My Beautiful Hometown

by+Chu+Jiwang

I have enjoyed traveling since childhood and made up my mind at a young age to travel around the world when I grew up. Ive now visited 80 countries. Out of all the places Ive been， the most stunning scene Ive ever seen was in Xilin Village of Ninghai County， Zhejiang Province， where I was born and raised.

The summit of Mt. Zishan （Purple） embraced by bamboo grooves behind my village remains fresh in my mind. On the mountain， pines and cypresses set off each other， azaleas bloom all over the hills， and birds sing year round. In front of the village， a brook trickles down from the tea-growing mountain， supplying water to the simple， diligent villagers who measure success by how much they help each other， as they farm for generations.

My fellow villagers relocated elsewhere due to the construction of Xilin Reservoir after I joined the army. Today， the landscape around the reservoir has transformed with new charming scenery， but I still miss the original scene from my youth.

Not long ago， the reservoir was emptied， which uncovered the old site once again. I rushed to make a visit upon hearing the news： The tall stone walls of a former residence still stand – the house in which I was born. I still remember the close relationship with my neighbors. We shared food all the time： My mother often sent me to deliver bowls of food to my next-door “aunts” and “uncles，”who would thank me with kind words before I ran back home with a big smile. Most of the stone walls close to my home were built by my father， a well-known bricklayer. It had been over 30 years since the houses were submerged， and my soul was taken back to childhood upon seeing them.

To preserve memories of my hometown， I branded my products Xilin， and they are now seen throughout the world.

I was deeply impressed by prose praising the beauty of Ninghai by famous Chinese writer Pu Zi， who described my hometown in incredible detail， taking me back to that tract of land.

I traced my childhood memories in Mt. Xiangshan （Fragrant Hill） in Xidian Town， Ninghai County， where I became peaceful and content after visiting Guangde Temple.

One kilometer from Guangde Temple is Ruyi Temple， the same name as my company， making this place feel even more like home.

A local named Shi Dahui told me that the temple was originally known as Jixiang（Auspiciousness） and renamed to avoid confusion with another one in Meilin. We took a stroll around the temple， watching a spring trickling from the mountain top through the bamboo groove down to the temple. I enjoyed the breeze and the gurgling brook by the plank road sandwiched by oddly-shaped rocks， feeling as if I was in Shangri-La.

Standing on the summit， I saw a vast expanse of grassland surrounded by streams， highways running through abundant trees， and high-speed rails stretching along the mountains. As I returned to Xilin， the Fragrant Hill was bathed in the setting sun.

Nowhere else on this planet can rival with my hometown in beauty.