In the gentle autumn breeze of September, we set off on the first stop of our 2019 team journey — Chaozhou, an ancient city in eastern Guangdong celebrated as a cradle of Chaoshan culture. The Baixu team traveled together, strolling the old streets, hunting for local delicacies and exploring historical sights.
Looking up, the sky was a clear, washed blue and the sunshine filled the air, mirroring our mood at every moment. The inn where we stayed stood right beside Guangji Tower, the foremost of the seven city gates of ancient Chaozhou — it became the most familiar sight of our three-day trip, and everyone competed to take photos with it. From the top of the gate tower we gazed far across the Han River.
Through the quiet Guangji Gate we reached Guangji Bridge (also known as Xiangzi Bridge) across the Han River. First built in 1171 during the Southern Song dynasty, it is ranked among the four great ancient bridges of China and renowned as the world's earliest "open-and-close" bridge — its middle section is formed by a flotilla of wooden pontoon boats that could historically be moved aside to let ships pass. Despite the blazing sun and scorching heat, nothing could hold back our steps as we walked the line of eighteen painted boats linking the two stone-beam ends of the bridge.
We wandered along Memorial Archway Street, where more than twenty stone archways rise over the arcade-lined old town, and savored the unhurried rhythm of Chaozhou life. Slipping into small alleys in search of Chaoshan cuisine, we of course checked in at the famous Chaoshan beef hotpot — we arrived eating beef and left eating beef. Gathered around the round table enjoying good food and wine, the Baixu ladies joked that each of us would be carrying a few extra pounds home.
“Bobing”, the mooncake dice game, is an important Mid-Autumn folk custom in the Xiamen area, and our trip fell right in the festive season. Have you heard the Minnan nursery rhyme “Mid-Autumn Bobing”? “The mooncake is a mirror, lighting up the hall; dice roll through the streets and lanes, laughter fills every home…” The whole team rolled the dice for the title of “Zhuangyuan” — a joyful ending to a memorable journey.
