in Shanghai. At that time, he was powerful and famous. After the Japanese surrendered, he was sent back to Japan. After the war, he was treated well by the Chinese government. After he returned to Japan, when I and my coworkers went back to Tokyo, he came especially to greet us and hosted a dinner. There were geisha who served us. Even though they were hospitable, attentive and smiling, between their eyes and eyebrows they couldn't hide their sadness.

My mom told me about a famous poem, some lines from it are:

What a pity, these Wuding River bones, Still, in a woman's dwelling, dreams of this man.

Jing Sho (brightly woven / ornately embroidered)

A sheet full of a variety of happiness,
Years past of hard work were not in vain.
Growing old, accept honor from your children and grandchildren,
Understand: to harvest one must till.

Eyefuls of glitz, dazzle, and shine:
Children and grandchildren dressed in bright embroidery, together for feasting.
A pair of stars enjoy such consolation,
On earth, such wild heavenly bliss.


New section: Pongyiji

After working in Taiwan for a while, the Taiwanese government sent him to Japan to make a commerce treaty. At that time, Japan was still under American authorities. Typically, when you win a war, you're the boss and the losers are the peons. But these Americans were rude and treated the Taiwanese like the Japanese, even though China was an Allied power. My boss had a hard time forging a treaty and their conferences go nowhere. They cancelled meetings for a month. There's a lot of time, there's nothing to do but to tour Japan while they waited. Until the Korean war started, then the US changed their attitude towards Taiwan, knowing they needed their cooperation. Then the treaty progressed. It benefited Taiwan to trade with Japan as they were the majority trading country.

This visit to Japan, he went to places he had gone during his college days, many drastically changed by WWII.

Shanggun Fuji Imperial Resort

This resort used to be for the royal family only.
Now here comes new masters who build closing doors.
A huge building decorated everywhere with shiny silks.
Painted screens and jewels on display.

Yellow-clothes* dancing, even the flower smile.
Waitresses** in delicate sleeves, pouring drinks, wear gleaming jade.
Unlike the revenging of the Wus, there remains regret,
And no partridges will fly in this estate.

*the occupying US wore yellow uniforms
**the waitstaff were all Japanese women

Now a hotel for ordinary citizens.

My mom told me about the famous story of the Wu and Yue families. They feuded and Wu won, and Yue swore revenge. Yue knew that it took a long time to fight back and the weaknesses of human nature: at first, one might be zealous, but as time goes on, one loses motivation. In order so he wouldn't forget: everyday he slept on fireplace logs, ate animals gall bladders, and hired a person to stand the doorway of his house and remind him about his oath upon every entrance and exit. Eventually, he did revenge his family and successfully killed off the Wus. 

Many poets have written about this vendetta. One poem says that after all the activity and liveliness of the palaces during the Wu-Yue vendetta, now only partridges (Francolinus chinensis) fly there.