Travels in China 2007
Shanxi
After a long and arduous drive in our little minivan packed absolutely full to the gills, we arrive in the city of Tai Yuan in Shanxi Province, to the Southwest of Beijing. My traveling companions are Yun and Katka; Yun's parents, Dr. Pang and Dr. Lu; Oran; Lu Yi, the delightful young GCI staff person who assists all of us at every turn; and our driver, Li, who is a native of Shanxi and one of Dr. Lu's opera students. (Dr. Lu is the retired Chair of the Philosophy Department at Beijing University, and he is able to follow his passion for opera in his retirement.)
Tai Yuan is a small city according to Chinese standards; a mere four million people clog every available inch of the road in bicycles, mopeds, motor scooters, cars, buses and trucks. I can't help noticing that the Chinese have a very different concept of lanes on the road than I have had in my driving experience. So I try very hard not to look directly ahead of us while our driver is assiduously attempting to dodge pedestrians, bicycles, and massive trucks carrying cows, chickens, piles of lumber, tires, or any number of goods that such a huge population needs for its daily survival.
But Yun assures us that there is an amazing jewel of a Buddhist Temple that we will find at the end of our drive, and indeed, we park our van and begin our walk through the rolling, green gardens of the Jinci Temple constructed originally 2,300 years ago on this precise site. For many reasons, Jinci Temple is unique. It represents a transition between the free-flow design of the ancient spiritual traditions in China with the more structured design of later Buddhist temples. It is also marks the transition between the Zhou and Tang dynasties.
In fact, a huge stone carving of the original Tang emperor, his son, and their supporters greets us on the way into the temple, for this was also the site of the great battle that brought the long standing and influential Tang dynasty to power.
The grounds of the Jinci Temple are home to the second oldest tree in China within the confines of a Buddhist Temple. The Zhou Cypress tree is 3,100 years old, second only to the oldest tree we saw last year at the Shaolin Temple in Henan Province further south from Beijing, which is 3,500 years old. This ancient and revered tree is supported by its "son" cypress, so the tale goes, so the "father" Cypress will not lean so strongly on the adjacent building and risk being cut down.
These trees are only yards away from the bubbling hot springs that have flowed under this complex for thousands of years. The well is marked off and protected so the healing springs can flow into the adjoining villages as well as being used by the monks in the temple.
As we leave the Jinci Temple, we come in a few hundred yards, to the Lotus Temple, a small but beautifully maintained complex that marks the victory of the Tang dynasty. Monks are present to light incense and protect the huge golden Buddhas in the brightly colored temple alcoves.
We walk in silence down the green expanse of tended gardens aware that we have just had a remarkable glimpse into a rare moment in Chinese history, embodied in this almost magical place of a time past but remembered.