Wuxi Reflection

I think my favorite aspect of traveling around China is the convenience, the ability to move from city to city on a whim. That’s an aspect of travel we simply don’t have in the States, or any other country at the scale China does. Because of my jam-packed schedule the day before, I decided to stay in Suzhou and leave for Wuxi the next morning, which was only a 30 minute high-speed train away. I arrived at the Wuxi East Railway Station, where I immediately noticed the difference in size, grandeur, and tracks it had compared to the two major cities I had previously visited. In China, the railway stations function almost like airports; they have humongous exteriors, security checks, and overpriced food stalls. However, Wuxi was my first glimpse into a smaller, mid-sized city in China, and you could clearly see it within the railway station walls.

Once I left the station, I honestly had no idea what to do. I would like to say that my style of travel is spontaneous and exciting, while in reality, I simply lacked the initiative to do a bit more research before coming (I think I also do just like spontaneity). I obviously had my main reason for coming to Wuxi, but that wouldn’t come until later that day. I arrived at the subway ticket machine when I saw an ancient town listed. I didn’t even research the name, or if it was worth visiting but decided to head there as my first stop.

After about 20 minutes, I arrived at Huishan Ancient Town, a millennia-old network of canals and ancestral halls. It shared a very similar atmosphere as Tongli Water Town in Suzhou, except this town was a bit more busy and lively. The stores were mostly open, with neon-lanterns lining the long pedestrian streets. There was a cat cafe that had free roam cats that were walking outside the door, interacting with passerbys before the staff instructed them they had to buy a coffee to pet them. I was always hesitant about animal cafes, as many of them clearly exploit animals, especially some of the ones I saw in Japan that featured animals such as owls, capybaras, and other exotic creatures. However, this one did seem to take good care of their animals, but I kept walking.

Without much to do or see, I left for Taihu Lake, a nature preserve located on the outskirts of Wuxi. It was early December, so many of the trees had already left their leaves or were losing their colors. However, I did manage to see the tailend color on some of the large bald cypress trees, with a faint orange afterglow over the muted green of the lake. While rearranging some of my camera gear, the friendliest orange cat decided to lay right next to me, profusely meowing for attention. Everytime I meet a cat I always imagine it’s my cat Thomas finding me once again, a reminder of home across the world. I sat there for about 15 minutes, having a cordial conversation with the sweet soul.

Walking about 15 minutes up a hill, I passed by a mundane looking house that turned out to be the past residence of Nie Er, or 子義. He was the composer for the ‘March of the Volunteers,’ or the anthem for the Chinese Communist Party. His house held some memorabilia, such as his personal things, recordings of the anthem, and a few of his notebooks that I assume had lyrics to the song. It was fascinating to stumble across such an important part of Chinese history, one I presume many Chinese people don’t even know about. Though he was executed during the Cultural Revolution, his words have been uttered millions, perhaps even trillions of times, and served a vital role in the shift in identity and politics of China. A reflection of a nation can be found within the national anthem, and perhaps the identity of China was inspired by the beautiful flowers and lakes of Wuxi.

Subsequently, I decided to finally head to the place I came to Wuxi for in the first place: the Lingshan Buddha. After a 30 minute DiDi ride I finally arrived at the gate, where I could see the Buddha peaking in the distance. At the door there were several people heckling at me to purchase tickets, quoting that they could get me in for cheaper, or that they were the official ticket sellers. This was the first time I experienced this in China, and was honestly quite surprised. The Buddha was located quite outside of town or from any major metropolitan area, and to still see hustlers (or atleast I’m presuming they were trying to hustle me) was an interesting encounter. I purchased my ticket with a student discount, only needing to show my ID. A funny note about my ID is that I left my most recent college ID cards at home and only kept my high school ID, which said college but was clearly a high school picture of me. They all accepted it anyway. Walking into the complex I pass by several gates, all of which had immense symbolism and detail. I remember the first gate I passed by, which had four arches and a Chinese script in the middle. It represented the Four Immesurables, which are Equanimity, Loving Kindness, Compassion, and Sympathetic Joy. After the gate was this enormous bronze water fountain filled with incredible amounts of detail. It had a lotus flower at the top, which when opened revealed this bright gold statue that looked like a baby buddha. At the edge of the fountain were 6 smaller fountains, each having several dragon heads that slowly dripped out water. It was said that if you drank the water, you’d have eternal good luck and prosperity. It also had a no drinking sign in 3 languages right next to it. It tasted a bit metallic. I arrived at the end of the watershow, so I decided to keep walking and come back at the end of the visit.

The structure of the complex was like a spine, where you started at the base and slowly made your way up, leading to the buddha. About a 10 minute walk from the fountain was this enormous courtyard, decorated with bronze walls covered in statues. There was also a large group of pigeons and doves that were grouping around people, which I found at first alarming, but quickly inquired myself. It turns out they were feeding the birds, which allowed them to sit on your shoulders and hands. I raise birds at home, and have always appreciated their presence. I paid the lady for a bag of seeds and immediately felt pigeons all over my shoulders, arms, and hands. Looking back, it probably wasn’t the most sanitary decision, but it was a fun experience and made for a cool photo.

Walking further down the spine, I found myself at the Lingshan Temple, a layered temple complex leading to the base of the Buddha. Alongside an actual scaled model of the Buddha's hand upclose, the temples were large and well maintained, holding large gold statues and an abundance of incense and candles. Lining the temples were these immaculate Koi ponds, holding thousands of highgrade Koi. It was truly unfathomable to me the sheer scale, size, and population of this Koi pond, as I had never seen this many Koi concentrated in one place. This pond far beat the Japanese ponds I had seen in Japan in terms of fish, while the Japanese gardens still dominate.

Outside the temple was a sign that detailed the etiquette and courtesies requested by the temple, as this was still a major religious site. It noted many of the typical no littering, loud speaking, etc. However, the most intriguing line was the last comment on the list. It said, ‘I ask you: why did you come and for what reason will you leave?’ This line deeply resonated with me, as it made me question why I was there in the first place. Sure, I wanted to see one of the largest statues in the world, standing at 88m. While this statue was religious, it was an example of great human engineering and dedication. But I think I also came here for a different reason, seeking exposure and understanding. Being raised in a non-religious household, I never had the fundamental basis of religion or a thought system that I relied on to root my fundamental values or virtues. My parents had a mainly agnostic household, not being against the concept of God, but also not supportive of any specific sect or division. Being uneducated about religion made me seek a deeper understanding of its presence, its purpose, and how it led to the creation of some of the world’s most beautiful places and things. I think this is why I came to the Lingshan Buddha, to explore not only one of the world’s most beautiful religious statues, but to gain a deeper understanding of the religion itself, and its core values. As for the second part of that question, I’ll touch on it later.

Exiting the last temple reveals hundreds of stairs that lead to the Buddha. It is here that you can slowly comprehend the scale of this statue, and stand in awe as to how it was even constructed. On my way up, I saw many tourists like me but also many regular families, of which I presume were here for religious reasons. As a holy site, it was clear that many people came here as a pilgrimage, so I decided to ask several families where they were coming from. Some were coming from southern parts of China, such as Guangzhou and Fuzhou, while others came from Shenyang and Beijing. It was clear that this place meant more to people than just a photospot – it was home. The closer I walked towards the Buddha the more I felt this sense of peace, a break from the calamity of the city. After walking through a showcase at the base of the Buddha, I finally arrived at the elevators that brought me to the base of the Buddha, where you could stand directly under its colossal presence. I don’t think I’ve ever felt so small, so miniscule, so minute more than standing under this Buddha, an unexpectedly humbling experience. The height of its big toe reached the midpart of my chest, and its hand pointed down towards me, so large I couldn’t even see the entire thing. The view from the base was just amazing. You could see the entire spine you just walked, alongside the distant city of Wuxi cutting through the hazy sky. This Buddha was not a place that could be translated through photos; the only way to truly experience that feeling was to be present. I looked out towards the horizon for what it felt like hours, then made my way back down. I purchased a small wood carving of a shishi, or 石獅, attached him to my camera bag, and then made my way back down the spine. Unfortunately, I didn’t have much time until the complex closed. I previously thought the Buddha would be on display at night, so I elected to come at a later time. It truly was a travesty, as I missed out on the neighboring temples that I really wished I could have seen. I guess it’ll have to wait until the next time I’m in Wuxi.

I finished off the day at the same water fountain from the beginning, which I luckily made right before the park closed. It was a 15 minute water show that had some atmospheric music, combined with the opening of a lotus at the top. It was an enjoyable way to end the day, and I ended up sipping a bit more of that metallic water for extra luck.

I’d like to reflect on that last part of the quote, the one that asked me ‘for what reason will you leave?’ After being exposed to the grandeur and magnificence of Buddhism the whole day, did it change my thinking? My mindset? Perhaps the idea of leaving is not to do with your physical state, rather your mental one. Religion for me has always been approached with a sense of hesitancy, filled with rationality rather than blind faith. But perhaps the entire fundamental approach behind religion is that aspect of blind faith, and a belief of longstanding values that stand the test of time. Some may challenge that it isn’t blind faith, that the virtues found within their religion are founded within logic and natural conceptions of right and wrong. Yet I still find trouble in idolizing figures, beings, concepts, or religious texts, whose power is reflected in places like the Lingshan Buddha as well as centuries of war and conflict throughout history. The quote questions whether my mindset or burdens have changed after leaving, to which I’m not entirely sure. While I haven't completely changed my ideology or beliefs, the Lingshan Buddha has given me the chance to be introspective in my concept of religion, and ultimately gave me further context and understanding of the importance of religion throughout the world. I came with no expectations, and left with a great appreciation for Buddhism; new outlook.