Matthew Allen
The Travelling AP Man
Matthew Allen
Born in 1337, I grew up in a wealthy upper class family in China. My parents were both silk merchants that prospered just outside the city of Dunhuang where the Pax Mongolica protected my families' travels across the Himalaya mountains and the Silk Road. We owe our lives to Kublai Khan and his Mongol family! It was a glorious time to learn the trade as I distinctly remember visiting the Magao Grottoes every weekend to see the beautiful statues and read the amazing manuscripts placed there during the Tang Dynasty. Some of those scrolls and writings were so old that they were tough to read. But, these grottoes were built right into the mountain side where I saw incredible architecture along with the 400+ dedications to the amazing Buddha. This is what helped me form my Buddhist philosophy towards life which I have syncretically combined with a Confucian work ethic and element of filial piety. These caves have inspired me to desire to see the world. Though the Black Plaque is currently rampant throughout the land, it seems to be a bit more prevelant in China right now which is one of the reasons why I want to leave. With that, I've decided to travel east and head towards a new land with new leadership. Timur, an incredible descendant of the Mongols has set up a capital city in Samarkand. I have heard much about their excellent paper where even some of the parchment used in the Magao Caves are from there! Rumor has it that Samarkand is the place to go to explore a career in the arts and to see amazing buildings with splendor...so I'm going...wish me well! I'm already 33 years old but I feel spry and ready to go...it's only 2,352 kilometers!