Dali's Succulent Courtyard Is Deeply Filled with Love and Beauty: He's Obsessed with Handicrafts, Petting Cats and Walking Rabbits
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ForewordQian Yan
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Author / Zhang Bin
Location in the article / Dali, Yunnan
Editor / Succulent Plant Hub
Either the body or the soul must always be on a journey. Having encountered so many unexpected landscapes, it truly is a gift of life, a surprise in the history of growing succulents. Dali has always been a place people yearn for.
[Preface]An ancient city in western Yunnan - Dali. I first knew of it from the Duan family's Kingdom of Dali in martial arts novels, and even earlier, the stories of "Five Golden Flowers" and "By the Butterfly Spring" also took place here.
Because the scenery here is picturesque and the folk customs are simple and unadorned, and coupled with some artistic phrases like "wind, flowers, snow and moon" having a slight connection, it has drawn countless artistic young people here to ponder and free their minds, gradually making this place a tourist destination.
And so, having lived in the steel and concrete city for too long and grown restless, a student from Chengdu named "Dong Twelve" came to the shore of Erhai Lake, found this guesthouse, experienced and recorded? the kind of slow life he wanted, letting his heart quiet down and his rhythm slow down~
?[Winter break has arrived, and the busy days have finally slowed their pace. The north is in the depths of winter, so I also slowed my pace of going home.
Chengdu's winters are lazy and almost never see the sun, so Dali became the natural and obvious choice. Or perhaps it was my obsession with the name "Dali."⟧
Life has so little time to wait? Act now! While we are still young~
?[I am a lazy person. I do things only on a whim. If I don't act within 3 days, I will definitely give up.
So I spent more than half a day searching for travel guides online. The dazzling array of guesthouses made me drowsy.
After waking up, I continued searching aimlessly, and being able to find this succulent courtyard was probably what they call fate.]
The happiest thing about traveling is choosing the right place at the right time~
?[It wasn't listed on any website, just recommended in some posts. I added Manager Pipi's QQ number and waited a day and a half. Just when I was about to forget about this guesthouse, Manager Pipi gave me a reply.
Honest and brief: the courtyard isn't big, it's a bit far from the old town, it's filled with succulents, with no deliberate pleasantries or strong recommendations.]
In the balance of light and shade, there is a soul's tacit understanding; in the harmony of near and far, there is heaven's response.
?[Perhaps because of my indecisiveness, I decisively decided on this one. Later when chatting with Manager Pipi, he said he actually didn't expect that I would really end up staying at his place. I chuckled - maybe I'm just too lazy.]
Being lazy in body is fine - it only ruins your figure. But if you're lazy in heart, that ruins your life~
?[Packing slowly, taking the slow train, on a bright and sunny morning with slightly cold weather, I arrived in Dali on schedule, arriving at this succulent courtyard.]
With the fast-paced development of the times, people increasingly miss the slow life of days gone by
?[As someone who has lived in Chengdu year-round, seeing such bright sunshine and this courtyard of radiant succulents, I was inexplicably excited.]
If you can treat life's little blessings with a heart of contentment and gratitude, life will be filled with sunshine at all times~
?[Lying on the rocking chair in front of the door, basking in the sun and spacing out. Clearing the mind and emotions, time seems to stand still at this moment.
Perhaps it's as the saying goes: here, the least valuable thing is time, and the most precious is sunshine. Let me get drunk in this bright and sunny morning!]
Everyone has a ray of sunshine in their heart - some glimmer in the hustle and bustle, some shine bright in the soul~
?[I met Manager Pipi one evening a day later. Manager Pipi's temperament matched his courtyard very well, but he was far beyond my expectations.
He loves growing succulents, and this small courtyard is his own little kingdom. The most enjoyable thing every day is getting up early to water the flowers and waiting for these treasures to show their colors.]
Tong Hua said:
There are many encounters in the world. The most beautiful is meeting you in the prime of my life. Every second of blooming and connection becomes precious and timeless.
?[Stealing a moment of leisure from a busy life, perhaps you too will slowly quiet your heart and ultimately understand that life can't be rushed, because sowing and harvesting are not in the same season.]
If life is a surging river, then you are your own soul's ferryman.
?[And in the meantime, all we can do is work hard at sowing and wait quietly.]
You can boldly set your itinerary as "spacing out for a day and being a slacker," casually find a small stool to sit on, enjoy the wind's embrace and the sun's hug, from when the sun is high to when it sets in the west - time is allowed to be wasted here.
?[Perhaps whether the flowers bloom or not is the flowers' business!]
?[Whether the fish come or not is the fish's business!]
?[What's left is our business!]
Life is short. Do what you want to do while you can. Miss the present, and you may never have another chance.
?[Besides this, Manager Pipi also loves petting cats. This little cat's name is Pipixia (Mantis Shrimp). The manager jokes that Pipixia's food costs more than his own meals.]
?[He loves walking rabbits. This soft and adorable little rabbit has to be kept caged. The manager says if the rabbit were let out, the whole courtyard of succulents would probably be eaten bare.]
As someone poisoned by cute pets, I've witnessed too many internet celebrities rise and fall... Actually, whether it's a person, a cat or a rabbit, there's only one principle for becoming an internet celebrity: hit netizens' soft spots, whether it's the cute point, the funny point, the cringe point... (Those who want to read Pipixia's story can read my article: "The Cat Star of the Cheat Zone"!)
?[If these were his only hobbies, that would still be reasonable. What was unexpected was that Manager Pipi is also obsessed with handicrafts. A rough cloth tote bag - he can slowly hand-sew it over five nights.]
In the traditional crafts passed down from master to apprentice, there lies the wisdom, aesthetics and spirit of the Chinese people, as well as the cultural genes passed down through generations.
At a time when material life keeps growing richer and technological innovation keeps leading changes in social life, confident Chinese people's interest in traditional crafts is quietly returning.
?[He says he wants to pass down these ethnic things. Looking carefully, it's truly hard to imagine that such an exquisite little bag came from the hands of a grown man.]
No matter how bustling and noisy the world is, the artisan's inner world is absolutely quiet. They almost self-effacingly guard the craft in their hands and the faith in their hearts, passing it on through their works.
?[This small courtyard fully embodies slow living. Coming here is fate. Shedding all fatigue and defenses, Manager Pipi will brew you a pot of hot tea, and you can slowly enjoy the leisurely time in the courtyard.]
The courtyard with exotic charm looks like it's "overgrown with weeds," but it reveals Manager Pipi's little intention of bringing rustic countryside leisure.
Those wild horsetail grass, rush grass and ferns grow freely in the courtyard, and the wild charm of mountain forests instantly fills the air. Wind blows, grass sways, leaves fall, and sunlight casts shifting shadows of branches on the adobe walls - that kind of contentment... Find a stone stool to sit on, enjoy a cup of hot tea, hold a book - and that's a day~
?[Listen to his stories, talk about your past. Here you can let down all your defenses, set aside all restlessness, and quietly listen to your own heart.]
What we need to cultivate is our own mind. Set aside all irritability, and you'll be happy wherever you go, and in a good mood wherever you are.
Indeed, the heart is the root of both suffering and joy. Once you think it through, you naturally smile; once you let go, you'll definitely feel relaxed.
?[Perhaps the stool you're sitting on is an old item from the Republic of China period]
?[The small bowl for tea is also a Song Dynasty tea cup]
Heritage is boundless, time is limited - this is also the anxiety of contemporary people. Hu Shi said it well: "Why worry about infinite truth? Every inch forward brings an inch of surprise."
?[He has stories, and he has wine. If you happen to be a person of feeling, and you also like petting cats and walking rabbits, why not come and encounter this small courtyard - water the flowers, listen to the wind, bask in the sun, and tell stories!]
I've never been to Dali. I've only heard that at the foot of Cangshan Mountain, the sunshine is bright, and it's a treasure land for growing succulents.
But I never expected that in Pipi's distinctive courtyard, there are so many and such beautiful "treasures" hidden away.
Not having visited his courtyard would definitely be a great regret of a trip to Yunnan.
If you have the chance to go to Dali, be sure to knock on his door!
?[Or perhaps you'll encounter a person here, a story, or perhaps just this ray of sunlight!]
Text: [Dong Twelve]Preface · Narration: Zhang Bin
Photos: Uncle Pipi
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