Taking a ferry boat out on the sea from Xiamen, a southeast port of the Fujian Province of China, we passed the rock on top of which stands the statue of Zhen Chengong, a distinguished general who drove away Dutch invaders and recaptured Taiwan for the Chinese Ming Dynasty. Along the way, tourists on board could also see Jinmen, a small island which at its closest point lies only 2,310 meters from Xiamen. So close, and yet so far, said Dr. Bill Brown in his guidebook. Amoy Magic, because at present it lies under the control of Taiwan Province. On a clear day, you can see with a telescope a big sign on Jinmen saying. Three Principles of the People to reunify China; similarly in Xiamen, along the highway opposite Jinmen, there is also a big sign proclaiming. One Country, Two Systems to reunify China. The two signs have been staring at each other quietly and passionately for more than a decade, trying to express the heartfelt feelings of the people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait, just like a long-separated couple not being able to see each other face to face. But nobody knows when the people who sent out these messages across the turbulent ocean waves throughout stormy days and thunderous nights could eventually find a restful nest to not only let their minds meet, but also their arms meet. Within about 10 minutes, our boat arrived in the early afternoon at a small island to the southwest of Xiamen called Gulangyu Islet. Among the many passengers, those who reside on the islet quickly got off first and rushed home after a morning outing across the water. Then the others began to disembark and tried to find their separate ways. Having no knowledge about this place, people like us who were tourists from other areas of China or other parts of the world started to feel a bit anxious to see Gulangyu. We wondered what kind of inspirations this new journey might bring into our life. This was a gentle November afternoon; the southern China sea-breeze blowing across the Strait was pleasingly comfortable and the morning haziness had just disappeared without any hint. But as we strolled along the paved narrow streets that looked like narrow alleys in medieval European towns and when we noticed the many red tile-roofed houses in Mediterranean style, my head started to feel a little dizzy and my footsteps became heavier and slower. Perhaps it was due to a delayed sea-sickness lingering from the waves still lashing against the docked boat; or perhaps more likely it was a time warp that had just sucked me away and brought me back to the sad colonial past of this small place when it was under the control of a slew of foreign invaders from Japan, Germany, Spain, the Netherlands, and America, etc. |