The reply I wrote to the Emperor's letter asking, What's there on the mountain? by South North Dynasty poet Tao Hongjing (AD 452-536)
What's good about the mountain?
On the summit, tons of white clouds,
Only enjoyed by myself,
No way to take hold to send to you.
Tao was a scholar but didn't want to serve and instead went up into the mountains and became a hermit. Emperor Qi Wudi sent Tao a letter asking why he wanted to go to the mountain, what's the purpose? A letter from an emperor is called a Zao1.
1905 - age 4
I grew a little older and could easily separate from my mother. I often went to my grandmother's home in Jioujiang. My grandmother loved me the most and she had me wear nice clothes and fed me delicious food. Every morning, she had me drink milk. Every time I got my hair cut, I drank ginseng. She disciplined me just enough, not too harsh and not too soft. I had playmates of the next door neighbor kids. I loved staying in Jioujiang. But sometimes I had to come back home.
Every time I came home, I said, "I miss grandma." One day, my parents took me on a walk near the dam. Around the dam, there was a small lake. There was a little boat in the lake and I thought it was the boat that brought people to Jioujiang. I shouted, "I want to go to grandma's!" My mother had to explain to me several times that this was not the boat to Jioujiang. Even though there are a lot of things from my childhood I cannot remember, this is one thing I remember.
My grandma's house inside Jioujiang city was in a building complex named West Garden. Every family had their own bedroom and dining room, but the living room was shared. When I went there, I usually played in the common living room. Since it was shared, the neighbor kids played there too. There was a little girl about my age who would come up from behind me and cover my eyes and ask me to guess who it was. My grandmother didn't like that and told the kids, "He comes from the country and is naive. Don't bother him." The kids didn't listen to her and still played with me.
Sunday, October 08, 2017
Sunday, October 01, 2017
1904: Rain song, back scar
Great Noble* Song** by Guan Hanquin
Wind blow blow, rain pour pour,
Even if you're Chen Tuan, you'll not fall asleep.
Regrets, sorrow carried inside.
Pounce fall fall, tears drip drop,
Cicadas finish chirping, crickets call.
Shh tinkle tinkle, misting rain sprays the banana tree.
*Da De became Emperor Yuan Chenzong's era's name
**Yuan dynasty form usually in praise of the Emperor
1904 - age 3
Just after I turned three, I had a bad infection on my back, a swollen and pussy welt; it hurt terribly. My grandmother heard about it and made a special trip to see me. She used medicine to wash my wound and recited mantras asking Buddha to heal me. The mystical thing was whenever she said mantras, the pain subsided. So I usually called out for her to recite the mantras. In this way, for several months, I was healed. Until now, I still have a scar on my back.
Wind blow blow, rain pour pour,
Even if you're Chen Tuan, you'll not fall asleep.
Regrets, sorrow carried inside.
Pounce fall fall, tears drip drop,
Cicadas finish chirping, crickets call.
Shh tinkle tinkle, misting rain sprays the banana tree.
*Da De became Emperor Yuan Chenzong's era's name
**Yuan dynasty form usually in praise of the Emperor
1904 - age 3
Just after I turned three, I had a bad infection on my back, a swollen and pussy welt; it hurt terribly. My grandmother heard about it and made a special trip to see me. She used medicine to wash my wound and recited mantras asking Buddha to heal me. The mystical thing was whenever she said mantras, the pain subsided. So I usually called out for her to recite the mantras. In this way, for several months, I was healed. Until now, I still have a scar on my back.
Sunday, September 03, 2017
1903: Devotees
By the River Sunset Snow by anonymous Yuen dynasty poet
Pink clouds spread,
Lucky snow falls,
The reel-loving old man, laughable:
Zi Cho*, too chilled, returned home.
River so cold, how can you fish alone?
*There's a story of a man named Wang Zi Cho who took a boat to visit his friend. He arrived at his friend's front door and did not go in, but returned home. When people asked him about it, he said: I wanted to go but when I arrived, I had nothing to say, so then I went home. Wang Zi Cho came to symbolize an impulsive person.
1903 - age 2
In the 29th year of Guang Xu's reign. After I turned one, my dad brought me to Huangmei, to the shrine of the Qu ancestors. The shrine was funded by all the descendants of the Qu tribe, with contributions collected according to the number of men in the branch. They also used this pooled money to help family members in crisis. They elected people to manage the family fund, and every year they took turns purchasing meat, fruit, and vegetables for offering. After the offering, they would portion out the sacrificed food according to the number of males in your household.
Every time, after worshiping our ancestors, we would return home and my mother would carry me across the river to Jioujiang to visit my maternal grandmother. My maternal grandmother was Buddhist and in her home she had a shrine for Guanyin. She faithfully worshiped Guanyin and burned incense every morning and evening, before every meal, never missing her devotion. She made a promise to Guanyin: every time she printed money, she would recite a mantra and then burn it for her blessing on this grandson.
Pink clouds spread,
Lucky snow falls,
The reel-loving old man, laughable:
Zi Cho*, too chilled, returned home.
River so cold, how can you fish alone?
*There's a story of a man named Wang Zi Cho who took a boat to visit his friend. He arrived at his friend's front door and did not go in, but returned home. When people asked him about it, he said: I wanted to go but when I arrived, I had nothing to say, so then I went home. Wang Zi Cho came to symbolize an impulsive person.
1903 - age 2
In the 29th year of Guang Xu's reign. After I turned one, my dad brought me to Huangmei, to the shrine of the Qu ancestors. The shrine was funded by all the descendants of the Qu tribe, with contributions collected according to the number of men in the branch. They also used this pooled money to help family members in crisis. They elected people to manage the family fund, and every year they took turns purchasing meat, fruit, and vegetables for offering. After the offering, they would portion out the sacrificed food according to the number of males in your household.
Every time, after worshiping our ancestors, we would return home and my mother would carry me across the river to Jioujiang to visit my maternal grandmother. My maternal grandmother was Buddhist and in her home she had a shrine for Guanyin. She faithfully worshiped Guanyin and burned incense every morning and evening, before every meal, never missing her devotion. She made a promise to Guanyin: every time she printed money, she would recite a mantra and then burn it for her blessing on this grandson.
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