Day 3:  Nanjing

Monday, July 11, 2005

This morning we awoke in our newest location:  Nanjing, the capital city of southern China.  Nanjing is a busy “little” city (by Chinese standards) of some 6 million people; more than 1 million of which are Christian in faith and lifestyle.  Although Nanjing was actually at one time the capital city of all China, the unfortunate events and tragic aftermath of the Japanese attack on the city during World War II forced the capital to relocate.  The beautiful, wide, tree-lined streets remain today as a bold reminder of this city’s rich and stately history.

As we rose we could hear the city waking outside our windows and, since we had gotten in so late the night before, all of us in our respective rooms were pulling open the drapes to see what our views held.  To the dismay of those on one side of the building, the picture was one of poverty reminding us of the different lives we lead in our homes on the other side of the planet.  Migrant workers from the country, needing to support themselves and their families, have moved into the city to help demolish the apartment buildings being torn down for new construction.  They live in boxes loosely covered with plastic sheeting, and they salvage what they can from the deconstruction to sell and eke out a living.  There are so many people in China, and each one must have a place to work, and live, and be.  Struggles that may seem insurmountable to an American are simply handled by the Chinese. 

After yet another sumptuous breakfast, we were to have started our day with a trip to the tomb of Dr. Sun Yat Sen; however, this is an outdoor hike and climb, and the rain was pretty steady, so the group opted for a driving tour of the tomb area followed by a visit to a Buddhist Temple.  This diversion proved to be, once again, God’s divine intervention providing us with an extraordinary blessing not one of us will soon forget.

As we approached the temple, the crowd seemed unusually thick for a regular Monday.  There was a lot of traffic and police were surrounding every gate and entrance.  As the Temple came into view, the yellow bunting gathered with large jet black bows revealed the reason for such crowds:  a well-known monk had died and was lying in state so that his devoted followers could pay their last respects to their beloved teacher.  We learned that just the day before, a stunning 20,000 had passed through the temple, and more were expected on this day.  As we approached the tent where the procession was taking place, we did so with trepidation, expecting to see grieving, keening people.  To our surprise, the gathered crowd was smiling and blessing one another as a beautiful chant filled the air over and over again, giving us all such a sense of peace and belonging, we just stood transfixed.  Some of us were approached by members of this gathering, still chanting, and bowing to us.  We returned the nod and were surrounded by such love, and one of the ladies, who was educated in a Christian school, proceeded to tell us why this monk’s death had drawn such a gathering on this day.

He was very well loved and respected, and, although he had died 6 days ago, they believe that he had not yet left for his afterlife because that doesn’t happen until the 7^th day.  This being the 7^th day, the woman told us that they would burn his body that evening to send him on to the next life.  There was no sadness that day – not for her or anyone else in that crowd.  There was simply happiness, peace, and joy in their hearts.  As we looked into her eyes and were drawn in by her loving kindness and warm smile, all of us agreed later that the love in that gathering was tangible, palpable proof that God is with all of us, sometimes in the most mysterious of ways.

Our visit to the Nanjing Museum almost paled in comparison, but not entirely. Specializing in Chinese art and artifacts, visitors are able to see a huge, story-high silk-weaving loom in operation; jade, lacquer and gold artifacts dating back as far as 400 B.C.; calligraphy, paintings and embroidery – and these are just a sampling of the exhibits within this clean, modern, and exquisitely decorated museum.   The gift shop also provided us with a little time for shopping, so some Moms and friends at home may be seeing some carefully selected works of Chinese art when we get back to the States.  The exhibits were fabulous and the shopping was fun, but as we left the museum, the Buddhist chant was still in our hearts and on our minds.  Was it just plain luck that made us change our plans and head for a Buddhist temple that day?  We think not.  And in carrying our discussion to the lunch table (another unbelievable and delicious array of foods) we all agreed that it was indeed the most powerful and meaningful event of our pilgrimage so far.

Hard to believe our day was only half over, but after a little snooze we set out again for the next phase of our day.  First stop:  Nanjing Seminary.  Hosted by Seminary staff, a member of the faculty, and one of the students, we learned about the courses of study, the cost for tuition ($0) and we were given a tour.  Our kids found it not only interested but intriguing and, back on the bus, there was even some discussion of – why not? -- the possibility of higher education in China. 

A brief stop at the Amity Christian Art Center is always a welcome addition to a tour in Nanjing, where members of our group were able to purchase a variety of hand-made Christian art:  banners and stoles, hand-carved wooden crèches and other figures, crosses, paper cuttings, and more.  All of the items are hand made and the proceeds from their sale are used for Christian and charitable work by the Amity Foundation; programs supporting children, villages, farms, etc.