[Malaysia] Tan Xiao Ru, Beijing Institute of Technology
In the winter of 2000, the year of the millennium, it was the first time that my parents had been to Beijing. Before nightfall, the two of them took a photo together on Tian’anmen Square, with their noses red with cold. Every time they talked about the trip, they would emphatically describe how cold the wind was in Beijing, how big and empty the Tian’anmen Square was, and that they had nowhere to hide. “It is no exaggeration to say that I have never felt so cold,” they said. For one like me who had never experienced winter before, I finally understood what was being frozen to the bone like on my first trip to China, which basically means you still shiver while wearing three layers of thermal underwears.
In the winter of 2014, as the broadcast on the plane announced, “Dear fellow passengers, we have safely arrived at our destination, the plane is about to taxi...” the humming noise the plane made while landing gradually died down, and my father and I arrived at Shanghai Pudong Airport. Just as we were almost lost, we saw my uncle, my aunt’s husband. “Over here!” my uncle waved his hand with enthusiasm and excitement. Not having seen each other for a long time, my father and my uncle greeted each other warmly as soon as they met, and I, who was about to get into middle school, was not neglected, either. “Your aunt has already started cooking, and we will be just in time for dinner if we leave now,” said my uncle. Therefore, just getting off the plane, we started on another journey. Looking out of the car window at the “Broad Road of Prosperity”, we drove to Suzhou for my aunt’s dinner in the light of dusk.
When the evening lights lit, our family reunited and chatted enthusiastically while eating, exchanging endless words and emotions. Eating ice cream that wouldn’t melt outside the central mall of Suzhou, I felt fresh and wonderful, thinking that the cold wind was not completely good for nothing. Standing on the 23rd floor of the apartment, I saw that the Oriental Gate in the distance amidst all lights was glistening in the brilliant night of Suzhou. It was warm like spring inside while icy-wind was howling outside. This night of ice and fire was really unforgettable.
“Ladies and gentlemen, we have now arrived in Nanjing. The building we are passing now is the Memorial Hall of the Victims in Nanjing Massacre by Japanese Invaders!” I turned around and a huge statue came into view. A ragged woman looked up at the sky, holding her dead baby in arms, one glance of which was enough to send her despair into my heart and her voiceless cry into my mind. My father was chatting with the fellow travelers about the history of Nanjing, and I quietly listened. In my father’s description, I learned about the miserable history. If I hadn’t visited this place, I would never have imagined that the prosperous and beautiful Nanjing had once suffered such a tragic experience. Then, we came to the Zhonghua Gate of Nanjing, where we could overlook the whole city. On this vantage point, all views were in your eyes. The mottled walls told us that their time had already passed. But they stood erect, witnessing the vicissitudes of the times, quietly watching the blossoms in spring, the fallen leaves in autumn and the warm sun in winter, year after year.
Another morning, my father and I were looking for something to eat along the streets of Nanjing and suddenly saw a log cabin which looked quite dated, giving people a feeling that here authentic Nanjing snacks were sold. A large steamer was set in the front of the restaurant. White stream kept rising. The landlady was as busy as a bee. This scene in the cold winter looked particularly cozy and lively. My father ordered some hot steamed buns and fried noodles, which looked simple but tasted very delicious. The soup inside the steamed buns was hot and tasty and one draw of it made the winter cold go away. We two were chuffed to bits. Because of shortage on time, we had to pack the delicious buns. My father secretly left a tip. When we saw the landlady chasing out of the restaurant to return the tip, we tacitly sped up our footsteps.
Then we went back to Shanghai from Nanjing, stopping briefly in Hangzhou on the way, because we wanted to leave more time for Shanghai, which was known as the Paris of the East. The Bund, the Huangpu River, the Oriental Pearl, all showed how developed this cosmopolitan city was. Our last stop was the City God Temple in Shanghai. It was an ancient building with such modern elements inside as Starbucks, etc. The collision between and the fusion of the ancient and the modern afforded this place more charm.
The winter in China was not over yet, but my father and I had to end our trip after we had such a wonderful time. Reluctantly, we left the land on a plane one early morning.
Now, eight years have passed. The girl who had just started junior high school then is already in college now. China has developed tremendously over the years. I vaguely remember that eight years ago, we paid in cash during the journey. But now China’s mobile payment has become popular nationwide, which takes the lead in the world. In 1949, a great leader announced the founding of the People’s Republic of China at Tian’anmen Square. From then on, China with its long history came to a new era. Then in 1997, Hong Kong returned to China. When the Asian financial crisis that shook the whole world broke out, China, outshining all other countries, weathered the economic storm and developed rapidly in the next few decades. By 2022, it has already become the largest economy second only to the United States.
That winter, I traveled to Suzhou, Wuxi, Nanjing, Hangzhou and Shanghai. I visited the Paris of the East (Shanghai) and left my footprints in the paradise-like Suzhou and Hangzhou as well as in Nanjing, the ancient capital of six dynasties. However, I have never had the chance to visit China again.
Although I have been admitted to the Beijing Institute of Technology, I have not yet set foot on campus because of the pandemic. Every day I look forward to my encounter with China again and look forward to continuing my story in China’s new era in the near future!
The story is from "My Beautiful Encounter with China" Essay Competition organized by the Chinese Service Center for Scholarly Exchanges (CSCSE).
