北京的心領神會 Beijing Intuition

北京的心領神會 Beijing Intuition When I first saw Nanjing from the upstairs business class section of a plane, it was unbelievably beautiful. There was just one other family with the woman's sparkling diamond and happy smile, and a few businessmen reading about stocks, and one planning their program agenda. All was dark inside and outside. But from my window, I was the only person seeing the greeting five clouds with silver and gold swirling patterns just like the ancient classic paintings. The mountain peaks were just like the wonder of the saintly drawings. My immune system is stronger each time I visit China, and this time, I didn’t get sick through the entire trip. Not only that, China’s germs cured my hives when I was in China proper. After 12 hours of flight to Beijing in an economy seating position, I made many excuses to go to the back to drink so I could ease the soreness, so it was not such an ordeal. The first night, for some reason, there was no dinner provided. So we ventured out to Beijing’s famed Qing Zhen (Islamic) restaurant. To my surprise, it was not crowded in the famous old restaurant, but we did arrive at 9:45 pm. Instead of ordering a hot pot style with lamb and vegetables, dipping and scalding thin slices of meat in boiling water to instantly cook them, I ordered fish, ox tail and Hangzhou’s LongJing tea. I started to notice a round table filled with Arab men. Some were staring at us. I could not understand a word. They looked like they were celebrating an event. Later, I talked to Guy in English, “They are Muslims”. Then a man bursting in tears. Another man was in a rambunctious mood, very animated, loud, and rugged. Guy said, “He behaves like your father.” Then it started to dawn on me, the similarity of the Middle Eastern men and the Chinese north of Yangtze men. They may be in exaggerated loud voice, and looking uncouth, but they really have very inexpressive love which they fail to transmit. The horrible war pushing them to behave like ‘animals in cages’, very vehemently trying to preserve themselves, as many of them lost their homes and the country is broken. The psychologist would say ‘their superego exudes when they are a bit drunk, as they are tired of fighting with ego stretching to a limit, but their id and dark side in self defense is all what people can observe.’ The western gentlemen are always in a 3 piece suit, and rarely do they behave out of the status quo and proper conduct. I feel that the 3 piece suit man, cowboys in blue jeans, Chinese coolie outfit, Muslim in the fisting game for drinking bouts, like the drunken China proper soldiers, China Xian men’s generosity in asking people to taste his pomegranate, and the civil Confucius type of man, all are men. I felt sad whenever I see American soldiers in close combat with Iraqis. The howling sounds are like animals in danger. I hope the young Iraqi generation does not hate the Americans and before long, Americans can return before the Sunnis get annihilated by the wrong philosophy of condemning men for being from Saddam Hussein’s region. Sometimes, you end up killing perhaps the kindest people who simply don’t know how to explain themselves. During the Mongol’s ruling day, the poem in south Yangtze region was saying that “Last year I sold my elder daughter to pay the silk tax, this year, I have to sell my youngest son.” Mongol had the champion test examination for Mongolians, and for the Han category champion. It was not racially equal, though this examination system is Han’s and the occupied land is Han’s. When Mongolians and possibly the Turks and Islamic races invaded China, they slaughtered the entire villages, and the Ming founding emperor Ming Tai Zu, after ridding the Mongol empire; revitalized and repopulated China Proper counties with his migration policy, which was documented in the County historical records. On this trip, I discovered the Mongol Yuan’s capital, Dadu (Beijing) in its original light and form. I saw the Mongolian Lama Relic white tower. Hutong (lane), the name was from the Mongol language, meaning, wells. I suppose that the Mongolians had a well assigned to each alley. So each street is referred to Hutong (lane, well). Though the ecology system disappeared, the name still follows. Beijing later became Ming’s border city and principality feudal land, guarded by a strong prince Ming Cheng Zu. I feel I’m back to Ming’s land in Beijing. Though Ming was conquered by Qing, Qing still has Mongol, and Han cultural signs. In the end, Han still is the winning side, though was altered and sometimes needs comprehension to discern the deep side. I am lucky to have an original ancient China proper culture father to pass down all his secrets about his culture, which must be hidden sometimes in order to preserve itself, and is deeply cherished into eternity. I felt so peaceful after taking a shower and lying on the Japanese airline Nikko venture hotel room bed. It is soft but firm and flat and good like a Zen meditation mattress and calm like a scholar. I was thus stepping into the realm of the Ming Empress. Here is her domain and she was a believer in Buddhism. Her husband, Ming Chengzu, was prince guarding the Beijing border city, and later became the third emperor of Ming dynasty, and the founder of the Beijing Forbidden city. Her husband five times led the far northern expeditions in big desert north against invaders. The Ming emperor relocated from Nanjing to the Beijing Forbidden City, a replica of the Nanjing capital. The northern Qing tribe invaded Ming dynasty and occupied the Forbidden City. Han-ethnic China Proper Henan province general Yuan Shi Kai took the Qing dynasty invaders' language plaques down from the three big palace halls, a symbol of ridding China from the 268 years of Manchurian conquest from 1644 to 1911. Nationalists removed the Qing dynasty rule and founded the Republic and in essence, restored China back to Ming's ethos and culture. This is how the Ming empress gave me the invitation to her world by broadcasting a "Treasure Lotus Lantern", an aged old folklore story, on CCTV. The words were very softly spoken, as the program was not turned off during my sleep. I have not been in contact with this show since my childhood, as I immigrated to the U.S. 30 years ago. It touched my deep psyche. It is more than joy but a sense of an origin and a real loving world. I admit that in America, life is very calculating at times, and people speak with very defensive undertone. It awakens the beginning self, when you are disarmed in mother’s womb. This is the power of Fengshui and mystique. Going up the Great Wall, which is always windy, makes one feel sad about the Ming generals and soldiers’ putting up with difficult lives to live and work on the Great Wall. I could feel and see that why they appreciated whenever the king would visit them and ate the same Great Wall noodles with them together. They use the thick silk quilts as the screen door to enter the very much improved bathroom. China’s is making great improvements; it is now a lot better than the American military’s outhouse and trailer.