CC nodded thoughtfully as she turned the pages from the poem to the painting, then back again to the poem.
What we call ‘death’ is really a beginning
‘The end’ is just another term for being born
Every life is a commencement but also a close
Every epitaph a lullaby
‘What a beautiful poem!’ CC exclaimed. ‘It feels so good to look at this painting without that awful feeling of déjà vu that troubled me before. Thank you a million times, Dr Allen.’
Grandma Wu nodded with satisfaction. Then she got up slowly and stretched. ‘I’ve been sitting still for far too long. It’s time for me to do some tai chi exercises. Now that CC has made a full recovery, Dr Allen, is it all right for me to take her to Chungking as soon as I can get boat tickets? My son is waiting there for us with our three other young charges: David, Sam and Marat.’
Dr Allen nodded. ‘We’ll miss you both. I hope you’ll come back and visit, but I know these are dangerous times. I can’t help feeling there will be other difficult journeys ahead for all of us.’
Grandma Wu smiled. ‘It’s the journeys we take in our lifetime that make us who we are.’
‘I hope Big Aunt is happy, wherever she is on her journey,’ CC said wistfully.
Grandma Wu looked at CC over the top of her glasses. ‘Don’t forget the wonderful poem you just read. “What we call death is really a beginning.” Your Big Aunt had a great capacity for happiness. I’m sure that remains true, wherever she is now.’
‘I’m going to copy that poem in my diary,’ Dr Allen said. ‘It will give my terminal patients a lot of comfort to learn it by heart.’
‘Thank you, Dr Allen and Grandma Wu,’ CC said. ‘I owe a lot to both of you. I’ll never forget everything you’ve done for me.’
‘No, CC! Trust me! I should be thanking you and Grandma Wu instead!’ Dr Allen said. ‘Besides learning a lot of history of the Song Dynasty, I also discovered a whole new way of looking at the world. I used to think there was a logical, scientific explanation for everything – especially medical problems – and that death was something final: the absolute end.’
CC looked up at him. ‘So what do you think now?’
Dr Allen laughed. ‘In the words of Ah Zhao himself, you he bu ke? Is anything impossible?’
A detail from Qing Ming Shang He Tu (Along the River at the Qing Ming Festival). This particular scene of the boat about to capsize is described on page 78. The entire painting is seventeen and a half feet long and only ten inches high. Known as China’s Mona Lisa and painted with ink on silk, it captures the holiday atmosphere of ordinary people celebrating Qing Ming, presenting a panorama of Song Dynasty life. Note the period clothing, hairstyles, headgear, sedan chairs, stalls packed with merchandise and the variety of boats on the river.
From the same painting, this detail shows the ornate guardhouse above the city gate described on pages 90–92. Some guardhouses also served as drum and bell towers. In ancient times, there were no mechanical clocks. Officials kept time by sundials, water clocks, sand clocks or by burning incense sticks. The public would be notified of the time by the daily beating of drums and bells at regular intervals.
A man with the sleeves of his jacket tied round his waist (front centre) stands among a crowd gathered round an animated storyteller who has a luxurious beard and moustache. (This scene is described on pages 211–212.) Storytellers have a long tradition in China. They combined classical history with contemporary humour to entertain the audience.
The title of this painting is Auspicious Dragon Rock (Xiang Long Shi ). It was supposedly painted by Emperor Huizong of the Song Dynasty (see pages 141–142 and 153–157) whose shou jin (slender gold) calligraphy can be seen to the left of the rock.
The painting Ting Qin Tu (Listening to Zither Music) was also presumably painted by Emperor Huizong. It shows the Emperor sitting under a tree and playing the zither to two ministers and a young female attendant. On pages 181–182 Zhang Ze Duan tells his sister Zhang Mei Lan that he painted the attendant to look just like her, thereby making her famous and immortal. The calligraphy and poetry above the picture was written by Cai Jing , the Prime Minister under Emperor Huizong.
All images reproduced by kind permission of The Palace Museum, Beijing.
How to Pronounce Chinese Words
Most of the Chinese words and phrases in this book are pronounced as they are written in English. However, here’s a short guide on how to say some of the trickier words:
Ba Zi ba tzer
Cai Jing chai jing
Cai You chai yo
cu ju chew jyu
cun chun
Da Bi Zi dah bee zuh
Dong Zhi dong jer
Gege guh-guh
Genyue gun-yue
he li ji qun huh lee gee chun
Hong Qiao hong chiao
Huizong hway-joong
Lei Wei lay way
Mei Lan may laan
qi chee
qin chin
Qing Ming ching ming
qing xiao xin ching shiao shin
Tian Xia Yi Ren tian shia ee ren
wei qi way chee
Wu Xing wu shing
Xiang Long Shi shiang long shi
Xiao Mei shiao may
xin shin
you he bu ke? yo huh boo kuh?
Ze Duan zuh duan
Zhang jaang
Zhao jow
Glossary of Chinese Words
Numbers:
yi 1
er 2
san 3
si 4
wu 5
liu 6
qi 7
ba 8
jiu 9
shi 10
For numbers 11 to 19, join the word for 10 with the unit number, so 11 is shi yi , 12 is shi er and so on.
Family, names and people:
Ah a prefix to a name
Ah Li the original name of Ah Zhao before Emperor Huizong bestows upon him the royal surname of Zhao
Ah Wang Mei Lan’s father’s number-one manservant
An Kai Lady An Kai was the Emperor’s favourite concubine, and was the niece of Commissioner Ye Di
Baba father
Cai Jing Prime Minister to Emperor Huizong (AD 1047–1126)
Cang Bu Lang Zhong
Director of the Granary Bureau
Chun Lei ‘spring thunder’; name given by Lei Wei to a zither that he made
Confucius Chinese philosopher (c.551–547 BC)
Da Bi Zi ‘big nose’
Da Ren magistrate (literally ‘big person’)
Da Si Yue Musician-in-Chief
Da Yue Ling Music Officer
dai zhao imperial attendant
Dian Yue Music Managers
Fo Ni Northern Song Dynasty Buddhist nun, the religious name of Zhang Mei Lan
Gao Bi Zi ‘tall nose’
Gege older brother
Han Lin Hua Yuan Shang Shu
Director of the Royal Academy of Art
Hu Bu Shang Shu Minister of Revenue
Huizong Eighth Emperor of the Song Dynasty (AD 1082–1135; reigned AD 1100–1126)
Jiang Fei Fei a friend of CC’s Big Aunt
Lao Ban proprietor, boss
Lao Lao maternal grandmother; although Mei Lan would normally only call her birth mother’s mother Lao Lao, she uses this term for her stepmother’s mother too
Lao Ye Old Master (term of address)
Lei Wei renowned Tang Dynasty instrument maker, whose name means ‘Mighty Thunder’
Li Jie famous Song dynasty architect
Lin Ling Su Taoist priest and Huizong’s spiritual advisor
Liu Gong Quan Tang Dynasty master of calligraphy (AD 778–865)
Mencius Chinese philosopher (c. 372–289 BC)
Nai Ma nanny, wet nurse
Nai Nai paternal grandmother
Niang mother; also means ‘young lady’
Shao Ye Young Master (term of address)
Tian Xia Yi Ren ‘First Man of All under Heaven’ – cipher of Emperor Huizong
Tian Zi Son of Heaven
Tong Guan military general, court eunuch, political advisor to Emperor Huizong (AD 1054–1126)
Wu Nai Nai Grandma Wu
Xiao Chen Mei Lan’s father’s coachman; xiao (little) is used as a prefix to Chen’s name
Xiao Jie Little Miss (term of address)
Xie Lu Lang Composers
Ye Di commissioner to whom Mei Lan’s father is chief assistant
Ye Jia Ming CC’s Big Aunt
Ye Xian CC’s Chinese name
Ye Ye paternal grandfather
Zhang Mei Lan Zhang is a family name (surname) and Mei Lan means ‘Beautiful Orchid’
Zhang Ze Duan famous court painter (AD 1085–1145)
Zhao royal surname
Places:
Bian Liang capital city of China during the Song Dynasty, located in the eastern Henan province
of China; it is now known as Kaifeng
Da Cheng Yue Fu Bureau of Music of Great Brilliance
Da Nei Inner Palace
Da Wai Outer City
Feng Jie a town on the Yangtze River, near the Three Gorges Dam
Genyue imperial park, commissioned by Emperor Huizong
Han Lin Hua Yuan Royal Academy of Art; it was very prestigious to be accepted as a Han Lin scholar
Hong Qiao Rainbow Bridge
Nan Xun Men Southern Infusion Gate
Rui Si Dian Palace of Divine Inspiration
Tai Hu Tai Lake
Tai Miao Grand Ancestral Temple
Tie Ta Iron Pagoda
Wan Qin Lo Pavilion of Ten Thousand Zithers
Xuan De Men Gate of Virtue Proclaimed
Yuan Qiu Round Mound Altar
Occasions:
Dong Zhi Winter Solstice Festival; means ‘winter has arrived’
Han Shi Jie Cold Food Festival
Li Chun Spring Equinox
Qing Ming Jie Clear and Bright Festival, also called Tomb Sweeping Festival
Xia Zhi Summer Solstice
Yuan Xiao Jie Feast of Lanterns
Artistic works:
Da Guan Cha Lun Treatise on Tea; a classic text by Emperor Huizong on the art of the tea ceremony
Lun Yu Confucian Analects; a rulebook for life, made up of discussions Confucius had with his students
Qing Ming Shang He Tu Along the River at Qing Ming (a painting)
Ting Qin Tu Listening to Zither Music (a painting)
Xiang Long Shi Auspicious Dragon Rock (a painting)
Zhou Bi Suan Jing Astronomy and Mathematics in Ancient China: one of the oldest classic Chinese texts on mathematics
Sayings:
he li ji qun a crane among hens
tian xia zhi bian yuan at the edge of civilization
you he bu ke? ? is anything impossible?
Words and phrases:
Ba Zi Eight Characters or Eight Words
cao shu cursive script
chi a unit of measurement of approximately thirteen inches
cu ju football, also called soccer
da zi big characters
erhu musical instrument like a two-stringed fiddle
fei qian literally ‘flying money’: bank notes made of paper
feng shui an ancient Chinese system for harmonizing the flow of energy in a room, or building, or other space or structure; literally ‘wind-water’
feng zheng kite
Han Lin being a scholar of the Han Lin Academy was very prestigious
Han Ren of Han origin
hua painting
Jin Shi Imperial Examination, Advanced Scholar Degree
kou-tou to kowtow: to show respect by bowing low and touching one’s head to the ground
li strength
li a unit of measurement of approximately one third of a mile
niao bird
qi energy
qin a zither consisting of a wood frame and seven strings of twisted silk
qing xiao xin
please be careful
qing, qing please, please
ren man
san bao literally ‘three treasures’: three male organs consisting of penis and two testicles
san jue three perfections: painting, calligraphy, poetry
sheng xiao cycles
shi poetry
Shi Er Sheng Xiao Twelve Animals of the Chinese Zodiac: rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, goat, monkey, rooster, dog and pig
shou jin slender gold calligraphy
shu writing; also means ‘book’
shu fa the art of calligraphy
suan pan abacus: one of the earliest devices for counting and doing calculations
tai chi a Chinese martial art practised to promote good health
Tian Heaven
Tian Wen Language of Heaven (the study of astronomy)
Tian Xia Land under Heaven
tong bi copper coins
tu zhang chop, stamp, seal or symbol
wai ren an outsider; someone who doesn’t belong
wei qi go, a game of strategy for two players, played with ‘stones’ on a board covered with grid lines; the aim is to control as much of the board as possible
wen fang si bao
Four Treasures of the Scholar: ink-stick (mo), ink-stone (yan), brush (bi) and paper (zhi)
Wu Xing Five Elements
xin heart
Ya Yue Proper Music
yamen government office
Yin – Yang
essential ‘forces’ or underlying principles in life that are opposites yet balanced, separate yet interdependent
Yin Yue Improper and Licentious Music
zhang a unit of measurement of almost eleven feet; ten chi make one zhang