My Retirement Years - Traditional Chinese Courtyard

One trip to China, I encountered an aged but charming Chinese home.  The house is about 500-700 years old, it once belonged to a wealthy merchant.  The entranceway is flanked by two fearsome guardian stone lions: a male and a female. The male has his mouth open and a female with her protective paw places upon a cub.  It is believed that the male guards the home itself, and the female protects the inhabitants.  She represents the power of life.

An impressive heavy wooden door is painted with the customary crimson color.  Two corroded pull doorknobs resembled the head of a mythical creature gives impression that once upon a time, this home belonged to a prominent family.   I push the half-open door and right away, I am captivated by the unpretentious beauty of its courtyard.  Inside, flowering plum and peach blossom paint the garden with spring color. There are jasmine, petunia, and lupine flowers everywhere.  A graceful banyan tree stands tall in the middle of the garden, filters out some of the bright afternoon sun. The foliage of giant banana leaf moves about so elegantly in the breeze.  By the corner, a few wooden water buckets and a half-torn rope scatter around an ancient water well.  Years of neglect, algae and a few wild purple flowers are growing on the edge of the well. Peer into the well, I can see crystal-clear underground water mirroring the blue sky above.  

At the other side of the courtyard sits an empty rain barrel.  In the old times, the container was used to store water for daily use.   Some were used to nurture water lilies with a few goldfish swimming around.  A narrow path cuts through a round entrance, which frames a picture of what is behind.   I stare at the courtyard and can nearly hear children’s play and laughter, servants moving about to perform errands and a sweet melody playing by a beautiful young lady……..

Once upon a time, this idyllic home must be a nice place to live, to grow up and to retire.  The loveliness of the garden is palpable.