thomas from germany searches for a "paradise" in china
2024-09-14
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on september 11, thomas read a book in the courtyard of his home. xinhua news agencynanchang, september 14 (xinhua) -- in the early morning at the foot of mount lu, german thomas and his wife wang yanwen were practicing health-preserving exercises in front of a mountain hut. this activity has become their habit.
this year marks the fifth year that thomas and his wife have settled in taohuayuan, lushan city, jiujiang city, jiangxi province. this place is comfortable and peaceful, far away from the secular world, and is the "peach blossom land" they have longed for.
jiujiang city, jiangxi province is the hometown of tao yuanming, the originator of chinese pastoral poetry and a poet of the eastern jin dynasty. peach blossom spring in lushan city is also one of the prototypes of his famous work "peach blossom spring" and is an important part of lushan.
"walking in the peach blossom spring, the mountains and forests are quiet and the air is fresh. it is a natural healing place and summer resort." thomas told reporters after completing a set of exercises.
thomas's fate with traditional chinese culture began more than 20 years ago. when he was in germany, he read the traditional chinese classic tao te ching and was deeply moved, which started his journey to trace the origin of culture.
thomas said that the circulation of tao te ching in germany is second only to the bible, and it is highly respected by germans. he himself was also deeply influenced by this book. thomas also studied the ancient chinese medical book huangdi neijing for many years and learned meridian massage and tui na in depth.
thomas first came to china in 2000, during which he visited famous mountains and rivers in china, such as putuo mountain and wudang mountain. over the years, he also learned to comprehend the contents of the classics through meditation and standing.
he and his wife wang yanwen originally worked in shanghai, but they always wanted to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city and get closer to nature. in 2015, they lived in wenquan town at the foot of mount lu, and often traveled between shanghai and mount lu. it was not until 2018 that they finally found this little paradise in the peach blossom spring.
led by local villagers, they waded through the reeds as tall as a person in the peach blossom valley with machetes and found an abandoned adobe house built in the 1970s and 1980s. after communicating with the original owner, they decided to rent it for a long time. after three years of renovation and decoration, this quaint house in the valley became their home.
as you approach this valley cottage, you will see flowers planted by thomas himself in front of and behind the house, surrounding the garden. the whole house is decorated in a simple chinese style and is clean and tidy. the only western-style facility is a fireplace - thomas and his wife like to sit around the fireplace and read quietly in winter.
"this place is like the peach blossom spring described by tao yuanming. the sound of spring water echoes in my ears, and a handful of spring water tastes clear and sweet. i often find a rock, sit on the ground, and relax my body and mind in meditation," said thomas.
thomas and his wife like to avoid the peak tourist season and visit the beautiful scenery of mount lushan, but what interests thomas more is the traditional chinese medicine culture of mount lushan. "i like to smell the aroma of moxibustion, drink a sip of health tea, taste a bowl of therapeutic meal, and personally experience the unique charm of the thousand-year-old traditional chinese medicine culture," he said.
get up early to practice a set of health-preserving exercises, have breakfast from 7 to 9 o'clock, take a lunch break from 11 to 13 o'clock, play the guqin or meditate before going to bed... the thomas couple insist on planning their diet and daily life according to the contents of "huangdi neijing".
"the essence drawn from traditional chinese culture is very beneficial to our diet, daily life and thoughts. we will continue to practice the contents of these classics," said wang yanwen.
