Taipei Part X: A-gong's resting place
A-ma, after consulting a Chinese astrological almanac, had determined that the fifteenth of July was an auspicious date for visiting A-gong's (Kevin's grandfather's) grave. The selection of auspicious days for various events -- whether weddings or ancestor visits -- is determined by a variety of different elements. I had heard of the importance accorded to timing of important events, but had never actually seen one of the almanacs themselves. I'll admit I was expecting something pretty impressive: a large volume bound in red leather with gold embossed characters up and down the sides, perhaps.
The reality was therefore a bit of a surpise: a little paperback book, less than an inch thick. Paper-thin pages displayed columns and rows of numbers, dates, astrological signs, and even readings from the I-Ching for each date. I learned that these almanacs are sold at the beginning of the Lunar New Year by street vendors and in book stores, and contains predictions for the entire year. This almanac is said to be the oldest continuous publication in the world, and different versions are published in Taiwan, Hong Kong and mainland China.
I spent a few minutes in A-ma's living room flipping through the tiny book that had determined our weekend plans, able to pick out numbers and words but utterly unable to make sense of the diagrams and overall organization. I only had a few minutes to look, however -- before long everyone else was trundling downstairs, collecting fruit and bowls that had been washed and prepared for sacrifice, smearing on sunscreen and then piling into two cars for the long drive.
The drive was simply beautiful. A-gong is buried in the mountains by the northeast coast of the island, and we drove the long way up and around the coast to reach the cemetary. We even saw the northernmost tip of Taiwan (the question mark above simply indicates that I'm not sure that photo is of the northernmost point, though it might be... Kevin took that picture from the car window).
The grounds were lovely too, in their own way -- grand, and quite peaceful. As far as I could see, there were no other families visiting, and the staff of the burial ground were helpful in carrying the offerings over before retreating to a respectful distance. I've seen Taiwanese graves before, on drives through the country. Set in the shaggy hillside on the side of the road, they look like colorful little gates into the earth. A-gong's resting place, however, was clearly a much more formal affair, with polished black marble, perfectly manicured shrubbery, and golden characters carved into the stones.
A-ma explained (well, A-ma explained to everyone else and then Kevin's parents explained to me -- I have trouble understanding what A-ma says a lot of the time) that there are still spaces left for twenty-one Jwo descendents, including Li-bei (Kevin's uncle, who was with us), Kevin's mother and father, and Kevin himself. I think it must have been a pretty strange feeling to be standing at the site where you will one day be buried, while your dad and the cemetary employee explain how this location has excellent feng shui, which will bring luck to legions of Jwo descendants.
I was too busy trying not to do anything wrong (so as to avoid cursing A-ma's whole family by bringing bad luck upon their buried ancestor) to think too hard about the eventual demise and burial of the people around me. We made offerings to A-gong and to the spirit who lives in the stones outside the tomb and protects the entrance from ghosts and other evil spirits by placing the carefully prepared fruit in silver bowls, then bowing respectfully, silently saying hello to A-gong, telling him how we were doing (in my case, who I was) and thanking him for letting us come visit him.
After that, sweating profusely in the brilliant sunshine, we all climbed back into our cars and drove down the mountain to the reception area at the cemetary's entrance. They served us iced coffee and iced tea as we relaxed in the blissfully cool air. The people working there thought I might have been a foreign exchange student -- a query I've gotten a few times here but never in China. I suppose this makes sense, since Taiwan has long had open relations and friendly ties with other countries, whereas the mainland, still recovering from decades of insularity and isolation, is only just now becoming more widely frequented by westerners.
After this relaxing little break, we were off into the mountains once more for the next adventure: a trip to Juming Meishuguan, a sculpture museum that is one of Taiwan's most treasured cultural attractions.
posted by Kelly @ 3:35 PM
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