Liu Zhuang (28-75 AD), the second emperor of the Eastern Han Dynasty, became known after his demise as Emperor Ming of Han. “Ming” means “understanding” and “bright” in Chinese. It was during his reign (57-75 AD) that Buddhism began to spread into China. The following stories reveal his respectfulness and willingness to listen to advisers. Honoring his teacher Liu Zhuang learned Confucian classics from a young age, and he studied the Classic of History, also known as the Shangshu, under the teacher Huan Rong. After Liu Zhuang became the emperor, he continued to show respect towards his teacher. The emperor often invited Huan home to teach. Huan would be given a premium seat, and Emperor Ming would personally bring the book to his teacher. When other students asked questions, Huan stood up as a sign of respect to the emperor. Emperor Ming quickly stopped Huan and said, “We are all students here, and you need not stand on ceremony.” China’s first Buddhist temple One day Emperor Ming dreamed that a tall golden man with a glow around his head came to the centre of the palace. Emperor Ming was just about to talk to him when the golden man suddenly rose up and flew off to the West. The next day, Emperor Ming told his advisers about his vision. One adviser said that in the West there is a god called Buddha, and his body is the colour of gold. Emperor Ming sent envoys to Tianzhu (Northwest India) to search for Buddhist information in 64 AD. They later met two Indian Buddhist monks in Afghanistan and persuaded them to come to China, bringing their Buddhist scriptures, relics, and Buddha statues with them on two white horses. To welcome the Buddhist scriptures and monks, Emperor Ming built the first Buddhist temple in China in 68 AD near the capital city of Luoyang. It was called the White Horse Temple. The monks resided at the temple and translated the Buddhist scriptures into Chinese. Stopping palace construction for drought Emperor Ming was preparing to order the construction of the North Palace for his enjoyment. It was a year of drought. A minister sent a letter to Emperor Ming, stating, “Currently, farmers are suffering from the drought, but you plan to construct the North Palace. If that is the case, irrigation matters will be put aside, and how will the people survive? Monarchs in the past were not concerned if their own living environment was cramped; rather, their attention was on the people’s livelihood. Your Majesty, what do you think?” Emperor Ming immediately stopped the construction plan and expressed his apologies to the minister. Two days later, there was heavy rain, and the drought ended. The people said, “The emperor accepted the adviser’s suggestion and moved the heavens.”

China Day 4 (11/23/16) My name is Auriana Leismer and I am an 11th grader at Boyne City High School who has high hopes for the future. My goal is to attend the University of Michigan after I graduate to study Elementary and Special Education. I chose this career years ago, knowing that I wanted to have an impact on the future of our society. Currently, I am striving to make a difference in my community by being involved in groups like the Youth Advisory Committee of Charlevoix County and various Student Council-related activities. Throughout high school and middle school, I have also developed a strong passion for the arts through my involvement in the Boyne City Bands program and the BCHS Drama Department. Throughout my life I have always had a desire to travel and experience cultures outside of my own. I have never been able to pinpoint exactly where in my life traveling would fit in, so when the opportunity to travel to China was presented, I jumped right aboard. China Day 4 (11/23/16) In this modern age, we often forget to take in our surroundings and simply enjoy life. That was apparent this morning when I woke up to a winter scene resembling Northern Michigan that proved to be a burden for our group. However, the locals of Luoyang were giddy with excitement; this was the first time it had significantly snowed in years and it brought pure bliss to children and adults alike. After rearranging our schedule slightly due to the weather, we left our luxurious hotel and headed toward the White Horse Temple. As we drove through the “small city” of two million people, we observed countless displays of snowball fights and snowmen building paired with smiles and laughter. This joy seemed to spread throughout our group and carried with us as we approached White Horse. With just a couple of thrown snowballs, we were in light, open-minded spirits that allowed us to enjoy the serenity of the oldest temple in China. The temple not only included beautiful shrines, Buddha snowmen, and architecture, but also provided a view of new culture. The White Horse Temple still serves as a place of Buddhist worship, therefore our Michigan clan was able to witness the prayer first-hand. In front of each shrine, there was a donation box. Although all gave different sums of Yuan, the concept of being at peace and pouring one’s mind and body into their religion and culture was quite prominent in the area, similar to the Shaolin Temple, which we visited after a late lunch. When arriving at the Buddhist martial arts boarding school, a wave of relaxation washed over me. Long stretches of mountains reached across the horizon, the students worked together to clear the accumulation from the paths, and the air was still. We began by watching a martial arts performance put on by the school’s prized students in which they exhibited their talents. The show included stunts that left the audiences’ hearts racing including using one’s head to break a piece of metal and the bending of spears that were in contact with one’s chest. Before each action, the student took a moment to center themselves. This moment seemed necessary for the success of the stunt; clearing one’s mind allowed a near-impossible task to be completed with ease. As we continued throughout the temple, the pleasure that can come with being thankful for what you have, instead of being ungrateful for what you do not have, was clear. We reached the Pagoda forest—the home of 248 tombs of praised monks—and were able to forget about our cold feet and enjoy the snow once again. At the Pagodas, a group of Shaolin students were outside and began to throw the snow and kick it free from the branches of trees, squealing with giggles for the entirety of the moment. Being surrounded by pure happiness caused by nothing but Mother Nature forced our group to look around and fully absorb our surroundings: the mountains, the temple, and the laughter. The Shaolin Temple, like White Horse, is still fully functioning and serves as the home for thousands of students and their teachers. Witnessing first-hand a culture juxtaposing from those in our home towns allowed our group to truly feel how one can be content with little materialistic objects in their life.

India and China may share uneasy ties thanks to an undemarcated border, a ballooning trade deficit and other irritants but that did not stop President Pranab Mukherjee from stressing on the commonalities between the two countries especially trade and cultural links including Buddhism. On Wednesday, Mukherjee on his first state visit to China as president, visited the Hualin Temple in Guangzhou, capital of the industrialised Guangdong province. Legend has it that a Buddhist monk from India came to China in the 6th century and spread the ideas and philosophy of Buddhism. The monk, Bodhi Dharma, is also credited with training the famous Shaolin monastery monks in martial arts that later evolved into the Kung Fu style of martial arts. Bodhi Dharma, known as Ta-Mo in China is also “regarded as the founder of Chan, which basically comes from Dhyan,” Pradeep Rawat, joint secretary in charge of China and East Asia told reporters last week in New Delhi. “The Chan or Zen tradition of Buddhism later spread from China to Japan and Korea,” he said. According to Chinese tourism websites, the Hualin Temple is regarded as one of the most revered places of worship by Chinese Buddhists and is frequented by a large number of devotees every day. To underline the Buddhist link with China, Mukherjee on Wednesday installed a bronze statue of Buddha, approximately four feet in height and weighing about 40 kilograms. According to Indian officials, the statue was specially made for Mukherjee to install in the Hualin Temple – the president’s last engagement in Guangdong, his first stop during his four- day China tour, before leaving for Beijing. According to people familiar with the development, Chinese Communist Party leaders in Guangdong welcomed and appreciated Mukherjee’s gesture of visiting the shrine. Buddhism wasn’t the only link highlighted by Mukherjee on the second day of his China visit. Earlier on Wednesday, Mukherjee also emphasised the common historical links between India and China at a business meeting in Guangzhou. “Han Shu (a book on the Han dynasty) of the second century BC talks of a direct sea route between Guangdong (province of which Guangzhou is the capital) and Kanchipuram in South India. As early as the fourth century BC, Chinese silk is mentioned in Kautilya’s treatise, the Arthashastra,” the president said referring to an early Indian book on statecraft, economic and military policies. In referring to the cultural connects Mukherjee was walking down a carefully crafted path traversed by many Indian leaders. The aim has been to emphasise the common threads between the two countries that went to war briefly in 1962 and have been wary of each other since. Mukherjee’s immediate predecessor, former Indian president Pratibha Patil, inaugurated an Indian-style Buddhist Stupa inside the White Horse Temple complex in Luoyang, in central China. The Indian style stupa said to be modelled on the lines of the Sanchi Stupa, the famous Buddhist pilgrimage centre in Madhya Pradesh. An agreement to construct the stupa was signed in 2005 during then Chinese premier Wen Jiabao’s visit to India. Former prime ministers P.V. Narasimha Rao in 1993 and Atal Behari Vajpayee in 2003 had visited the White Horse Temple which is considered to be one of the oldest such Buddhist shrines to be constructed in China. It is believed to have been built to accommodate Indian monks who took Buddhism to China.