HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY AND ADVENTURES IN CUIHUASHAN

A river running through the town of Tianyi at the bottom of the mountain.

A view of Cuihuashan as we were traveling up to the top. Shan means mountain.

A view of Cuihuashan as we were entering the national park.

A beautiful lake named Sky Pool formed many years ago from the rock slides. It is about 30 meters wide and 7 meters deep.

The mountain is still surrounded by the clouds. The rain had stopped but the clouds were still hanging low and threatening more rain.

I hope you are all well on this beautiful Mother’s Day. They celebrate Mother’s Day here in China on the same day as we do in America, so I reminded my students to call or visit their mothers this weekend and wish them well.

How is the weather there? Still rain and snow? We had some rain last weekend and the temperatures plunged 20 degrees. The Phillippis and I were thinking about going to the mountains on Monday, but it was still raining when we woke up. There is nothing like a good rain to wash the dust off the leaves of the trees and water all the flowers that are decorating the streets of Xi’an.

It finally stopped raining about ten thirty, so we decided to go on our adventure to the Cuihuashan (Cui Hua Mountains). Of course, going anywhere in Xi’an is an adventure to us. We heard about this national park from some other foreign teachers who had been there twice before. They told us to get on bus 905 at Metro and ride it all the way to the end of the line. We got on the bus and headed out.

The bus was somewhat crowded and there were no seats at first. Miraculously, one seat opened up and a man told me in Chinese to sit down. I obeyed. Then a young college-age student gave her seat to Laree. We always try to talk to people when we are out, so Gary and Laree started asking her questions. At first, she said that she didn’t speak English, but they coaxed her a little and she began to talk to them. After a few minutes, the girl seemed rather taken by Laree and pulled off two of her bracelets and gave one to her, saying: “I love you. I give you my heart.” Then she did the same for me even though I was two seats away from her. I was so touched. Everyone on the bus was watching us because when Laree took her picture, the man standing next to me said, “Photos. Take photos.” Wonderful experiences like this happen to us all the time, yet I never cease to be amazed by the generosity of the Chinese people.

The bus ride was a tour through the countryside. It was so green and fresh looking after the rain, and I was soaking up the beauty of it all. Interestingly enough, it made me homesick to be there, especially when we got closer to the mountains. I couldn’t get enough of the peaceful feeling.  Parts of it reminded me of Ogden Canyon with the granite rocks and the river running down the side of the street. The ride lasted about 90 minutes and it was well worth the trip.

I did notice one interesting feature as we were traveling. Somewhere tucked away in the little town was a monument with the numbers 1949 across the top. There were two decorations on the doors with the Chinese stars. I would like to know what that was all about.

The next part of our adventure was to figure out how to get from the town to the park. It was about two miles uphill and a steady climb. We could walk or take a taxi. We chose the latter. There were several “taxis” waiting to assist us. These vehicles looked like an old beat-up truck with a covered section on the back and a slab of wood on either side for passengers to sit on. It reminded me of a covered wagon with a motor. We negotiated with a few drivers and settled on a price of 10 yuan. We climbed in and the driver took off like a bolt of lightning. We were hanging on for dear life in the back. However, the scenery was spectacular. We just looked out the back and gazed at the beautiful mountains covered with trees and shrubs. I was in heaven, or close to it.

We made it to the top, bought our tickets and walked into the park. Of course, we were the only white people there so we had people staring at us the whole time. It is funny but I cannot get used to being stared at.

We climbed into a motorized cart with six other people and headed up to the top. The driver and assistant in the front seat seemed competent enough. The narrow two-lane road was a series of switchbacks and blind areas where we could not see who was coming towards us on the other side of the road. A few cars passed us because they were in a hurry. However, I just relaxed and enjoyed the serenity of being in nature.

We spent the next few hours wandering around the area. Millions of years ago, there was a massive landslide, which caused huge boulders to come crashing down the mountain and create a lake that is named Sky Pool. We walked part way around it and ate our lunch. I was wearing a turtleneck and a sweatshirt and was comfortable. Gary and Laree were shivering until the sun came out. Even then the clouds left over from the storm were still hanging around the mountain peaks. We wandered up stairs and down exploring the rocks and looking into the caves. One was called Wind Cave because of the sound the air made going through the rocks. Another one was called Icy Cave because the temperature dips to -4 degrees C during parts of the year.

All too soon it was time to head back, so we reversed our steps and headed home. We climbed on another cart and zoomed down the mountain, narrowly missing a few cars that were headed up and just happened to be in our lane. Oopsy! We climbed into the back of another truck and had a wild ride down.

Just after we got back to the little town, a 905 bus came along and we hopped on. We all got seats since the bus starts its route there. Then things got crazy. Now that the sun was out, everyone from the country was headed into Xi’an. I was sitting across the bus from the Phillippis and I could not see them with all the people in the aisle. At one point Gary called me on the phone to make sure I was still there. We were relieved to squeeze out of the bus and start walking home. This day was a real highlight for me—the sweet girl on the bus, the beautiful scenery, and being out in nature--were so refreshing. What a colorful day!

Tuesday we were back to our usual routine of teaching. Last week I shared my three-generation pedigree chart and our family tradition of going to Yellowstone National Park every summer with my Oral English students. Their assignment was to do the same the following week. It turned into a very special experience for both the students and me. Each student would draw a chart on the board and then talk about their families. Some drew the typical line drawing that I showed them. Others were more creative and drew trees or apples. The rest of the students were very attentive as they listened to their classmates—an unusual occurrence. There was a sweet spirit of love in the room and I think they felt it.

Here are some of the things I learned from their presentations:

·      Most of their parents were born in the 1960s, a time of great upheaval in China. The students are mostly in their early 20s. However, I had one girl whose parents are around my age! I was very surprised.
·      Many of their grandparents were born in the 1930s and lived through the Japanese conflict and the Cultural Revolution. What survivors they must be!
·      One beautiful girl had a question mark for one of her grandmothers. She stated rather matter-of-factly that her grandmother did not like her because she was a girl. Unbelievable! I had heard of this before but I couldn’t fathom it. Boys are valued, not girls.
·      Some of the students did not know the names of their grandparents. They just call them “Honey” or “Dear”. They don’t see them very often because they live far away.
·      About half of them had lost at least one grandparent and a few had lost their parents. Two of the girls actually cried when they were up there, so it took a lot of courage for them to say anything. I was crying too. I guess I had not thought about that happening.
·      A few of the students had parents who came from large families of from six to ten children. They are lots of uncles and aunts. It was amazing to think about that happening just one generation back.
·      Several of the students had brothers or sisters or both. That surprised me in view of the one-child policy. Also, if their siblings were older and had married, they mentioned their nieces or nephews.
·      I also learned how the family names work. In America and other western countries, the wife takes her husband’s name when they get married. In China the wife does not change her name, but the children all take their father’s family name.

It was an eye-opening experience for me and hopefully for them. I still have my Monday classes’ presentations. I am looking forward to hearing their stories. The best part was how well they spoke in English.

Amanda de Lange, the founder of the Starfish Foster Home, had several Mormon doctors and dentists arrive this weekend to do surgeries on some of the children at the foster home during the next week. We also had some visitors and other volunteers. We usually have about 20 people at church on a good Sunday. Today it was double that. I have forgotten what a ward congregation looks like. I was very intimidated because I was giving the SS lesson. My knees were shaking and I was stuttering like crazy. Somehow I got through it.

Have a wonderful week. Remember your adventures are there, just on a smaller scale. Enjoy nature. Give someone your heart. Remember I love you.

Gary and Laree Phillippi are standing in front of the Wind Cave. The slabs of rock are resting on each other and form a V-shaped cave. When the wind flows through, it whistles. Hence the name.

On certain days we can see the Qinling Mountains from the new campus. They are only about an hour away but usually obscured by the pollution in the air. Here are some of the peaks of the Qinling mountains hidden by clouds.

Gary Phillippi standing by the entrance to the Cuihuashan National Park.

The little red figure is the mascot for the Horticultural Expo in Xi'an. They are all over the city advertising for the exhibit. I am quite taken with this cute figure, so I wanted a picture of it. One of Laree's students told her the head was in the shape of a persimmon. The Chinese seem to love these cartoon-like characters.

Another view of the mountain at the site of the huge rock slide. I loved the sharp edges on the top of the mountain and the clouds misting around it.