Wind Lion Guardians are made of stone & earth elements for their grounding effects. Capes are put on them as a gesture of respect & gratitude for their protective presence. Some islanders change their windlions’ capes based on seasonal celebrations. Sometimes what others see as idolatry may be just simple signs of connection with the universe.
The inhabitants of Kinmen Island place stone carvings of mythological lions (风师爷 feng shi ye) at strategic locations for protection from powerful winds and other elements that are beyond human control.
Over the years, these leonine creatures acquire various types of colours, shapes and designs to reflect their relevance to the island folks.
The moon rose above me as I walked on the old street of Houpu, my grandma’s birth place.
May the full moon bless all sentient beings with the luminosity to adapt to changes, especially during dark times.
And may we share the spirit of the Kinmen folks, who over time, turn attempts to manage hardship into works of art, as the multitude of wind lion designs have shown. 😊
I first saw her picture on Facebook while reading up to prepare for my trip to Kinmen Island, the birthplace of my grandma.
“I hope to have the chance to age like this Elder (长者),” was the first thought that came to mind when I lay eyes on her pictures. After that I saved the shots for future inspiration and that was it.
I would learn later that this Elder (长者) I connected visually with had allowed young people to host a music festival in the courtyard of her house in 2017.
Local Methodology’s Wang Ling was one of the organisers behind the music festival in Zhusan Village in 2017
This afternoon while heading back to our car after visiting the ancient houses of 珠山 (Zhushan Village) I was attracted to voices coming from a house on my right.
An elderly woman and two men were seated on low stools at the doorway & chatting leisurely.
Meeting Granny Weng 翁 was unexpected & magical.
I gasped when I realised I was looking at the Elder (长者) from the Facebook photos I had saved! For Real!
I then babbled excitedly to our driver, Yuan, as if I had spotted a Kirin in Kinmen.
“Are you absolutely sure?” Yuan asked, amused by my delirium.
“Yes! She was featured in a music festival in 2017 organised by Wang Ling & friends. She was surrounded by young people in that picture!” I explained earnestly. Nothing is gonna stop me from greeting my Role Model now.
As if the Elder had heard us, she waved and beckoned us to approach her.
She would later tell me that she did that because she wanted us to go inside her house to have some tea and to take a break from the scorching heat outside.
My Role Model: Healthy, Lucid & Gracious.
What followed after I entered the doorway to her 400-year-old house was an afternoon of magical exchanges in a mixture of Mandarin & Minan.
Chatting at the doorway of a 400-year-old house while the breeze of summer blows around must have been one of my grandma’s cherished memories of her Kinmen childhood.
I told my Role Model that I saw her on Facebook even before we met & my aspirations to have her strength & gravitas if I ever have the chance to get to her age.
She laughed heartily and held me firmly by my shoulders.
Yuan explained to my Role Model that before we came to her village, I had visited my grandmother’s ancestral shrine in 半山 (Pan Shan).
At the Weng 翁 ancestral shrine where my grandma’s family name came from.
My Role Model smiled benevolently and said in the Kinmen dialect, “I was born in Pan Shan. My surname is Weng (翁), just like your grandmother’s.”
I couldn’t have asked for a clearer sign of ancestral affection and divine guidance on this Kinmen trip that I made on my grandma’s behalf.
Yesterday towards evening we decided to head to Mofan Street which was part of the old city, Houpu, where my grandmother was born.
We were given free bread and free ride on our way to the old capital.
On our way there, a man stopped to give us freshly baked bread for free and a lady who overheard our destination discussion offered us a ride to Mofan Street.
Red Lantern bearing the chinese characters 后浦 Houpu, the old capital of my grandma’s childhood.
The moment we arrived at Mofan Street a red lantern with the chinese characters 后浦 (Houpu) caught my eye!
I felt very warm inside as my travel mate took pictures of me standing under the red lantern. So this is really my grandma’s town.
A few steps ahead, a lady offered us some freshly made egg rolls to try. We ate them and thanked her for her generosity.
翁阿宝 (Weng Ah Bao) gave us egg rolls to try. She shares the same surname as my grandma.
I asked for her name.
“叫我阿宝就可以了” she said. (Transl: Just called me Ah Bao) “Bao” usually means treasure or precious.
I asked for her surname.
“我姓翁,” she replied and went on to describe the strokes that made up the character 翁 (pronounced as weng in Mandarin).
It turned out that she had the same surname as my grandma.
It was then I felt my grandma’s long overdue homecoming has really happened.
“阿嬷我们真的到家了,” I said in my heart to the little girl who left this old city nearly a 100 years ago.
Lisa Ong 