Sorry for being absent for a few days! My schedule has been pretty jam-packed recently, but today, I finally have some down-time to write. On December 24th and December 25th (23rd and 24th in the U.S.), I visited some two famous landmarks: Mount Xiqiao and the “Seven Star Crags” in Zhaoqin (featured in next Blog Post). 

December 24th: Mount Xiqiao (Foshan, Guangdong Province)

• Historical Background: Mount Xiqiao is a 40- 50 million year old mountain that lies atop a dormant volcano in Foshan, China. It is one of the four famous mountains of Guangdong province, and it has also been established as a national forest and a national park. At the peak of the mountain (“Daxian Peak”), lies the powerful statue of the Guanyin（观音) or “Goddess of Mercy.”
• Recap: When we reached the entrance of the park, we witnessed many people burning incense, giving food offerings, and praying upwards at the Guanyin statue. At first I assumed that these people must be Buddhists, but I learned later that while this is a Buddhist tradition, many people who embraced this were in fact, not Buddhists (burning incense and praying is a religious act in China, but many people merely pray for good luck and better health). From there on, we climbed to the top of Mount Xiqiao. When we reached the top of the mountain, we arrived at the base of the wondrous statue of the Guanyin (“Goddess of Mercy”)Inside the base of the statue, was an elaborate room full of hundreds of miniature statues of the Guanyin. [*Legend has it, that if a family is struggling to bear a child, is impoverished, or is experiencing ill health, the Guanyin can heal and provide solutions to these problems]. There was even a special part of the room that was just reserved for intense praying. It was completely dark, except for the bioiluminescence of about 10 LED-powered lotus flowers. A combination of the ancient with technology, it was both sacred and mystical- at the same time.