Tankar

WPC: Victory

/ Leya / 57 kommentarer

Victory. What does this word make you think of? Most certainly sports, maybe you have stopped smoking or drinking, Maybe you survived a dreadful accident or conquered cancer.

My Victory might seem a small one, but to me, very significant. I belong to those middle aged people who were raised always to do their duty, to work until your task is finished, to stand up for what is right and seldom (never) complain.

Many things change during a lifetime. And that’s life, of course. Today, my parents are getting old, friends are getting incurable diseases –  even die. Dear colleagues are leaving due to the work situation and because of retirement. Students are changing – the world is changing.

I am not there yet – not even on the threshold of retirement. But. Many personal things during the last two years have taken its toll. I felt tired and without enthusiasm this spring. Should I really work until the bitter end? No time for my ageing parents? No time for family, friends or myself? Nobody knows their time span – I might get run over by a bus tomorrow…

This thinking began to envelop me, and I checked my financial status as well as consulting my school on the possibility of taking a year off. And I did it. Despite my love for my students, my love for my colleagues and for my work. A hard decision to make, but when I finally had decided, everything felt as it should. Really good. Like a jigsaw puzzle coming together, displaying its flawless pattern. I can compare this to when I decided to stay at home with my children for five years when they were small. I felt I must not die having made too many wrong decisions, I must do as much as I can for my family. And this time also for myself. I needed to find that ”real self” I used to be satisfied with: Nonstressed, calm, energetic and creative. Listening and caretaking. The person I once was.

 

SL-WEEK 19: Monument

/ Leya / 28 kommentarer

Sylvain Landry and SL week: The greatest monumental building I know – The Pothala Palace in Tibet. Tibet has been on top of my dreams since I was a little child. 2009 it came true. The journey of my life.

 

 

 

Thursday Thoughts

/ Leya / 45 kommentarer

So, it was raining and …not at all what we had hoped for. This fourth visit to China. As the days went by I adjusted my mind to the drizzle and the cold. What would I do to rewire my thinking and focus?

I started to focus on people and details. To lose myself in details would most certainly reduce the weather conditions to the margin of my thinking.

And China is a country of exquisite details. Walking into the Forbidden City, I had made my decision – this was not going to be an ordinary visit. My previous ones had been made in great awe and many photos had been taken of the splendour here.

I started to focus on the little things, and not the whole city and its buildings.

I focused on the magnificent marble bridges…

The vastness of the open spaces…

The 9 or 11 small protectors on the roofs…where the Emperor resided.

I saw my chances to for once – not rush, I had been here before – but to enjoy the people too. My chances…not to go with the crowd. ..but to turn around and look at everything they were rushing by.

Endless labyrinths – but my thoughts had made their way out of them.

I went to see the Imperial Garden and its wreathing branches. But the garden was so crowded that I could not walk there. Could not stand under the trees without being pushed and knocked around.

My thoughts…went flying up in the canopy…

…and down again. Restless. I imagined my forest at home. I tried desperately to find some peace, but had to admit that in this garden of extreme beauty, it was impossible.

I think I learned something new this day. Even in trivial issues, it is always possible to rewire, to think new, to accept and find new ways. Being a teacher is the synonym of flexibility and thinking new, but when it comes to traveling, I am not used to this much bad luck with the weather conditions – for so long a time. Maybe easily overcome for an ordinary trip, but for a long journey in a faraway country – more difficult.

I was very grateful I had been here before, seeing this ancient country in all its splendour. So, I recalled the Ditan park back then, in golden Ginko leaves, and the silent morning gymnastics.

It is a very special country, China.

The Ming Tombs – A Quiet Place

/ Leya / 6 kommentarer

The Ming tombs are a collection of mausoleums built by the emperors of the Ming dynasty of China. The majority of the Ming tombs are located in a cluster near Beijing and collectively known as the Thirteen Tombs of the Ming Dynasty

The site, on the southern slope of Tianshou Mountain, was chosen based on the principles of feng shui by the third Ming emperor, the Yongle Emperor. After the construction of the Imperial Palace (Forbidden City) in 1420, the Yongle Emperor selected his burial site and created his own mausoleum. The subsequent emperors placed their tombs in the same valley.

From the Yongle Emperor onwards, 13 Ming dynasty emperors were buried in the same area. Notice the little animals on the roof – for the emperor, 9 of them.

The third Ming emperor, the Yongle emperor, 14th C, whose statue sits in the hall of the tomb, with money being laid at his feet. In his tomb, had it been opened, should be found the emperor himself, his wife and his 16 concubines. It is said that when the concubines were to follow their master in his grave, they were treated to a giant feast, but most of them could not eat for crying so much. They knew their fate.

In fact only one single tomb of all thirteen Ming tombs has been excavated, and some of the treasures from the Dingling tomb were on display in the big hall at Shangling.

Some pieces made out of exquisite white jade were my favourites. As well as the beautiful Ginkos and the Mongolian Oak trees in the yard.

As the siting of the Ming dynasty imperial tombs was carefully chosen according to Feng Shui principles, people believed that bad spirits and evil winds descending from the North would be deflected. This 40 square kilometer area—enclosed by the mountains in a pristine, quiet valley full of dark earth, tranquil water and other necessities as per Feng Shui—would become the necropolis of the Ming dynasty.

A 7-kilometer road named the ”Spirit Way” leads into the complex, lined with giant statues of guardian animals and officials. Unfortunately we didn’t visit here this time, so the photo is from 2006. (Nice weather we had then…)

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Back then, there was no tiny souvenir booth…but I quite like this little one, built in traditional style…

The Ming Tombs were listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in August 2003.

The Impressive Cloisonné – An Intricate Work of Art

/ Leya / 12 kommentarer

Cloisonné – copper and natural colours in splendid patterns. Cranes, lotus flowers, peonies, dragons and different trees are most popular.

Why not start with a 1.50 m. high urn,  featured in the movie Oceans 11? The neat price tag: 70 000 euro.

In China this technique dates back to the 14th C, and on visiting the factory, we could follow the work from simple copper vase or other object, through painting the pattern lines, gluing the tiny copper linings, painting with natural colours and then burning 7 times in 1000 degrees  – lastly three times polishing – to the final object ready for sale.

From tiny copper to finished vase
The glue is natural – even edible
The colours are also natural. We saw only women working here – takes small and steady hands
Tea sets are of course popular
Bracelets
Lovely vases
Some of my favourites were these tiny teapots with lovely patterns

If you have got some left over money, you can buy these two. The urns are more than 2 metres high and the price tag is: 300 000 euros – each. We were told that last year a Russian guy bought another two.