Incense and Awe

Today I started my research for my Ricci project on sacred space by going
to the Yonghegong Temple in Beijing. When I existed the subwaystation I
was immediately aware that I was close to the temple. The street
was lined with little shops selling incense to be burned in front of
temples, Buddhist prayer beads, and other religious goods. I began to
smell the incense wafting over the walls of the temple before I arrived
at the entrance. I was the only white person standing in line with the
many Chinese people who were all holding bundles of incense. I’m glad
I’ve learned some basic numbers inChinese so I could ask to buy one
ticket. I walked toward the path and the closer I got to the main gate
the stronger the smell of incense became (fortunately it is a smell I
love). When I entered the temple complex through the main gate I was
overcome with the beauty of the temple and the beauty of the
people praying. It was hard to believe the number of believers lighting
incense, bowing in prayer, and offering incense to Buddha. There were
people of all ages from teenagers to the elderly and dressed in
everything from simple traditional outfits to high heels and fashionable
coats.

I felt like I was intruding on a very private beautiful moment of prayer.
For a long time I just stood and watched as people offered incense and
prayed bowing down on their knees. Finally I got up the courage to
walk inside one of the temple halls and since the young monk at the
entrance didn’t stop me I figured it was okay. Even though I am not a
Buddhist I truly felt like I was walking on sacred ground and was very
moved by the experience. The giant gold Buddha in the hall I entered was
beautiful. The emotion I felt when I entered the temple hall and saw it
transported me back to the first time I stepped into Saint Peter’s
Basilica in Rome. I was in awe of the beauty and mystery of the temple
hall. It was an indescribable experience. It was so moving for me, and so
prayerful. Even my prayer had no words I felt a powerfulsense of prayer
in my heart. When I exited the temple I remembered why I had come to
China and why I am a religious studies major: to experience these
kinds of places, to study them, and to grow in my understanding of the
world and myself. Going to yonghegong temple was an extraordinary experience
and I can’t wait to visit more Buddhist temples in Beijing.

Dealing with Duality

It is still hard to say how I feel about living in Beijing. The tastes,
smells, sounds, sights, and textures still leave me in some level of
culture shock. I think that the hardest thing I’ve had to wrap my
head around is the many seemingly contradictory experiences of life in
Beijing. As I walk out of the International University of Business and
Economics campus I live on and into the local neighborhood I notice how
the streets are littered with cigarettes and trash, and garbage collects
along the curb. It seems to be a place lacking any sort of cleanliness,
but when I step into the subway system it is spotless with airport like
security for your bags. The extremely efficient, brightly lit and clean
train pulls up exactly on schedule and as it flies out of the station I
almost feel like I could be in a futuristic episode of Doctor Who as I
listen to an unfamiliar language, speeding underground in a sleek shiny
metro car. When I walk to local restaurants around campus I see
shiny expensive cars driving on the same street as bicycles towing carts
of heaping piles of wood or other supplies. There are fancy restaurants
with big red lanterns next to the local hole in the wall restaurants no
bigger than my dorm room. The fancy hot pot restaurant I went to served
soup with little fish in it(really, a whole fish was in my soup, eyes,
scales, and all!) but the best meal I have had yet is the delicious baozi
from a restaurant that is more like a room with three small tables. At
first glance it would scare away anyone frightened of the lack of
hygiene. It is a place where you don’t let the rough wooden chopsticks
hit the table but you can count on the steamed buns and dumplings being
fresh and delicious. At first I thought the whole hallway I live on in
my dorm smelt like Chinese take-out but now I seem have become accustomed
to this smell everywhere. So often this city seems so modern teaming with
businessmen and technology but then I remember that there are no laundry
dryers, YouTube, and facebook don’t work, and I wonder how this great
contrast exists. Last Saturday I went to the Forbidden City, a beautiful
site of Chinese history. It was remarkable that to get to the gorgeous
palace built over five hundred years ago for the glory of Chinese
dynasties I had to walk through Tiananmen Squareand consider the great
contrast in these two historical sites. I am still processing what it
means to be in China, and especially in Beijing. My senses have been
bombarded with all the new surroundings and although there are
somethings I don’t know if I’ll ever get used to I can definitely get
used to sitting with some friends over a couple dishes of steaming hot
baozi from the hole in the wall restaurant where a little happiness can
be bought for less than a dollar.

Beijing

I can’t believe I’m in China! Really, I still don’t think it has sunk in
that I am here and will be until the middle of May. I am staying on an
international university campus in an international student dorm.
The hallways often smell like fried rice or a compilation of Chinese
dishes, and in the community bathrooms the toilets consist of wholes in
the floor. Fortunately I have a western style toilet in my room that I
share with my roommate from Saint Louis University. So far I haven’t seen
much of Beijing as I have been settling in and going to orientation on
campus. It is definitely going to behard to blend in here as a white,
light hair, blue eyed American.

So far I have already eaten more Chinese dishes than in my whole life previous to coming to Beijing. It is typical to have lunch or dinner with a group at a table with a lazy susan where all the dishes are passed around to everyone so I’ve been able to try tons of new food.
I’m a fan of the kung pow chicken here and have had some delicious fried
noodles with beef. I’ve also had some stranger dishes like haven’t been
so appealing to my taste buds like a soup containing fish balls, shrimp,
black chicken, bok choy, and mushrooms. My skills with chopsticks have been rapidly improving out of necessity although I’m still struggling with some foods. My friend Hung who is studying here helped me out with a very helpful lesson so I’m getting better.There are lots of cultural differences here I’ve already seen and I’m sure tons I will discover in the near future. So far it has been really overwhelming to be here, and as my jet lag is just starting to wear off hopefully I can discover more of Beijing soon.