Writes of Passage

This is part of the Reception Hall, a stone throw away from the home site.

The local uses part of it to park their truck, illegally. Oh well.

One with the flash and one without:

16 Jianshe Road, Dongzhi, Anhui　建设路　东至, 247000

This is a decent hotel given the location. The room is more inviting and comfortable than the one in Jinan, the capital city of Shandong province. The front street is busy but unfortunately I was too busy to take a walk.

She’s Zhou Fu’s wife (原配) and was buried near him in 马坑乡 桃源村 箬岭峰. 吴太夫人墓 is next to her three daughters.

(baike: 马坑乡位于安徽池州市东至县南部，是一个边远偏僻的山区乡镇，南同景德镇交界，东北与祁门县相连西与花园里乡为邻，西南与石城乡毗连)

Dongzhi County made it a historical site on September 4, 1999.

Dad’s 85th birthday trip | Dongzhi county 东至/池州, home of my (Popo’s grandpa) gg grandfather Zhou/Chou Fu 周馥 (1837–1921).

It’s a bone-chilling day. I was invited to a dinner at one of the cohorts’ home, a newly build two story house … but there wasn’t any heat. As I was moving around to keep myself warm, the young host offered me this beautiful wooden bucket. At first I worried that the red charcoal might burn through my soles, the host graciously handed me a pair of sleeper. The wooden bucket is marvelous and does the job well.

• Also seen at YinYuTang @ PEM

The upper floor of the house is yet to finished. The host has a new born son. His parents live there too. A few women are cooking in the kitchen. Did they rent the tableware?

His dad sat with us for dinner but mom showed up after dinner – to clean up – photo below to the right. At first I though she’s the maid, especially the way the host and the most people there, treat her. Oh well…

They lined the path to the tomb site with the cement wengzhong 翁仲 (baike) 神兽. These stone tablets are inscribed with his bios, mottoes, titles, honoring his storied life.

These cement statues lined the path to the tomb site with the broken memorial stele, may be translated as gargoyles (神兽 – 怪兽 too European?) or sentinel statues (翁仲- 定点雕像?).

Originally, there were six pairs: 4 翁仲 which are still standing but out of eight animals 神兽, there is only one remains:

1. turtle 乌龟 – no more
2. goat 羊 – no more
3. tiger 虎 – one left
4. horse 马 – no more
5. sentinel statues of military attaches 武官 (翁仲 baike = 文/武官)
6. sentinel statues of civil officials 文官

My great great grandpa passed away in Tianjin on September 21, 1921, at age of 83, survived by three sons and two daughters. His descendants accompanied him home to Dongzhi for burial, near his wife.

He chose this site for his resting place on Yunwukeng 云雾坑 Clouds Pit mountain in Guangang County 官港镇, with the help of a Feng Shui master. Reportedly, Mr. Feng Shui recommended this site after surviving the near and afar.

After parking, we followed the path – shendao 神道/mudao 墓道*, flanked by the broken stone memorial steles and gargoyles 神兽 and 翁仲, climbing to the top of the hill.

The overcast sky threatened rain drop at any given moment, indeed it did drop a few. But the tranquility superseded all other natural elements and put me in a serene state of mind.

Mr. Chen led the way. He’s very much in his element … thank you Mr. Chen!

The time stamp:

The area is declared a historical site by City of Chizhou on March 10th, 2012.

It’s a whirlwind trip that left me no time to think but to react. Now back home, recalling the scenes and hearing the penchant of renovation (from all sides), I couldn’t help but to wonder, what kind of improvements are they planning? Will a clean up and on going up keeping be enough? Certainly many top 1% have their tomb built extravagantly to reflect their previous status. But this tomb is very much like the man who resides there: simple and humble, yet very elegant， blends with the surroundings marvelously. I certainly felt the harmony, saw the tranquility and heard the serenity. Isn’t this the reason he had chosen this mountain top?

在这个旋风速度的寻根之旅中, 没有给我留下时间去思考, 只有被动的反应. 现在回到家里, 有时间了, 也听到四面八方要装修的号召, 我不禁想知道, 他们在策划什么样的改进? 清理和维持现状足够吗? 当然, 许多顶尖的1％会一掷千金盖自己的陵墓, 以反映其先前的状态. 但是站在先祖的墓前, 我感到和谐, 看到了安详, 听到的宁静. 该墓和居住那里的人一样: 简单而谦虚, 但很优雅. 天衣无缝的与环境融为一体. 难道这不是我的祖先当初选择这个山顶的原因? … 修订家谱是好事. 但是当趋势都是云端, 节约纸少伐木, 家谱并不需要纸印的. 扎克伯格富甲一方, 但是他和太太想到的是怎么样为他们的女儿制造一个更美好的明天.

• A few different words for the resting place of the dead: 陵 mausoleum, 墓 tomb、冢 mound、坟 grave.
• * 神道 (zh wiki)/墓道 (墓外甬道) – a path leads to a tomb

Lady Chen, the wife of Zhou Mingda is buried here by her sons. The color of the ground is very pretty. (东至县 花园乡 新塘村打鼓坦 Dagutan 新塘小学 西南 250 米 – 017 县道 County Road)

It’s a short drive from Mrs. Zhou’s tomb. Zhou Xuexi had built this bridge (万善桥 wanshan qiao – Ten Thousand Goodness/Kindness/Virtuous/bona fide bridge) over the Yaodu River 尧渡河 in 1933. It’s now the X017 xiandao/country road by Dongzhi Garden Middle School 东至县花园中学. Government has built a new bridge to the left for autos, in order to preserves this for pedestrians.

• 2020 flood

This is the ad I’ve seen all over as we were traveling in Dongzhi between the tombs. It must have cost a fortune? More randoms shots.