Going on Vacation - Pastoral Symphony

Text and photos by Chen Chi-Hsiang. Going on vacation to Champvalon, a small village in the Bourgogne region of France’s Champagne area. It is a quiet, traditional rural village with sparse population; only a few households remain. Meeting people on the road is difficult. There are no bus stops or shops, but a van passes by at regular intervals every morning. Surrounded by undulating hills, pastoral fields, and forests, the boundless bright scenery features natural symphonies played by insects and birds. It is a place to wash away fatigue and relax body and mind. I regularly go to the quiet forest to practice clapping exercises. Before sunset and dinner, I often take solitary walks through the fields, immersed in nature’s embrace, feeling refreshed and revitalized.

In the countryside, we frequently cross mountains and valleys, strolling leisurely in nature’s “Peach Blossom Spring.” Every morning, I practice qigong in the courtyard to soothe body and mind. This farmhouse where we vacation is a friend’s retreat from the city during weekends and summer holidays. Down here, I play the role of gardener. The flowers and plants in the courtyard grow particularly vigorously. I love flowers and plants, and I love bright natural scenery. Tending the courtyard becomes my vacation pastime. Weeding with a hoe or pruning plants is a joyful activity. Forgetting everything, working the muscles and sweating slightly is a ritual of rural daily life.

Vacationing means keeping time for oneself and participating in shared kitchen duties. Whenever people have free time, they crave something different. A friend suggested making dumplings and Vietnamese spring rolls. Having learned how to wrap dumplings in Taiwan, this was the moment to show off. I taught friends how to wrap them. Gathering together, chatting while wrapping, we made hundreds at once, enjoying the vacation atmosphere immensely. Afterwards, we continued making Vietnamese spring rolls. Although I hadn’t wrapped them in over twenty years, I did so naturally and smoothly, making several hundred small rolls. Everyone contributed their strengths: some made apple pies or snacks, others specialized in cooking. A beautiful meal was quickly prepared. But don’t forget that white wine from the Champagne region is particularly delicious. Vacation eating, drinking, playing, and having fun is endlessly enjoyable. We often sit around the dining table or living room table, chatting and drinking tea in all directions. Letting go of urban busy-ness, leaving behind time and space in the countryside, and shifting one’s mindset makes anything a way to wash away fatigue and relax body and mind.