Trip to 泉州 (Quanzhou)

Our group took a trip to 泉州 (Quanzhou) today, a city to the east of Xiamen known for being the entrance to the Silk Road, to visit a museum and some very beautiful temples. Seeing the temples was really incredible for me, especially hearing about the traditions that go along with the Buddhist culture. When we were at the Guandi temple, I was really inspired by the fact that three different spiritual practices converge at that temple: Buddhism, Confucianism, and Taoism. It made me wish that the religious groups in America were more respectful of one another, less filled with hate, and could find a better common ground. I got very curious about some of the traditions upheld by that temple, so I asked Yang Laoshi about the culture and practices, and she was telling me about the concept of asking for good luck. When something is not falling correctly into place or someone wants an extra boost of good luck from a higher power, they can go to the temple with offerings often in the form of food and flowers, and then light incense and bow down while making their wish. If the wish comes true, they must return to the temple and show gratitude. While I myself and not a religious person nor do I believe in a god, I felt great admiration towards this concept because it seems like a very humbling way to ask for assistance.

We also visited the 海上丝绸之路博物馆 (Maritime Silk Road Museum), which while not my favorite stop on the trip, was a really near way to learn about the international importance of Quanzhou in the old global trade system of China. They had an exhibit about cross-cultural interactions that occurred through the Silk Road. Some of the most notable examples of this were the ancient relics of other religions, such as signs of Hinduism dating back to the 1400s and the Christian tombstones from the early 20th century. I thought this exhibit was a good symbol for why I decided to go to China - I wanted to facilitate the sharing of cultures between my own country and China, and I hope to leave some of my own values behind while taking many back home with me.

Once we got back to Xiamen University, we were given a few hours and a 100 元 stipend to go eat and shop in the mall across the road from one of the main gates into the campus. I walked around for a while, and then once I got hungry, I was lucky enough to be offered by Yang Laoshi to be taken to a really awesome restaurant. With one of my friends, Camille, Yang Laoshi took us out onto the street into a small hole-in-the-wall restaurant with food from Xi'an China, the old capital in the western part of the country. The first thing she said when we walked in was "don't worry, the food is safe." Not only did I not wake up that night with food poisoning, the food was absolutely delicious. Many people on the trip don't like spicy foods, but I love them and this restaurant was full of really hot dishes.