A park within a beautiful city

Guilin, a city most known for its karst peaks, is located in the North East region of the Guangxi Province in the South Central region of China. The journey to Chuan Shan Park began with a twenty minute bus ride. The bus ride was smooth and quiet, not at all what I have become accustomed to while living in Chongqing. Out on the streets, I passed customers bargaining with shopkeepers for the price of fruit and food, and people hurrying to their next destinations.
I entered the park and noticed a huge, uneven rock was used as a map, which provided simple directions, with arrows, to the caves and hills. The park exudes tranquility. It is surrounded by farms, water, bamboos and caves. The clouds were gray, the weather was mild, but the atmosphere was breathtaking. As I walked towards a short, pale bridge, I saw men fishing in the river. I thought to myself, “this is living.” I was in awe of the simplicity of it all.
An hour later, I was at the entrance of Bright Moon Hill. I began to climb the hill at a slow pace. The path leading me to the top of the hill was filled with moss, branches, dirt and stones, and slopes. With garbage cans resembling tree trunks, old trash still filled the narrow pathway.
Fifteen minutes later and out of breath, I arrived at the midway point of the hill. The view of Guilin was beautiful. I greeted other tourists walking by with a warm smile and “Ni hao,” to which they replied with the same; this warmed my heart.
As I walked further up the hill, I was able to see Guilin from a different perspective. The landscape in the distance consisted of clusters of dwellings, trees, congested highways, and dilapidated areas under construction. After another ten minutes, I finally arrived at the peak and felt proud.
I was alone with buzzing flies, cloudy sky, and the distant sound of an airplane. I breathed in the silence and exhaled all the stress built up inside of me. The natural landscape provided me with peace and freedom. I asked myself insightful questions: ‘What’s my purpose in China?’ ‘Am I happy in my current position?’ ‘How could I reduce the stress that I’m experiencing?’
I walked out of Chuan Shan Park feeling as though a weight had been lifted off of my shoulders and I was returning to Chongqing with a new attitude. Taking a trip to Guilin was a great decision. I learned a lot about myself in a short period of time. If you ever come to China, visit Guilin and go to Chuan Shan Park; it’s free and beautiful.