Finding Fortune, Blind
“She was way off course, but he lied and said 'you're almost there.'”
Okay. I'm back in China for the first time in 25 years.
Question: Where did they put the country I left?
Answer: It's there. But you have to look in all the tiny nooks and crannies, drive far away from the skyscrapers and fast food restaurants, search the outskirts in the towns where roads are still rutted. You'll find old China wherever friends squat in groups to talk, or in the serenity in the eyes of an old man carrying a couple live turtles on a string over his shoulder. And you can find it at some magical places.
The large character means "fortune" and you have good fortune if you can close your eyes, arm outstretched, walk forward and stay on course to touch it.
Photos by Art Silverman, NPRI experienced one of them today. As skies turned blue, and a spring breeze rose and the air smelled sweet I went to a Buddhist monastery a little north of the city. In Chinese it's called "Baoguang si," which translates to "Monastery of Divine Light." Fellow producer Andrea Hsu and Chengdu-born NPR listener, Xiaoyu Xie of Northhampton, Mass, took me there. The main attraction that draws crowds is a hall overrun with statues of Buddha; grumpy Buddhas, cheerful Buddhas, bearded Buddhas with fire in their eyes.
As the three of us exited the hall and moved toward the street, we came upon a wall where a big red Chinese character hung conspicuously. We watched as person after person did the same, curious ritual. Each closed their eyes, lifted an arm and strode toward the symbol, which is the word for "fortune" in Chinese.
"It's a way to bring good fortune," Xiaoyu explained. The symbol means fortune. And it's great entertainment, in the manner of "Candid Camera" or "Jackass."
Chen Ling, left, and friend Lin Yan start out together looking for good fortune.
One woman started out and tilted off course in seconds. Heavy to port side, she kept marching bravely. "How am I doing," she finally asked the giggling audience. Xiaoyu couldn't resist. "Almost there," he lied.
More people joined in the ritual; some using both hands, some cheating openly and repeatedly. Others let fate and faith move them to the target. No one seemed overly concerned when fortune did not shine on them. Kids, older people, couples. Most did all right. A few started over if they failed to achieve the goal the first time.
The two young woman pictured here in their stylish clothing, started together but diverged as they moved along. Lin Yan managed to score on target and broke out in a big smile, while her pal Chen Ling strolled in fishnet stockings considerably off-course along the wall.
Chen Ling fails to find her fortune.
But Lin Yan is right on target. Buddha must dislike fishnet stockings.
Art Silverman, NPRMoments later she opened her eyes and joined in the laughter of the crowd.
-- Art Silverman
(Just a follow-up to Andrea's last post about my domestic travel: I arrived at Beijing Airport's new terminal on my way in. As I told Robert Siegel on the phone, it looks as if it were designed by artist/humorist Bruce McCall, who specializes in outlandish visions of the future. The proportions of the structure seem normal at first, until you digest it all and realize the distances are all three or four times greater than they appear at first.
However, this results in an overall sense of serenity. Everything works as it should, which blunts the jarring effects of 14 hours on a plane and a new country. The transfer to the domestic flight to Chengdu happens as if by magic: I show a passport, they find my plane. I guess spelling my name out with a poem is not a bad idea)
9:59 AM ET | 05- 3-2008 | permalink
