The City of Brotherly Love I: Everything is History

I think it is interesting to visit historic places in some special days. For example, foreign visitors should come to Beijing to see the military parade for the country's 60th anniversary on the coming October 1st, or to be overwhelmed by deafening fireworks during the spring festival.

Last weekend I went to Philadelphia, and spent the long memorial weekend hanging around the Center City where is very walkable and tourist-friendly. The Center City is a fairly small area compared to the entire Philadelphia. I even wonder whether the name of 'Center City' is made up for tourists particularly. Basically the area covers the same route of Phlash, a hop-on-and-off purple trolley that can drops you at 25 major attrations in town.

The first and foremost impression I have about Philly is that everything is history here. You may pass by a beautiful colonial house without knowing that it has witnessed some heated discussions over the word choice for Declaration of Independence. Too much history is scattered everywhere in the city. Every move that those well-known names made hundreds of years ago has melted into the city's vessels and represented naturally in the modern context.

It reminds me of two similar cities in China: Nanjing and Xi'an. They are quite different from each other, in almost every respect. Nanjing has a rich southern flavor while Xi'an boasts the northern boldness. But both of the two cities used to be the national capital for several dynasties in China's history, and thus have engraved the stories, big or small, into every brick of the cities.

Back to Philly. You can feel strong history connections not only at the Libery Bell and the Independence Hall but at some random places unnoticed. On the first night when I wandered aimlessly in the Old City nearby Penn's landing, I ran into this well-decorated B&B inn and found out that it was the residence of a famous figure in the 19th century. On the early Sunday morning when I was in search of good refreshing breakfast, I unknowingly walked across a beautiful pathway that Benjamin Franklin used to pass every day.

In Philadelphia, William Penn overlooks his ex-colony from the top of City Hall. George Washington looks at you in front of Independence Hall. Benjamin Franklin rests in peace at Christ Church Burial Groud, with his achievements benefitting the people still. The crack of the Liberty Bell tells the stories of fighting for freedom and human rights over century.

At Penn's Landing, there's a bronze sculpture depicting the times when Irish people emigrated to this new land. The "Remembrance" from Peter Quinn brings a vivid picture to me, who is a stranger to American history but feels the same spirits in Chinese history.

The hunger ended
but it never went away
It was there in silent memories
from one generation
to the next,

The time to take away
the silence has come,
to commemorate,
to mourne what was lost
to celebrate what survives -
without apology or fear

We have it in our power
not only to remember
what took place but to relive it...
To find in the hungry and lost,
not a different race...
but the faces of our ancestors...
An image of ourselves.

(To be continued...)

(Collage of Day 1 in Philadephia)