Haikou, Hainan. After missing Sanya and losing the Haikou race, the old arcades, sea wind, Fanghua courtyard, and the start of 2019 still deserved to be saved.
In February a year ago, I came to Hainan for the first time. The purpose of this trip was originally for the Sanya Marathon, but it turned out that the race was delayed much compared to previous years and I had no choice but to miss it. Although there was no horse racing in the Hainan trip, it was still a warm walk for me. Chatting about life with my uncle and walking around Sanya, I was also immersed in the coconut breeze and sea charm, outlining the ups and downs of the next few years. Holding the five-star mangrove card set given by my aunt, I felt a little overwhelmed among the beautiful post-modern buildings.
The sense of ritual in life may be that every time you go to a new place, you always want to leave something behind. Stepping on strange and magical land again and again is to understand the warmth and warmth of human beings, and also want to talk to yourself. Get used to it, at the beginning of the new year, there is always a little bit of uncertainty. Within a few days of coming to Sanya last year, I ran to the Guanyin on the Sea in Nanshan Temple and planted three flags for myself in 2018. What seemed unattainable at that time has basically been achieved by 80% today. Therefore, at the beginning of 2019, I came to Haikou with the hope of fulfilling my wish at that time with a run. I am content with not being able to do it perfectly.
The poetry and distance of Haikou
If Sanya is the face of Hainan, then Haikou is the face.
Haikou is located in the north of Hainan Island, and Sanya is located in the southernmost part of the island. Sunshine, beaches, and waves are the most important factors attracting tourists to Sanya. These elements have also become the first impression of Sanya for Chinese people. Sanya, which has absolutely no smog, is an excellent "refuge" in the eyes of big city residents. Unlike Sanya, which relied on one industry to rise, Haikou, like most ancient cities, has grown slowly over time. While Sanya is crowded with tourists and even conflicts occur frequently, Haikou quietly maintains its own unique way of life. In the early morning, the sun has just emerged, and tea drinkers have gathered from the streets and alleys to the teahouse. Three or five people sit around, with a pot of tea and a few plates of snacks. It is simple, but they can drink to the end of the world.
During the craze of "going to Nanyang" in the last century, countless mainlanders gathered in Haikou with their poems and distant places. From here, they boarded ships and headed to the unfamiliar Nanyang. While living hard, they also spread different cultures between Hainan and Nanyang. The arcades from Nanyang took root in Haikou; the Wenchang chicken from Hainan became the famous Hainanese chicken rice in Nanyang. I went to Nanyang twice and came to Haikou again. I admire the fearlessness and courage of the pioneers. Even though time and space are intertwined, they can still talk.
The cold air in Wuhan has not dissipated yet. On the last day of February, I rushed to the airport shivering. Two and a half hours later, the temperature outside suddenly rose to about 20 degrees. Hainan, here I come again! When I came to the island again, there was no novelty, everything seemed familiar. The aircraft parking spot is very close to the road outside, and you can clearly see rows of coconut trees, followed by shuttle traffic and golden lights.
It's an old habit. Whenever I visit a new place, I always like to walk first. Along the road, I walked slowly for five kilometers to the youth hostel. The boss heard that I was here for horse racing and upgraded me to a single Doraemon king-bed room. It was really a warm Haikou native.
The next day, we moved to the city. We first went to Haiken Plaza to pick up equipment and visited a simple horse expo. The girls in Haikou were a bit shy. If you took pictures of them, most of them would laugh and avoid them. The efficiency of getting things is very high, there are not many people, and everything is simple.
However, there was an unexpected reward at the door. I caught Dai Wuyan, a famous Internet celebrity photographer in the circle, and took a group photo decisively. Then it was noon, and the temperature in Haikou was close to 30 degrees. I was sweating profusely while walking on the road. I had to adjust my plan and returned to the Internet-famous youth hostel not far from the starting point. I actually discovered several buddies who came to race, from Beijing, Lingshui, Changsha, and Chaoshan. I made a lot of friends and ate Hainan duck rice from a nearby shop. The taste was good.
To escape the scorching sun at noon, the first stop is Qilou Old Street.
The arcade has special significance to Haikou. This was once the most prosperous trading center in Haikou, with numerous shops and busy traffic, making it feel like you were in a dream. Nowadays, those century-old shops are nowhere to be found, but the prosperity of those years can be vaguely seen from those gray and old blurred handwritings. Only when you come to the arcade can you truly touch the soul of Haikou. Local people in Hainan call this place "Nanyang Street". The arcades on the street that have weathered the vicissitudes of time are quietly carving traces of history over the past century. This place not only condenses the rich blood of the inland culture in the north of the strait, but also is influenced by the Nanyang culture. It connects the changes of cultural generations and spans the geographical plates of culture. When we came to Qilou Old Street, it was sunset. The old street under the setting sun had a unique flavor. The electric bicycles flowing under the street shadows and the Eastern European poses on the roof of the arcade complement each other, witnessing the exchange and gathering of different cultures.
Then we walked one kilometer through the bustling streets to Qilou Snack Street, where we ordered some powder and added coconut milk to cool it down. Then I leisurely ran to Haida. I wanted to climb to the highest point of Haida to overlook the night view, but the rooftop was closed and the check-in failed. The snack street at the back door of Haida is really great. I heard that the road was specially closed to free up the area. After eating Lingshui sour powder, big coconut, and coconut milk refreshing ice cream, I rode a bicycle back chubbyly. We passed by Haikou Bell Tower and Qilou Old Street and took a night pass.
The next morning I went to the Leiqiong Geopark in Shishan Town, Haikou. It is indeed quite far away. The park is 15 kilometers away from the city. It is a 4A-level park. It is one of the few Holocene (10,000 years ago) dormant volcanoes in China. It has preserved 36 cup-and-cone shaped crater landforms. Among them, the Ma'anling Crater is 222.8 meters above sea level and is the highest peak in Haikou. The once scorched crater has been covered with lush tropical vegetation. Through the rocks that are riddled with holes due to high temperatures, you can still vaguely touch the scorching temperature here thousands of years ago. The park is not big, so you can walk around and finish it in a while. The Taimang at the door is honestly not bad.
Then check out Feng Xiaogang Film Commune, which is the world's first movie theme park named after the director. It shows the changes in Chinese urban neighborhoods during the 100th century of the 20th century. Including 1942 Style Street, Old Beijing Style Street, and Nanyang Style Street, the Chinese and foreign buildings of different styles seem to have traveled back to the Republic of China. There are many shops and restaurants along the street, and you can also take rickshaws and horse-drawn carriages to travel through them. There are many celebrities' hand masks at the entrance of the commune. Yao Ming's hands are really big. It coincides with the off-season of the commune and there are not many people. All in all, this is a very worthwhile attraction in Haikou.
After calculating the time, I took the bus for almost an hour and arrived at Holiday Beach. I thought I could see the sunset on the beach, but when I arrived I found that the clouds were too thick, so I just walked on the beach. I feel that the beaches in Haikou are similar to those in Sanya, with a lot of people, but they lack the roughness and magnificence of the sea, and they don't have the feeling of Lingshui. Dinner continues at Haikou food stalls, with coconut milk refreshing and mango egg waffles.
The journey to Haikou is like a star sinking into the sea
During the two days in Haikou, I ate cold food almost every day. As a result, on the morning of the Haikou Marathon, my stomach started a revolution in the depths of my soul. I suffered from bloating, nausea, and a complete loss of appetite. I went to the toilet until I collapsed. I didn't want to run at first, but I still looked at my marathon record of 18 wins and 0 losses and felt really unwilling to do so. After forcing myself to eat some bread, I took a taxi and hurried to the starting point with my fellow runners. The road was closed before the race and I still walked one kilometer. I felt that I was in good condition. Although I was a lot fatter than the last time I raced and I had already quit the ranks of the greats, I still felt that as long as I could control my stomach, I should still have hope of finishing the race. Depositing the bag went smoothly, I encountered no challenges at all, and my stomach didn’t attack me again. At least at this time, my body was still in good shape.
Before the race, I made an appointment with Da Qian, an alumnus of Wuhan University and a girl from Lingshui, so that we could start together at the starting point. However, we didn’t know until we entered the starting point that the full marathon and half marathon divisions were divided. As a master of the marathon, I took the first step.
It was really beautiful to set off under the atmosphere of coconut trees and early sunshine. Before the race, it was said that the temperature in Haikou would reach 30 degrees, but at least when we started, everything was just right. The first few kilometers were in good condition. I was wearing the jersey of the King of Football, which made me look very cool. I also caught up with the King of Football to score his first goal in La Liga the day before the race, breaking the Chinese's ten-year scoring drought in the five major European leagues. Naturally, I was talked to all kinds of people by virtue of being the King of Football, and even asked me for an autograph. I imagined the moment when I crossed the finish line wearing the championship jersey, the mountains roared and the tsunami roared, so I was determined to finish the race.
After five kilometers, I reached the first water station and drank a bottle of sports drink. As a result, my stomach started to revolution again, and I felt dizzy. I quickly lined up to go to the toilet, and when I came out, I found that the big ladies had already run in front of me. I tried to run, but I felt extremely heartburn, and with all the jet-propulsion, it felt like my whole body was on fire. The sea breeze blew over me and I was very cold. As a member of a generation deeply influenced by Da Kongyi, giving up has never been synonymous with me. I have to move forward. I finally caught up with Daqian. After only nine kilometers, I was a little exhausted. I really didn’t look like a horse racing master. Before the race, Daqian even bragged to her classmates about how awesome I was. The result was really delicious.
Because we wasted too much time going to the toilet, and our pace was not fast, the reception vehicle was following behind us, and there was a risk of being taken away at any time. We were racing against time, and when we saw the people in front of us suddenly started to speed up, it turned out that we were trying to pass a gate, and then we realized that we really didn’t have much time left for us. We continued to struggle, and the buzzer passed. I was getting more and more weak and couldn't run anymore. I found a medical center and asked for some Huoxiang Zhengqi tablets. After taking them, the three of us continued walking slowly. Soon the containment vehicle caught up with us again. It was like there was a big BOSS hanging behind us, and we might be eaten at any time.
At this time, we saw a photographer on the side of the road getting up to go home. We pretended to be running easily and applied for the only official photo of this race. Then we calculated the time and realized that it was absolutely impossible to finish the race. Now that we had the photos, we could quit the race with peace of mind. After all, horse racing is just entertainment. For amateur runners, excessive persistence is pure suicide.
I waved and got into the car. For the first time, I actually got into the reception vehicle. I realized that my little star who loved horse racing had sunk in Haikou. The consolation is that we came up relatively early and there were small gifts waiting for us. It's like telling you a piece of bad news and a piece of good news suddenly. The bad news is: our son is lost and will have to live on cow dung from now on. Then I suddenly tell you good news: there is plenty of cow dung! Eat whatever you want! I can’t be happy anyway, and I don’t like eating cow dung. Of course, I haven’t eaten cow dung either. I have a bad stomach.
Then my stomach began to turmoil again. I lay on the car, neither sleeping nor sleeping. The shelter car drove forward slowly, just like my grandpa's car. We still have to reach the finish line after closing the door. I am so miserable. After wandering for a few kilometers, at the end of the half-way journey, the Daqians got off the bus, and I was the only one left in the car. The driver called the organizing committee to ask for permission to continue walking. The instruction should be to keep moving forward. The car is driving anyway, so keep going at a slow speed. The temperature outside is gradually getting higher, so the number of people in the car is slowly increasing, and the atmosphere is becoming more depressing. There were also some runners who were forced into the car, shouting, "The people of Haikou need me, I can still run!" I calculated the time, but you can't finish the race even if you can run. Besides, the roads are about to be unblocked and it’s not safe. The organizing committee is quite considerate about this.
35 kilometers away, I saw a strong man sleeping on the roadside outside the car window. He waved when he saw the shelter car, and then jumped on easily. With his figure, he looked like a great man at first glance. He greeted the driver with a smile and said that he had been waiting for the reception vehicle for more than two hours. He just doesn't want to run anymore. The weather is too hot. He will fight in Sanya next week. Everyone felt sorry for him. He could have easily finished the race and won a medal. The master was not depressed at all, and talked to us about the mountain. There are so many marathons now, and it doesn’t matter if you don’t finish one. If you really try your best to complete it once, the cost-effectiveness is too low, and you won’t be able to get over it for a long time, so there is nothing to regret. After listening to the great master's words, I felt relaxed. Look at his state. Retiring is not scary, the scary thing is that you don’t understand yourself.
At that moment, I decided to make peace with myself.
There was no medal, so I picked up the competition bag and returned to the youth hostel. I originally wanted to stay near the airport, but I didn’t even bother to take a shower when I got back. I collapsed on the bed. The feeling of powerlessness made me panic. I know that it is destined to be a regret to miss Sanya last year and Haikou this year. In fact, it doesn’t matter. Maybe the story here is unfinished.
9102,On the Road
Among Jin Yong's works, "Swordsman" is my favorite. During my trip to Haikou, the thing that shocked me the most was Fanghua Courtyard, which was the filming location of the movie "Youth". In the past few years, I have watched many works about that special era, from "The Ordinary World" to "Dajiang Dahe". I was moved by those passionate years, and I was also deeply fascinated by the tenacity and persistence of small people in the context of the big era. I have watched the movie "Youth" more than ten times, so when I came to the rehearsal hall of Fanghua Courtyard, I really felt chills running down my spine. I happened to meet passers-by performing an impromptu performance of Yimeng Ode, as if I was integrated into the movie. The youth of a generation has passed away, if you still want to see it. Then go to Fanghua Small Courtyard. It's like digging through a wall and peeking in. The light of history leaks out, and you feel a little bit disappointed and a little bit warm. Fanghua Courtyard is small, but the traces of the times are very charming.
In the past forty years, we have become increasingly far away from that era of separation, and we should have enough reasons to be grateful for living in today's era. I really like a passage by Song Yunhui in "The Big River": "I would like to be a dream chaser who is determined to move forward. I am unstoppable despite the mountains and the sea, and I am unstoppable. I can't stop the waves and go across the sea, punching the sky and suppressing the tide. This should be the writing of our generation." Come on, with the courage of a revolutionary, we cut through the waves, broke out of the narrow waters, and merged into the ocean. We are so lucky to have caught up with the era of China's national destiny that has been booming for a hundred years. I don't want to live up to this era." Even now, it is not inconsistent.
A lot of things really happened in the past year of 2018. My best friend got married, the former class beauty also had her first baby, I attended many weddings, and my old classmates were getting heavier and heavier, but their hair was getting less and less. Standing at the graduation gate, I had just finished my thesis, and I couldn't help but write about Haikou, even though I couldn't finish it. But I really can’t get rid of the problems I have developed in the past two years. Once I have gone through it, I will leave traces. In fact, even if I don’t record it, when others ask me about my memories of 2016, 2017, and 2018, the answer in my heart will be clear and definite. It must be the trace of not wasting my years along the way, and it is also the time of all the hard work but still loving life.
2019 will still be on the road......
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Words | Arsenan
Photos | Arsenan
Design | Arsenan