Impressions of Henan

A trip to Henan, and I’ve been to 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 I was also popularized with religious knowledge by Gaoming Yuan. In the end, even I, who have always disliked temples and monasteries, couldn’t help but be infected by their atmosphere, and I must say that temples do have their unique charm.

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 amazing, 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, feeling that this kind of place is not suitable for me - young and vigorous, it’s hard to have a sense of reverence for Buddhism. On the other hand, older people who have experienced many things, coming here to burn incense, may also be a way to pursue happiness in life. In a Taoist temple, an old lady was crying in front of the Guanyin Buddha, as if confessing her sins. I’m extremely disgusted with this kind of thing, 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 - this is the attitude of young people towards Buddhism, fearless of heaven and earth, and naturally not believing in Buddhism.

But Gaoming Yuan 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, worshiping them doesn’t necessarily mean believing in them, just treat it as an experience. So, later on, I sincerely worshiped several Buddhas, and I must say, putting your hopes on Buddha, making small wishes, may really be able to plant your thoughts deeply into 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 few visitors, so it’s especially quiet inside. Previously, I had a bad impression of Taoist priests, always thinking that they were cheating people out of money. This time, when I came to the Zhongyue Temple, the Taoist priest helped us ring the bell very seriously when we were worshiping the Guanyin Buddha. Later, when he saw me carrying a large backpack and sweating profusely, 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 have kind hearts. Behind the Fan Tower, there is a Buddhist hall, which is said to have three sarira buried 7-8 meters below. A monk gave us a ceremony and told us about the principles of being a person. Those words may be what he says to everyone, or maybe it’s just to ask us for money, but in any case, I feel that it was very rewarding for me - I only remember the general idea, the most enlightening sentences are “one should approach everything with a calm mind, and have a progressive mind.” I think these two sentences are applicable to everyone, and I’d like to share them with you.

After visiting many temples, I feel that I can gradually look at things with a calm mind. Often, I can prevent myself from being controlled by emotions, jump out of trivial matters and past events, and focus my heart 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 side. We even went “night touring” 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, as well as the tall skyscrapers around us, give a sense of security, while the empty squares and commercial streets that are no longer prosperous at night give a sense of peace.

Gaoming Yuan, with the idea of “traveling” all over the world, boldly jumped into the Yangjia Lake next to 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 exercise. This trip has exercised my abilities and broadened my horizons - this is a summary.

Initial draft

The five-day itinerary ended smoothly today. During these five days, we visited Luoyang, Dengfeng Shaolin, 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 seems small, and you can leave the city in a short time by car. The pace of life in Luoyang is slow, and people don’t seem to like taking 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 seems more dilapidated, giving the feeling of a county town in the suburbs of Beijing a few years ago, and it’s not very convenient to take cars, 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 Minggang Road. Erqi Road has all kinds of brand stores, snack streets, and entertainment cities, and there’s a huge overpass. The prosperity here is not inferior to Beijing’s Wangfujing, and yesterday evening, when we were strolling around looking for beautiful women, we even found a Mickey Mouse theme store, and we excitedly went in to take a look, but… it didn’t feel very suitable, alas… 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 whole city seems to be built on the lakeside. I love the atmosphere of water. Unfortunately, Kaifeng’s urban development is not very good, it seems very dilapidated, with many low-rise buildings, and the streets seem dirty and chaotic.

This time, the places we visited were mainly Buddhist and Taoist cultural relics.