Glimpses of the past in Shaoxing

Shaoxing was a random pick. Reasonably near Shanghai, just less than 2 hours of fast train ride, and it is a name which is familiar to me—the hometown of the famous (famous within China context) Shaoxing wine (a kind of rice wine). And thus chanced upon many historical figures and literati that I used to study in my youth. Visting China, sometimes, at least to me, is akin to revisiting the pages of the books that I have read in school.

I guess even if I blindfold myself and stick a pin any where on the map of China, I can still find traces of history of that place which I stuck a pin at. History seems to be running at every corner and every turn.

Following are some of the historical figures which are associated with Shaoxing.

King Goujian of Yue (越王勾踐) (496BC - 465BC). Buried in Shaoxing.

“Sleeping on sticks and tasting gall” (卧薪尝胆)—that’s how I remembered him.

He lost his Kingdom of Yue to the King of Wu briefly. For three years, he had to bend his pride and serve the King Fuchai of Wu as a servant, went so far as to taste his shit to win the trust of the King. He was later allowed to return to Yue and from then he swore to revenge for the humiliation that he had suffered. In order to remind himself of his humiliation while serving in Wu, he would sleep on sticks and taste gall everyday, so as to persevere. He spent 10 years with his advisors working to build a strong Yue, while on the other hand, weakening Wu strategically—to break his trust on his abled officials, mesmerized him with beauties etc. Eventually, Goujian defeated the King of Wu. Not only did he kill the King of Wu and all the Wu scholars, he exterminated his scholars and advisors who had helped him to rebuild Yue. Fan Li, one of his advisors saw that coming, commented, “When the birds are killed, the bows will be put away; when the rabbits are hunted, the hunting dogs will be slaughtered for their meat.” He left soon after Goujian’s victory.

Wang Xizhi (王羲之, 303BC–361BC) was a Chinese calligrapher, known as the Sage of Calligraphy.

His relation with Shaoxing was the preface that he wrote for a collection of poems at Orchid Pavilion, near Shaoxing city.

It was at this pavilion that he invited 41 friends, sitting alongside a meandering stream where small cups of wine would be floated in the stream. Which ever person the cup of wine stopped at, the person would have to compose a poem on the spot. Poems were collected and compiled. The preface was written by Wang Xizhi—Preface to the Literary Gathering at Orchid Pavilion—which was considered the best work in xingshu style. So much so that the original was buried alongside with the Emperor of Tang (618-907)!

Preface to the Literary Gathering at Orchid Pavilion

永和九年， It is the ninth year of the Yonghe era,

岁在癸丑，the year of the Yin Water Ox,

暮春之初，at the beginning of late spring,

会于会稽山阴之兰亭，gathered at the Orchid Pavilion in Huiji Shanyin,

修禊事也。for the Spring Purification Festival.

群贤毕至，All the able and virtuous people arrived,

少长咸集。the old and young gathered.

此地有崇山峻岭，茂林修竹；There are majestic peaks and steep mountains here, thick lush of woods and tall bamboos,

又有清流激湍，and the presence of clear streams and gushing rapids too,

映带左右，reflecting on our left and right,

引以为流觞曲水，列坐其次。While we sat by the winding stream, drinking from the cups that floated in the stream

虽无丝竹管弦之盛，although there is no music from an orchestra of string and wood-wind instruments

一觞一咏，亦足以畅叙幽情。a sip of wine and a recitation of poems now and there, is sufficient already to start an intimate conversation.

是日也，天朗气清，惠风和畅。Today, the weather is fine and the sky is clear, the breeze is gentle and soothing.

仰观宇宙之大，looking up, drowned in the vastness of the universe,

俯察品类之盛。looking down, entangled by the myriad of things

所以游目骋怀， why not instead, let our gazes wander freely and our sentiments to roam at will,

足以极视听之娱，信可乐也。it is too another way to enjoy our senses of sight and hearing, what a joy.

夫人之相与，people acquaint with one another

俯仰一世，或取诸怀抱，in this short life of ours, some will open their hearts,

悟（通“晤”）言一室之内；and exchange confidences in the privacy of a room

或因寄所托，放浪形骸之外。while some will indulge in materialistic things and turn a blind eye to conventions.

虽趣舍万殊，静躁不同，Although everyone differs in their choice of hobbies and interpretation of life and in personalities too—some are calm whilst some are impatient,

当其欣于所遇，暂得于己，when we revel in the joy of our encounters in life, but only momentarily,

快然自足，曾(zeng)不知老之将至；we relish, unaware to that fact that old age is dawning

及其所之既倦， till one grows tired of his pursuits,

情随事迁，his feelings will change accordingly too,

感慨系之矣。and lament will follow suit.

向之所欣，俯仰之间，The joy of yesterday, in a twinkling of an eye,

已为陈迹，犹不能不以之兴怀。became a thing of the past, one cannot help but to express our feelings

况修短随化，终期于尽。not to mention, the length of a man’s life is ever changing according to circumstance, and it will always come to an end.

古人云：“死生亦大矣。”岂不痛哉！The ancient said, “Life and death are equally important.” Isn’t that excruciating!

每览昔人兴感之由，若合一契，Every time I look at the cause of their sentimental feelings of the ancients, that seems to resonate with my own lament,

未尝不临文嗟悼， could not but to mourn over their writings each time,

不能喻之于怀。yet, I could not find the cause of my sadness.

固知一死生为虚诞，齐彭殇为妄作。Used to disregard that life and death as one, and find it absurd to regard living to an old ripe age to be equivalent to dying in one’s youth.

后之视今，亦犹今之视昔。The way the future generations look back at my time, would be similar too, to the way I look at the past.

悲夫！故列叙时人， It’s sad! As such, I list out the names of the people who gather today,

录其所述，to record their poems,

虽世殊事异， even though times differ and circumstances will change,

所以兴怀，其致一也。the way one expresses one’s feelings will be the same nonetheless.

后之览者，亦将有感于斯文。When future generations read this collection of poems, perhaps they will feel for these words.

Lu You, (1125–1210),

A patriotic poet of Song Dynasty. Forced to divorce his wife under the pressure of his mother. Left a poem (Pheonix Hairpin) on the walls of the Garden of Shen in Shaoxing after an encounter with his former wife by chance at the garden, of his thoughts of his first marriage.

Qiū Jǐn (秋瑾) (November 8, 1875 - July 15, 1907)

A feminist and a revolutionary, grew up in Shaoxing. Beheaded after a failed uprising against the Qing monarchy. Had bound feet herself, married to her husband under an arranged marriage, liked to dress herself in the Western male clothings but worked fervently against the abolishment of bound feet, advocating education for women to gain financial independence, left her husband and children for Japan to pursue her studies, which was unimaginable for a woman to do so of her time.

Zhou Enlai (5 March 1898 – 8 January 1976)

First premier of the Republic of China. One who used politics to serve the greater masses than to wield power for himself. Unlike Chairman Mao Zedong who as a semigod and therefore unaccountable for all his actions, Zhou Enlai was viewed by many Chinese to be the most humane leaders in the 20^th century of China. Very popular with the people, many rose in spontaneous expressions of mourning across China at his death, which the Gang of Four, a vehicle which Mao used to eradicate his political opponents, considered to be dangerous, as they feared people might use this opportunity to express hatred towards them. Zhou was a workaholic. Hospitalized in 1974 for bladder cancer, but continued to conduct work from the hospital. His body was cremated and the ashes scattered by air over hills and valleys, according to his wishes.

The Story of Bamboos

First, it's a forest of bamboos.



Then it is translated into fences......







And then hand railings.......








A pavillion grew out of bamboos and wood. Look at how the ceiling is intricately woven with whole bamboo stems and bamboo parts.
Then a toilet built entirely from bamboos.....

And finally, a viewing platform where the flooring and railings were constructed out of bamboo. That is carbon free!

One second in Shanghai

Never have I felt this strong until I met Shanghai. That the same second in one place can actually tick faster than any other second in anywhere else of the world. That one second holds a different value in Shanghai.

I wonder if this is a solely Chinese phrase: Time is money.

And Shanghai epitomizes that. Take a look at its subway.

In the year of 2007:

In the year of 2008:

In the year of 2010 and it is still not stopping:

In a span of 6 months, I was allowed a third option—taking the subway all the way to Pudong International Airport. All that for a cost of 7 yuan (CNY1—S$0.20). Trips which are under 6km cost 3yuan one way. And this is the most expensive city in the whole of China.

爱死周庄

-->

当我晃到周庄时，才发现为时已晚。我迟到了。严重地。只看到死去后的周庄。

念书时期早已听闻周庄美名，水乡之家，便是一种悠然生活的遐想。只是我不慌不忙，晃了七、八年才蹭到周庄门前。自己心里也有数，就像闻名于中国国内的黄山区一样，一旦广为人们爱慕就相等于死亡。

周庄已筑起了一个大牌坊，仿佛就是隔开过去与未来的距离－－那就是收费站。只觉得莫名其妙，就像你想进入勿洛区需要收费一样可笑。原来生活的原貌以及气质是可以贩卖以及投资的。因此，勤劳的人们在周庄小镇上围起了一堵墙，墙内的气质即使没有死亡也会枯萎。不过，死与枯萎对提议围墙的人而言都不重要。我只能庆幸自己不是三毛，没有在周庄生活过、留过情，今日也就不会痛心疾首于她的死亡。

周庄的小桥与流水依旧在；岸上的楼房焕然一新；茶馆林立；泛着小舟的人儿仍在。这些，跟当年的三毛视角中的周庄应该是相去不远。周庄是精致的，像明信片，定格在那一刹的美丽之中。一步一行都必须靠特多特多的耐性才能在这个水乡之中寻找支离破碎的气质；靠特多特多的想象力将这些七零八落的片段拼凑成一个完整的周庄。累。

寻寻觅觅之中又得小心翼翼，任何一个脚步都可能闯入游客们的镜头低下而遭人白眼。也不能随意停驻于任何一景去感怀流水的生命，深怕被人喊道占着茅坑不拉屎而必须闪躲他人的镜头。在这里，无时无刻都是喧闹以及人群。想听周庄的清净，得留到将近傍晚时分。一日游的旅客以及导游就会被西落的太阳催回上海，把那些喊叫似的对话以及导游手中的扩音机都带回旅游巴士上。再也没有几个人会在光线不足的午后站在热门景点排队站景拍照留念。河水恢复了平静，终于是一波接着一波悠悠然地起伏。舟已疲倦所以靠岸了。载着一天下来的金钱交易以及船客们有恃无恐的笑声，累了。排列在河岸边的那群妇女可以卸下渔唱女的身份退下了。一天的等待以及扮演点唱机的工作也够累人的。精品店或是餐馆可能开始去想更多与周庄有关的饮食来贩卖。

这时候的周庄究竟是恢复了宁静还是死寂，我这个过客没有资格来定度。可笑的是，那些真正了解周庄并与周庄相互孕育的居民都已在旅游业的计划下渐渐迁离了周庄，留下了周庄干涸的躯壳给相机的眼睛。像我们的牛车水一样。这是因为爱而促使的一个结果。

周庄还是精致的。坐在三毛茶馆里刻意经营一种午后茶香的写意也是另一番体会。

死亡与生命是一体的。生命必须死亡；而死亡则延伸了生命。过去的生活气息已经变成了一种刻意的经营，另一个角度则是新的周庄诞生了。虽然死亡总是离不开眼泪，但你也可以说周庄的躯壳因此得以完善地保留着。她的精神、气质、生活原貌倒能够平空想像。新貌下的周庄让更多的人得到了快乐，所以她接下来的路也更漫长。这样，也可以是她更新后活着的新意义。

---------2003年

Ups and Downs

Ups and downs is part and parcel of the Himalayas, and literally. And my frame of mind fluctuated along with its ups and downs too.

At the beginning, my mood moved proportionately to the heights. Though challenging, every step taken meant a step closer to the top. But when the weight of my backpack and the altitude pressed on my body minutes after minutes, hours after hours, I was more than happy to see a downhill path.

Until it reached a point when I realize that going downhill meant undoing all the initial effort of climbing, especially when the track dropped to a river or a stream where after crossing, you have to climb ALL the way up to the initial point of height.

That was when I realize ups and downs are both equally painful. Because they are relative to one another and especially relative to my own desires. And so, all these mood swings were just a projection of my selfish needs and frame of mind. I rejoiced when I thought reaped; I lamented when I thought I lost.

But all these ups and downs, are only purely a course of the nature and in the eyes of the nature, they are neither ups or downs, they are just them.

Just like all the creatures on earth are associated with a value that is defined in terms of their usefulness to human beings. Are they pests/threats or not?

There is a term: 平常心(ping chang xin): an unbiased heart. To accept as it is without passing any judgements. And only then can I release myself from the imprisonment of my very own frame of mind along the ups and downs.