The Sacred Mountain Can Hear You

Tibetan tour leader & genius painter

In her sixth year of putting down roots in Tibet, Jiang Banxia met Lu Qing'an one leisurely afternoon.

Among the new volunteers at the Culture and Tourism Bureau, Jiang Banxia was drawn to Lu Qing'an's cool, otherworldly air. She found it strange that a gentle breeze had drifted into Tibet, a place of wild winds and sand.

After half a month together, Jiang Banxia began to suspect Lu Qing'an was mute. Maybe deaf and mute, too.

He was solitary and aloof, always going everywhere alone and never speaking to anyone. Concerned for people with disabilities, Jiang Banxia made him a priority and gave him special care.

One night, she heard a crash from Lu Qing'an's dorm room. Jiang Banxia burst in and found him fresh from a shower, with no time to wrap a towel around himself. Their eyes met.

Lu Qing'an frowned. "Get out."

Jiang Banxia, annoyed and speechless, said, "You're not deaf and mute?"

Lu Qing'an replied, "When you show concern for deaf and mute people, please don't discriminate against able-bodied people."

During the holidays, Jiang Banxia got a request online for a custom route through the uninhabited Ali region. When she drove to the hotel, Lu Qing'an was the one who got into her car.

In the car, Lu Qing'an said his second sentence to her: "The music's too loud. Turn it off, please."

Jiang Banxia turned the volume up instead.

In six years in Tibet, Jiang Banxia had traveled countless routes extending from Lhasa and Nyingchi to the major tourist attractions. She had thought this trip would be unremarkable, but it seemed the heavens had decided to intervene from the moment they set off.

In October, a heavy snowstorm blanketed the Everest region. Cars that had broken down or skidded lined both sides of the road. Jiang Banxia glanced at Lu Qing'an, who had his eyes closed as if dozing, then opened the car door and went to help without hesitation.

In the extreme weather, with wind and snow whipping around them, her hands and feet were numb with cold. Jiang Banxia used all her strength to fasten the tow rope, but her footing slipped and she nearly fell. As she lost her balance, a strong hand grabbed her from behind.

Lu Qing'an looked down at her. "Trying to scam me before I've even rescued you?"

Jiang Banxia rolled her eyes. "Couldn't you have picked a more dignified way to help me?"

As the sky darkened, Jiang Banxia drove along the snow-covered, slippery road, tirelessly rescuing one stranded car after another. By the time they reached the city, it was already the middle of the night.

Jiang Banxia said, "Sorry I held up your trip. I'll treat you to dinner."

Lu Qing'an said, "Sure. What's the most expensive thing here?"

Jiang Banxia: "..."

Lu Qing'an actually hated trouble, loved quiet, and avoided excitement. An accident on the racetrack had once nearly ruined his life. Jiang Banxia, on the other hand, was full of energy, loved stirring things up, and had an utterly wild streak.

The sun and the moon: how could they ever meet?

In Tibet, the sun and moon shining together is quite ordinary. Just like Lu Qing'an falling for Jiang Banxia, it seemed like a fated surrender, no matter how you looked at it.

The moon does not shine on its own. Its light comes from the sun.

In Tibet, the place closest to the sun, the moon can claim the sun all it wants, even if it means suffering from altitude sickness.

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Before meeting Jiang Banxia, Lu Qing'an was a materialist who had come to Tibet only for the scenery.

After meeting her, he fell into an abyss of sin, coveting her and wanting to possess her.

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They say the sandstorms of the Gobi, the blue waves of sacred lakes, and the snow on holy mountains can wash away sins deep in the soul.

At the foot of the sacred mountains, Tibetans make a pilgrimage to the holy land in their hearts, taking one step and prostrating themselves with each one, seeking the mountains' blessing.

Lu Qing'an, who had once laughed it off, eventually became one of them.

One step, one prostration, he walked toward his sacred mountain, devout and resolute.

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Reader's guide:

1. When they first meet, Jiang Banxia thinks Lu Qing'an is deaf and mute, so she takes extra care of him. Later, she discovers he's a fraud.

2. In Tibet, Lu Qing'an meets someone he falls in love with at first sight.

At first, he thinks the Tibetan custom against marrying outside one's ethnic group is what stands between them. Later, he discovers the real obstacle is the taboo of loving his brother's wife.

3. Jiang Banxia's first half of life was marked by sin. She was a commodity, a doll manipulated by fate.

The sixth year after she was exiled to Tibet is the sixth year of Jiang Banxia's rebirth.

Theme: Where the grass grows is not up to the wind. It depends on the heart.