Eric's Beijing Diary

Had an interesting discussion last night at the English Corner about Christmas. One young lady asked me to explain Christmas to her. As I was doing this, another lady interrupted to inform everyone that Christmas was actually started by a real man who gave gifts to little children. I told her that there was in deed a man known as St. Nicholas, or Father Nicholas who gave gifts to little children. But St. Nicholas did not create Christmas. In Christmas we see that Jesus is the gift. God loved the world so much that he gave His only Son to live a perfect life, and then die and pay the price for our sins. He took our sinfulness so that we could stand before God in His righteousness.

Somebody asked me if I like poetry. I quoted, for them, the poem by Li Bai, one of the greatest of the Tang Dynasty poets. Li Bai is probably my favorite Tang Dynasty poet, and perhaps the favorite of many others. He had a fascination with the moon as a symbol in poetry. In fact, the story is told that he died one night in a drunken stupor by drowning in the river because he fell in while trying to scoop the moon out of the river with his hand.

A SONG OF AN AUTUMN MIDNIGHT

By Li Bai

A slip of the moon hangs over the capital;
Ten thousand washing-mallets are pounding;
And the autumn wind is blowing my heart
For ever and ever toward the Jade Pass....
Oh, when will the Tartar troops be conquered,
And my husband come back from the long campaign!