Travel Notes || Like the Wind: Reunion in Southern Fujian in Late Spring and Early Summer

April 30, Xiamen sunny

The main purpose of this trip is to meet my good sister Xiaohong. The last time we met was when I graduated from my undergraduate degree. Thinking about being able to meet each other, even if I sit alone for six or seven hours on the high-speed train, I don't feel like it's hard.

As early as half a month ago, Xiaohong arranged a full day and a half for me in Xiamen. She said that with her here, every minute I spend in Xiamen must be valuable, and every meal cannot be compromised. Even traveling during the May Day holiday, we managed to avoid almost all the crowds.

The last time I came to Xiamen, I basically visited all the famous attractions, but I had not been to Shapowei yet, which made me a little regretful. This time Xiaohong and I made an appointment to meet in Shapowei. I saw her walking from a distance and thought to myself, "Oh, she hasn't changed."

After taking tourist photos in Shapowei, she took me to Nanhua Road opposite Xiamen University for dessert. Passing by the Primary School Affiliated to Xiamen University on the way, she was worried that she would run into the tutor who came to pick up her children. We were sitting in the dessert shop located in the villa on the mountainside, looking at the main building of Xiamen University not far away, chatting about the little things in our lives and studies recently.

Before sunset, we headed to Bayfront Park. That evening in Bayfront Park may remain in my memory for a long time. There were very few people in the park, and the sea breeze was gentle and cool. We sat on the steps by the sea and watched the sky darken little by little, from pink and purple to deep blue. Not far away is the flickering Haicang Bridge, and the buildings opposite are gradually lit up. The beach in the evening is very suitable for thinking about things, but I actually didn't think about anything, I was just relaxing and in a daze.

We encountered the biggest crowds in the eight cities, so Xiaohong decided to take me to Baijia Village near her high school for a late-night snack instead. Stir-fried dried tofu is very novel to me. The store only provides raw materials and you have to cook it yourself. The two of us ordered a platter of dried tofu, oyster omelette, pan-fried chicken, and lettuce. We had only eaten oyster omelette the size of a poached egg before, but this time we had a small bowl of it all at once. The portion was really amazing, and the big eater said he was very satisfied.

May 1 Xiamen sunny

Even half a month in advance, I only bought tickets for the Bell and Drum Cableway in the morning. If I have the chance, I hope to go there again at sunset. As the ropeway continued to climb, the Twin Towers in the distance gradually emerged, with lush trees at our feet. We drove towards the sea in the slight morning mist, and Zheng Chenggong's sculptures on Gulangyu Island were faintly visible. Although the round trip takes 40 minutes, I still feel that there is still more to enjoy. We played our favorite songs on the ropeway and swayed to the melody.

Today is the first day of the May Day holiday, and the number of tourists around us is increasing visibly, so we traveled in the opposite direction to the more local Lakeside Sili. Because we had to wait for the other two companions, Xiao Hong and I went to eat four fruit soup first. The residential buildings around here have been vacated and it is said that they will be demolished and rebuilt. The Four Fruit Soup store is very small. When customers arrive, the boss will move a table and place it under the shade of a tree in front of the store. Although it looks ordinary, it is very sweet and relieves the heat.

Today is also the day for the gathering of four people in the same group. The four of us are also old friends. We met each other because of the community, and now we are scattered in Beijing, Nanjing, Shanghai and Xiamen. It is not an exaggeration to say that we come from all over the world. We went to a famous Sha Cha Noodle restaurant and packed fried five-spice and vinegar pork on the way. The Sha Cha Noodles had many ingredients and everyone wanted to try them.

It was still some time before we took the high-speed train to Yunxiao, so we chose a tea room to have tea. There is a small western-style building standing on an unremarkable street. After walking up the steps, there is a well-decorated teahouse. One of the friends was very good at making tea. He poured us tea in small cups, and I just followed and enjoyed the happiness. There was no air conditioning in the room, and the breeze from outside blew into the room. An electric fan made a squeaky sound, and Teresa Teng's records were playing on the stereo. Drinking tea is really a healing moment, and I really wish time could stop at this moment.

May 2 Dongshan Island Cloudy to Sunny

Ever since I was little, my passion for the sea has always been the same. Most of the unforgettable travel moments in my mind are related to the sea. Riding an electric bike along the Pacific Ocean in Hualien, waiting for the sunrise over the sea in Nha Trang at four in the morning, enjoying the sunset alone on the beach in Sanya , in Murmansk quietly looked at the Arctic Ocean shrouded in moonlight, and volunteered for sea turtle conservation on the edge of the Caribbean Indian Ocean.

My friend joked, "I must be tired from hanging out with you." I laughed, recalling the feat of only sleeping four nights in a hotel for nine days in Vietnam. At that time, we slept on almost all means of transportation in Vietnam, including airplanes and overnight stays. Buses, trains, I can’t help but feel that I have really made progress now, at least I can sleep in a hotel bed every night. But all in all, the friends I went out to play with were very punctual and had amazing self-control. When the four of us got dressed up and met on time at 4:30 in the morning, I thought to myself, "We are indeed friends!" In Quanzhou Getting up early also brought us a lot of rewards. We became the first guests to have morning tea at the top of Qingyuan Mountain. We did not need to buy a ticket to visit Laojun Rock. We also enjoyed the morning fog in the mountains gradually dissipating with the chirping of birds and insects. go.

I know very well that my weather luck is average. I didn’t see a single sunrise in Vietnam for nine days, and I didn’t see the aurora after three days in Murmansk. Therefore, I was not satisfied with being able to see the sunrise on Dongshan Island this time. We didn’t have high hopes, and in the end we didn’t see it either haha. We set off when it got dark and rode an electric bike towards the sea. The glow on the horizon was once clearly visible, but from the moment we entered the Sufeng Mountain Ring Road, heavy fog continued to fill the air. Even standing on the Ring Road, we could only see You can hear the sound of the waves, but you can't see where the ocean is. Unwilling to be reconciled, we decided to continue moving forward. Finally, after passing through a vast fog, we finally saw the sun and the sea. The sun finally defeated the sea fog.

As the weather gradually cleared up, our interest increased. I gave up my plan to go back to the hotel to catch up on my sleep and decided to go directly to the vicinity of Nanmen Bay. The sky is getting clearer and the water is getting clearer. The sea on Dongshan Island is blue-green, emitting golden waves under the sunlight. What's different about Nanmen Bay is that the coastline presents a beautiful arc here. Xu Guanghan's new movie was also shot here, adding a romantic filter to Nanmen Bay. Climbing to Wen Gong Temple, you can have a panoramic view of the combination of mountains and sea, and the lighthouse in the distance becomes clearly visible.

Compared with Nanmen Bay, where tourists are mingling, the old streets in Dongshan County seem more nostalgic. We walked aimlessly along the old streets, passing many well-renovated ancestral halls, dilapidated and uninhabited Nanyang small buildings, the county library with a Republican style, as well as "sales department", "printing factory", " Wholesale market” and “barber salon” are places full of nostalgic atmosphere.

May 4, Quanzhou, light rain

The original itinerary envisaged only one place, Quanzhou, because I really wanted to see how different religions and beliefs merged with each other and coexisted in this city. What finally made me "plant" the city of Quanzhou was accidentally seeing a street view of West Street and Kaiyuan Temple. The ancient city was bathed in twilight at dusk, with pedestrians coming and going, and the modern and ancient cities coexisting.

The first stop was Huaxiang Catholic Church. I also visited some pink churches when I was in Vietnam. This can be regarded as a "tribute" to the trip to Vietnam. The four of us are very strong on our feet, and we can walk through alleys on rainy days with ease. Then we walked to the Islamic Mosque. I was shocked by the tall temple gate. Several huge stone pillars have become ruins, and I can vaguely imagine the grand occasion of the year. Afterwards, I walked around the ancient city. Occasionally, I looked up and saw a cross, which was a bit similar to Shanghai.

In the past year or two, I suddenly have a lot of wishes. Probably because I realized that many things that I take for granted are not taken for granted, and that I am actually very lucky to get them. Before I went there, I carefully inquired about which temples were more spiritual. In all the places where I made a wish, the first thing I prayed for was the safety and health of my parents. This is the most important thing to me. After arriving at Thean Hou Temple, I accidentally learned that that day was Mazu’s birthday, and I sincerely prayed for good luck in the year of my birth. I prayed for marriage at the Guandi Temple, and prayed for it religiously, and I felt a little more at ease in my heart. I arrived at the Confucian Temple before the opening time, praying to publish my thesis early and graduate smoothly. Of course, this mainly depends on my subjective efforts.

After going to graduate school, my mentality changed a lot. When I was an undergraduate, I felt that the future was very far away, and the farthest future I could see was postgraduate study. After actually going to graduate school, I suddenly felt that the future was so close and that I needed to face many choices in life. This once made me feel at a loss. While waiting for the train at the high-speed rail station, one of my friends and I said, “Although it’s a bit unkind to say this, I feel that after listening to everyone’s worries about the future, I feel a lot more relaxed, because I realize that everyone Everyone has troubles, this is a must for us at this age, which gives me a lot of comfort and courage."

at last,

Summer is my favorite among the four seasons because it is the most enjoyable. In summer, the weather is extremely hot, the rain is abundant, and the trees are growing vigorously. Summer makes people feel that everything is getting better. Now, summer has arrived.

We come from all over the world, and we want to go back to all over the world. Time never waits for anyone, but we never leave and look forward to our next reunion~