Impressions of Henan

A trip to Henan, and I finally visited the Zhongyue Temple, which can be said to be the land where human ancestors were born. Along the way, I visited many Buddhist temples and Taoist temples, and was also popularized with religious knowledge by Gao Mingyuan. In the end, even I, who have always disliked monasteries and Zen temples, couldn’t help but be infected by their charm, and I must say that temples do have their unique aspects.

The White Horse Temple is the first temple built after Buddhism was introduced to China, and the Shaolin Temple is already famous overseas. As a result, these two temples are very popular. However, despite the fact that Shaolin Kung Fu is indeed wonderful, these two temples are too commercialized, and even after visiting, it’s hard to find a sense of tranquility.

Some people say, “As soon as I enter a temple, my heart becomes calm.” But I’m an exception, I always have a kind of fantasy, thinking that this kind of place is not suitable for someone like me - young and vigorous, it’s hard to have a sense of reverence for Buddhism. On the other hand, older people who have experienced more things in life, come here to burn incense, maybe it’s a way to pursue happiness in life. In a Taoist temple, an old lady was crying in front of the Guanyin Bodhisattva, as if confessing her sins. I’m extremely disdainful of such things, changing one’s life is not something that can be achieved by crying in front of a clay statue, no matter how sacred it is - that’s the attitude of young people towards Buddhism, fearless of heaven and earth, and naturally not believing in Buddhism.

But Gao Mingyuan told me that worshiping Buddha, crying in front of the Bodhisattva is a kind of religious experience. When you really do it, you will involuntarily feel the charm of religion. And he said, you don’t have to believe in them, just treat it as an experience. So, later on, I sincerely worshiped several Buddhas, and I must say, putting your hopes in Buddha, making small wishes, maybe it can really plant your thoughts deep in your subconscious mind.

The temples that gave me the best impression are the Zhongyue Temple and the Fan Tower. The Zhongyue Temple is very large, it’s a Taoist temple, but because it’s not very famous, there are not many people visiting, so it’s particularly quiet inside. Previously, I had a bad impression of Taoist priests, I always thought they were cheating people for money. This time, when I visited the Zhongyue Temple, the Taoist priest helped us ring the bell very seriously. Later, when he saw me carrying a large backpack and sweating, an old lady smiled and let us stand at the back door of a temple - where there was a cool breeze blowing from outside, very comfortable. I feel that Taoist priests are kind-hearted. Behind the Fan Tower, there is a Buddhist hall, which is said to have three sarira buried 7-8 meters below. A monk did a ceremony for us and told us about the principles of being a person. Those words may be something he says to everyone, or maybe it’s just to ask for money, but in any case, I feel that I gained something - I only remember the general idea, the most inspiring sentences are “one should approach things with a calm mind, and have a progressive heart.” I think these two sentences are applicable to everyone, and I’d like to share them with you.

After visiting many Buddhist temples, I feel that I can gradually look at things with a calm mind. Many times, I can prevent myself from being controlled by emotions, jump out of trivial matters and past events, and let my heart focus on my ultimate goal, and take steps to achieve it.

This time, the cities we visited, except for Zhengzhou, are not very large, but each city has its unique aspect. We even went on a “night tour” in Zhengzhou at 11 pm, and although we were in a foreign land, we felt very relaxed. The bright neon lights in front of us, and the tall skyscrapers around us gave us a sense of security, while the empty squares and commercial streets that were no longer prosperous at midnight gave us a sense of peace.

Gao Mingyuan, with the idea of “traveling” all over the world, bravely jumped into the Yangjia Lake beside the Longting in Kaifeng, and swam freely. I was amazed.

This trip to Henan is my first independent trip to an unfamiliar city, and completing the entire journey smoothly is a kind of affirmation of my abilities. Every day, we had to go to many places, which was also a kind of physical training. This trip has exercised my abilities and broadened my horizons - this is the summary.

Initial Draft

The five-day itinerary ended smoothly today. During these five days, we visited Luoyang, Dengfeng, Kaifeng, and Zhengzhou in Henan.

First, let’s talk about my impressions of these cities.

The ancient capital Luoyang gives people a sense of being ordinary, the city is relatively small, and it doesn’t take long to leave the city by car. The pace of life in Luoyang is slow, and people seem to prefer not to take buses, so the buses are always empty. The People’s Square in Luoyang is well-built, especially at night, when many people exercise and play cards in the large park. Dengfeng appears to be more dilapidated, and it feels like a county town in the Beijing suburbs a few years ago. It’s not very convenient to take cars, and you have to walk a long way to find one. Since we didn’t stay for long, I won’t comment too much. Zhengzhou’s city center is very grand, with high-rise buildings on Erqi Road, People’s Square, Taikang Road, and Mingjiang Road. Erqi Road has various brand stores, snack streets, and entertainment centers, as well as a very large overpass. The prosperity of this place is not inferior to Beijing’s Wangfujing. Last night, when we were wandering around looking for beautiful women, we even found a Mickey Mouse theme store, and we excitedly went in to take a look, but it felt… not very suitable, oh well… after all, we’re not kids anymore, and it’s not very suitable for adults to go in and play. Never mind… Kaifeng is a city I like very much, because there are many lakes in the city, the air is very humid, and it’s very cool. The entire city seems to be built on the lake shore. I love the atmosphere of water. Unfortunately, Kaifeng’s urban development is not very good, and it appears to be very dilapidated, with many bungalows and no high-rise buildings, and the streets are quite dirty and chaotic.

The places we visited this time are mainly Buddhist and Taoist cultural relics.