One Tianmen Changed My Life

‘Change is the only constant’ as theline goes, the true meaning of it seems hard to get. Coming at a certain age inmy life, I apparently got stuck in a space and time where it felt like nothingwould ever change. The extreme monotonous life within four walls of the women'shostel that I was living since my graduation, had seemed to have cursed uponme. I was getting very repulsive to any changes around me, which in terms, grewdepressive sentimentality and self contradiction. It is said that sometimes onesmall step is required to have a big change in someone’s life. My realizationof life thus changed through a visit to China, a great land of mystery andwisdom and this story that I am about to share with you, may unfold some unseenbeauties of nature and human beings from different perspectives.

It all started in 2019 when I wassearching for further research scope in SLA that I started earlier during mymasters study here in Bangladesh. Later I learned about a university in HunanProvince and got interested in applying into their school of foreign study. Iwas fortunate enough to receive a full provincial scholarship and finallydecided to enrol. On a chaotic evening of September, 2019, with extremeuncertainty in my mind, I all alone left for the Airport and boarded into aChina Southern plane to literally land in the country of ‘The Great Wall’, forwhich China was known to me.

It was quite a big change in my lifewhen I was trying to adopt the local Chinese foods. Problem was not in the foodbeing spicy as Hunan is famous for, however, among the variety of foods, Ibarely knew some. I found a shop where I found coffee and milk tea and gotmyself very familiar with the shop owner. I started calling her by Apu (sister)and day by day I got very close to herself and to her family. That time Chinawas celebrating her 70th National Holiday and for that reason I got a week-longvacation. All of a sudden I came to know about the “Avatar Mountain” ofZhangJiajie and “Gate to Heaven” of Tianmen situated in Hunan Province. Forthose of us not familiar with these mountains, Avatar Mountain is actually theNational Forest Reserve of Zhangjiajie, quite literally known after the famousHollywood blockbuster Avatar’s floating Mountain and other extraplanetarymountainous scene being shot in that mountain.

The beauty of Tianmen is at anotherlevel. I did not initially realize what I was about to experience. A touristbus took us to the base station of that Mountain from where there were twooptions to go on top, and by top, I did not realize how high it was and howexciting it could be to go there. First option was cable car and I saw it goupwards and getting vanished into the clouds between mountains, thereforeconsidering the fear of unknown, we chose the second option that is the specialtour-bus to ride to the top, expecting it to be less fearsome than riding theglass made cable car and only thing between life and death is the metal ropefrom which it hangs. When I rode the bus I was happy at the beginning, however,after a while it started climbing at an extreme inclined angle and the roadbecame narrower with 180 degree frequent turns. I was crying, frequentlyfeeling the centrifugal force due to sharp movement with velocity and at thesame time adrenaline running through my veins for the excitement while I waslooking down the mountain sides. However, when I looked at the ropeway, I feltlucky thinking that I would have died out of fear if I would have taken thatropeway. Later I knew that it was the world’s longest (approximately 7.5kilometers) single cable ropeway that takes you from the base to the top, morethan 1.5 kilometers high in the sky. Eventually the bus ride ends at anotherbase where you will find the final 999 steps to go to the top for that Gate toHeaven. 999 is a special number in Chinese culture, those steps representlonger life and stronger relationships. People walk these steps together forthe fulfilment of their wish and heartfelt desire.

From that base when I looked down Isaw the spiral road that took us there and from there when I saw upwords, still999 steps to reach the top. I took a while to think about my life that day.Isn't life the same? Life is full of such turns like the spiral road withdifficulties and it may seem easy to others or easy at some point but only youknow how hard it was to reach that point overcoming the hurdles. Again when youapparently feel like you have success and then realize still hurdles toovercome reaching zenith like that 999 steps! Three years ago I was drowningand that made me keep out of water and swimming forever, however, after thisTianmen being conquered metaphorically, I felt the desire to visit thatmountain again and I believe this new realization of overcoming any fear wouldcertainly give me a new perspective to look at life.

Tianmen taught me much so did Chinaand her people. The new realization came with a new opportunity and seems likelife has once again smiled upon me. I have now enrolled into a PhD program at afamous university in Beijing and now got the strength to fight for academicexcellence which was the dream of my late father who has departed recently fromthis world. For any Bangladeshi national 71 is the number that represents gloryand freedom. In this 71^st founding anniversary of China, and 45^thanniversary of China-Bangladesh diplomatic ties, I would like to wish for aglorious bond that will grow ever stronger with peace and harmony betweenpeople of these two nations.

Fouzia Rahman 付靓

PhD Student

Communication University of China,Beijing

Former Student, Hunan University ofHumanities, Science and Technology, Hunan

* Story was published in the ChinaEmbassy Bangladesh’s Facebook page.

[Source:https://www.facebook.com/106507707486335/posts/216948139775624/]