Last day in Quanzhou, and then back to Xiamen!

April 8, 2012

Since it was Easter, we went to Quanzhou’s Catholic church 泉州天主教堂 to hear mass. It was also dad’s first time there because he said that the government closed it down for a long time before. After mass, the church served food so we were able to eat lunch for free! Hahaha.

Dad’s former “workplace” was nearby so we went there in hopes of bumping into his old friends. The person he was really looking for wasn’t there, but he also saw some people and they talked for a while. It’s been so long since he last went there. We also passed by the tulou on the way back to the hotel.

In the afternoon, one of dad’s friend’s employees drove us to Xiamen (in a police car at that! Woo!). We hung out at 8ku’s house for a while, and then Andrea, Albert, and I went to Basao 佰朔茶廊 for snacks. I can’t remember what I ordered but I think it was the Oolong Caramel Mocha 烏龍焦糖摩卡 (oops!) and we shared a Chocolate Souffle 巧克力舒芙蕾. Yummy!

We had dinner at Lucky Full City Seafood Ltd. 潮褔城大酒樓, where we ate a lot of dimsum. Then, we rode a ferry to Gulangyu Island. We walked around for a while, bought DQ ice cream, went to Miss Zhao 趙小姐的店, a tea place, to sit down and drink tea, and took the ferry back to Xiamen Island (?). I wanted to eat oysters so Andrea, Adrian, mom, and I went to this restaurant (鮮蚝館) that serves them. We ordered garlic oysters and cheese oysters. Wee! We eat and eat and eat…

Dear ancestral home, I’m back! Day 3 :)

April 7, 2012

We went to Qingyuan Hill 清源山, also another one of the 18 views of Quanzhou 泉州十八景. We walked through the “Gate to Laozi Stone Statue 老君岩山門”, to “Laozi getting through Hangu Fort 老子過函谷關”, to “Confucius salute Laozi 孔子問禮老子”, and finally to the famous “Stone statue of Laozi 老君岩”. After that, my dad was tired so he stayed there, while mom and I, and this girl who accompanied us to Qingyuan Hill, walked up to the “heavenly abode of Yuanyuan 元元洞天” and to the “Seeing Dragon Scenic Spot 見龍台.” It was a bit hot that day (or maybe it’s because we were climbing up the hill?) so we stopped there, took a rest, and headed back down. We had lunch at this beef place, and then we went back to the hotel to rest.

Later in the afternoon, another one of dad’s friends came to pick us up, and we went to Shishi clothing city 石獅服裝城 because I wanted to go shopping. That was a bit disappointing because a lot of the prices were the same as in Taiwan, and I like the clothes here more, so I wasn’t really able to buy a lot. Then, we went to the beach side, where apparently, a resort (Gold Coast 黃金海岸) is being constructed. The place looks really expensive though. The beach, not so good. Philippine beaches are better, but at least I was able to see a Chinese beach. Haha!

Dear ancestral home, I’m back! Day 2 (Ashab Mosque 清淨寺)

April 6, 2012

After Kaiyuan Temple, we headed to Tumen Street 塗門街 (which means “Clay Street”) where the Qingjing Mosque 清淨寺/Ashab Mosque (in Arabic) is located.

The mosque was built in 1009. It is the “oldest among extant mosques in China” and “has been ranked among the first batch of key national cultural relics in safe-keeping and among the ten most famous temples in China.” The mosque isn’t really that big, but you can see a museum with a Chinese-Islam relations exhibit, stones with Arabic inscriptions, an ancient well, a “lotus cropping out of water” incense burner, sarcophagi, worshiping hall, etc. You have to pay 3RMB to get in.

After the mosque, we bought some shakes for refreshments, and then we went to this music store owned by dad’s friend. We had an afternoon snack of beef and meatball soup, and sticky rice at this small restaurant before heading to Confucius Temple 府文廟 and finally going back to the hotel.

For your information, the Confucius Temple was “…built in the beginning of Taipingxingguo of the North Song dynasty (976 AD). It’s the largest Confucius Temple surviving in South China. The present structure remains original of the early Qing dynasty, and was listed in the key national safeguard cultural relics in 2001.”

Dear ancestral home, I’m back! Day 2 (Kaiyuan Temple 開元寺)

April 6, 2012

Kaiyuan Temple is one of the 18 views of Quanzhou (as approved/promoted/propagated? by the government). According to the information sheet I got, it “is a national key safekeeping cultural relic and a national 4A grade tousit spot. It was built in the 2nd year of Chuigong 垂拱二年 in the reign of Empress Wuzetian of the Tang dynasty 始建于唐武則天 686AD. It was originally named The Lotus Temple 蓮花寺.” I saw the Giant Buddhist Hall, the Twin Pagodas (The East Pagoda is also called the Zhenguo Pagoda 鎮國搭 and it is 48.24m high. The West Pagoda, on the other hand, is called the Renshou Pagoda 仁壽搭 and it is 44.06m high.) Again according to the info sheet, “the Twin Pagodas are gems of ancient Chinese stone architecture and has become the landmark of the historic city Quanzhou.”

My dad said that he used to play here with his friends when he was young. Back then, the place was open to the public free of charge. Now, you have to pay 10RMB to get in. I guess it’s to preserve the place too. He also said that the pagodas were built by men with their own hands. That’s one of the reasons why they’re famous, I think. Imagine building something like this back in the old old days when they didn’t have all the modern equipment/technology that we have today. I also saw in one of the signs that 2 different strong earthquakes (magnitude 9 and 6 respectively) hit the place before, and damaged the pagodas a bit (maybe the insides?) but I think they’re still the original structures from way back… or maybe they were strengthened or something. I’m not sure. Whoops!

Dear ancestral home, I’m back! Day 2 (Tomb sweeping 清明節, 掃墓)

April 6, 2012

After breakfast at the hotel, we had tea with dad’s friend. It was cool because I was able to see how they prepare the tea. The first batch was used to wash the cups, and then we were given the second batch. Mom said that the tea they served us was expensive/high quality tea. Ooh! That’s probably why I liked its taste/flavor. It was different from the teas I’ve drank before. Then, my cousin fetched us and we went to my uncle’s house. My other uncle and cousins arrived, I suggested we take a group picture, and then we headed to the cemetery for the tomb sweeping ceremony. My great-grandpa, grandpa, and grandma are all buried in the same place. It was also my first time to see a cemetery like that. You had to walk through mountainous-y road (?) to get there. I think that cemetery is also one of the oldest in the place, because in the newer cemeteries, the bodies are cremated (I dunno if this goes for everyone though) and put in jars, and then these are placed in small cabinets. From what I heard, it’s because the government does not want to use up a lot of their land space for cemeteries so this way, they can save space. There are also cemeteries where they give you your own plot for the deceased but unless you’re really really rich, you won’t be able to afford it.

After that, we ate lunch at this restaurant (yummy food I might add), went to the tomb of another uncle (whose ashes are placed in one of those cabinets), and then my parents and I went to Kaiyuan Temple 開元寺 (separate blog post).

I’m so happy to meet a lot of my relatives from my father’s side. I don’t even remember meeting them the last time I was in China. I’ve only been there once, back when I was in 6th grade, so yeah, I don’t remember their faces. It’s good that at least now, I have a camera to capture such moments.

Dear ancestral home, I’m back! Day 1 :)

April 5, 2012

After breakfast, my dad’s friend picked us up and drove us to Quanzhou 泉州 (my ancestral home 老家 haha). We stopped over at this hotel in Shishi 石獅, Manhattan Kinlen Hotel, to have lunch with some of my dad’s old friends.

Upon arriving in Quanzhou, we checked in at dad’s friend’s hotel. We took a rest, and then walked around the area. Then, we had dinner with some of dad’s old friends and some of my relatives (whom I’ve never met, or probably met 10 years ago when we first and last went to Quanzhou).