Audrey，
There is so much about my trips to Beijing I haven't told you yet. Talking about romantic ones, perhaps you might wish to join me in this: On the day before I came back from Peking this last trip, I went with a friend to a Ming-era temple ( 大覺寺 ) which is about one and a half hour drive from town. Off the beaten track, the temple, sitting at the foot of 香 山, is tugged alone in a deep valley on the western outskirt of Beijing. Visitors are scarce.
大覺寺 is like a grand Xiheyuan ( 四合院 ) with a few rings of old traditional houses encircling the two main shrines in the centre. Unlike almost all other temples I have visited in China. it is plain, modest and unostentatious. Every where around it, there is no commercial activity in sight. No shop. No souvenir kiosk. No food stalls. No hawker. And even the joss-stick urns are almost empty with only a few extinguished incense sticks left from the very few worshipers who did bother to make the gruesome journey here. In other words, it is quiet, simple and straight-forward. To be more flowery in description, there is a rich sense of tranquility, calmness and placidity in the air.It is very ZEN.
Having said so, I must admit that there IS some sort of civilized activities here within. One chic restaurant and one elegant tea house are tastefully and discreetly hidden in buildings scattered on the outer perimeters.
My visit fell on a grey cold cloudy day. Temperature was low and the air was dry. Both elements signaled the imminent fall of snow. We walked around the empty compound, holding our breath, gasping at the serenity of the ambience. En-route, we paused, only to enjoy the solitary of being on our own. For a long while, our feeling was as though we were in an alien territory. It was also as though we did not belong to this materialized world.
After lunch, we retreated to the tea -house. A small one with one table on each end sealed off from the serving station in the center with traditional slide partition. Over the the wooden-framed glass window lied a small courtyard extending to another tea house on the opposite end. On both other two sides, there were more small tea-houses like the one in here.
Inside the room, it was warm, homey and comfortable. We sipped tea, we tasted Chinese snacks ( preserved plumes) and we played Chinese chess( 五子棋 to be exact ). We chatted and we exchanged views on life.
Outside, it was cold and getting colder. Lights dimmed, lanterns lit and snow flakes began to fall. The only noise besides our whispering sound was our breath. Unnoticed of time, we soaked in this calmness, serenity and romantic moment for hours until nightfall.
The passing of that particular afternoon was perhaps simple but we sure did leave the snow-puffed大覺寺with our spirit and mind rich and full.
Audrey, isn't this a perfect scene for anyone romantic or romantic in mind?
