Long story short, I'm still very busy, although now it's mostly for happy things like traveling. There are still a few unhappy bureaucratic things to deal with, such as hanging out in the Immigration Department trying to extend my student visa, and arranging move-out/move-in times for summer residence. Unfortunately, it sounds like we're living in Shaw College again this summer--aka the most isolated and distant place on campus, barely accessible via bus and a good 40 minute walk to the train station. Just lucky I guess.
Moving day is still quite some ways off, though, since it's around the very end of May. Right now, my main priority is preparing for my trips. I'm still traveling with Magda from May 11-15, and it looks like the destination will indeed be Guangzhou, perhaps with a one-day side-trip to Kaiping. Coming back on the 15th gives me a full day to make my last minute preparations before going to Xi'an on the 17th. Pretty much, that just means washing clothes, packing my suitcase, making sure I have enough RMB (renminbi, Chinese money), etc.
There is one thing I need to let everyone know before my multiple trips into Mainland this month: you will most likely not be able to reach my via Gmail. As of March 21, 2011, the Chinese government will attempt to ban access to Gmail. Now, this is still unofficial, but information leaks have indicated that the Chinese government's long-standing feud with Google has led them to tamper with citizens' Internet access. When people try to access Gmail, they are usually met with an error message that appears to come from Google. The dispute is still up in the air because, like I said, nothing's official. The fact remains, however, that accessing Gmail in China is unlikely for me. That also goes for Google-owned websites like Blogger, which is the host website for this blog. I will write blogs for my trips, but they won't appear on the blog until after I return. So, I apologize in advance. And, no, I will not be on Facebook either. That, too, is blocked by the Great Firewall. The best way to contact me in China is through my USC school email, which is milesra@email.sc.edu. Skype may or may not work.
Internet restrictions aside, I'm very excited for my trips. I'll be in Xi'an from May 17-28 doing all kinds of fun stuff and practicing my Mandarin. I've also officially made my plans for Beijing! My tour, which I have already paid for, is from June 1-5, although I have yet to purchase my air tickets. I've done a lot of looking around, and found the best deal online. Hopefully, I can book the tickets today or tomorrow.
In other news, Su has finished her study in Singapore and will come back to Hong Kong for about 10 days. She arrives tomorrow around noontime, so we will have a few days to hang out in Hong Kong before I leave for Guangdong with Magda on the 11th. All three of us plan to go to the Cheung Chau Bun Festival on May 10. Should be fun!
While I have been anticipating all the upcoming fun, I've had one little side-trip in the meantime. On Monday, May 2, I took the MTR to Fanling Town to see the famous Fung Ying Seen Koon Temple. Considering it's location relatively close to the Mainland China border, this temple is rather far off the traditional tourist's path, but it's still a popular destination--though mostly for locals. It's a Taoist temple of the Dragon Gate sect, and many consider it the best example of Taoist architecture in Hong Kong. Luckily for me, Fanling is relatively close to CUHK, and the temple is just a short walk from the MTR station.
The doors on the front gate all bear the yin-yang symbol (taijitu), which recurs over and over around the temple grounds. Put simply, the concept of "yin" and "yang" is that many opposite forces exist in nature but, because they are opposites, they are inextricably linked. Contrary to popular belief, "yin" and "yang" have no connection to the concepts of "good" and "bad," as such distinctions are discouraged by Taoist philosophy. "Yin" and "yang" combined amount to nothingness. For the mathematically-minded, think of "yin" as a negative number and of "yang" as a positive number. When the absolute value is equal, the sum of the positive and negative numbers is zero. The most popular explanation of the yin-yang relationship comes from Confucius himself. He describes "nothingness" as being like the smooth surface of a pond. When you drop a stone into the pond, ripples form in a ring around the area. Look closely, and you'll see that each ripple is made up of a ridge (wave), which is higher than the surrounding water's surface, and a trough, which is lower. Neither "yin" nor "yang" can exist without the other. The light side of the symbol represents "yang," which is commonly associated with light, the sun, men, height, summer/spring, life, and warmth. The dark side is "yin," which corresponds to darkness, the moon, women, depth, autumn/winter, death, and coldness. Remember, though, that there is no good or bad--no judging--here. Each member of the opposite pair is necessary to balance the other. Of course, these are just a few examples. Once you get the concept of "yin" and "yang," it's easy to explain the application to almost any pair of opposites.
Other than the yin-yang symbol, the most common feature of Fung Ying Seen Koon had to be the endless stairs. As soon as you enter the gate, you can see your work cut out for you:
The inner gate:
Below is the main temple. Most "temples" are actually several temples built all in one area. The biggest ones almost always look like this one, or very similar:
Cranes painted on the ceiling are a traditionally Taoist symbol. In Chinese, Korean, and Japanese mythology, cranes are supposed to live for 1000 years, symbolizing wisdom. More specific to the Chinese is the belief that cranes escort dead souls to paradise, and can help the living reach greater levels of spiritual enlightenment. Throughout eastern Asia, many people believe that folding 1000 origami cranes (one for each year of a crane's mythological life span), will make a wish come true. Therefore, when someone is gravely ill, or when someone tries desperately to get into a top-notch university, their families often work together to fold origami cranes to make the wish come true.
Here, I just loved the architectural details.
After climbing up 3 long flights of stairs, this was my view of Fanling. I still had a long way to go, however.
Here is an ancestral hall. The primary function of Fung Ying Seen Koon may be as a temple, but it's secondary function is as a cemetery. Ancestral halls like these house hundreds of urns full of cremated remains. Relatives come to visit, leaving offerings and prayers.
As I continued my walk around the premises, I came across a rather industrial-looking newer building which, surprisingly housed several shrines. Here is the view from the top floor:
I started at the top floor and worked my way down. Shrine #1 is the Yuan Chen Temple:
Love the glass covers on the fluorescent lights.
After a quick look around, it was time to go down another floor:
I caught this view of the main temple's rooftop. Look closely, and you'll see that most of these are actually mythological creatures. I especially like the fish with legs on the far left.
Another view of the main temple roof: more yin-yangs.
I may love the funny fish, but my favorite is actually the dude riding the giant chicken. I've learned a lot about Taoism over the years, especially since coming to Hong Kong, but I have yet to understand the meaning here:
Next up, Guanyin Temple:
Last, but not least, Wing Tai Hall, another ancestral hall.
Mural of the Huang Emperor, a mythological Chinese cultural hero, and his army. Like "King Arthur," who is more well-known in the West, the Huang Emperor's existence is still in debate so he lies somewhere between the realms of history and legend--although, at about 4500 years old, he's been around much longer than his British counterpart. Whether or not he was real, his story has become so embellished with time that the record couldn't possibly be accurate. Regardless, I'll direct y'all to the link provided earlier in this paragraph with his name so that I don't spend all my time explaining here.
Fung Ying Seen Koon has grown tremendously in the last few decades, and the Ancestral Halls are simply too small to accommodate the demand. Therefore, the temple grounds also has several walls such as these to house the urns of people's loved ones.
I continued my stair-climbing escapade further into the mountains and deeper into the sprawling temple grounds.
This small gazebo marked the halfway point up the mountain.
The view also indicated just how high up I had gone.
Higher in the mountains, the cemetery continued. While Ancestral Halls are popular, the truly wealthy will bury their dead on the mountainsides so that the dead family members can watch over the living. The temple grounds continued into this Chinese necropolis:
Finally, I reached the very top, and could see all over Fanling Town, even over the skyscrapers:
Of course, I took the walk back down very very slowly. I'm sure you all know about my recurring misadventures involving stairs.
Even so, it was tempting to stay up there with the cool breeze. The heat below was already grueling.
By the time I got back down the mountain, I had worked up quite an appetite so I decided to try out the temple's vegetarian restaurant. Almost all temples, Taoist or Buddhist, have these (and, yes, they're always vegetarian). The sign simply says "Vegetarian Restaurant."
I wasn't the only one with this bright idea, but the service was still surprisingly good. The price was also quite cheap.
Air-conditioning and a nice view were both much welcome by that point.
And, just because I don't think I've ever shown this before: a traditional Chinese place-setting. I have my tea-cup, chopsticks, soup spoon, rice bowl, and chili sauce. Rice bowls are generally quite small and fit in the palm of your hand. Chinese meals consist of several dishes, which are meant to be shared. You take a small portion at a time and put it in your rice bowl. After eating that morsel, you go back for more.
I didn't take a picture, but the food here was pretty good. I wouldn't make a special visit since it's a little far out of my way but, if you're in the vicinity, I recommend the Tofu and Vegetables in Black Pepper Sauce.
Even though I didn't go far, it just felt nice to get off campus after all those exams, and other work. Traveling, even if it's just 15 minutes away on the MTR, always makes me feel invigorated and re-energized.
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