My hometown is a small city in China, the city is packed with many small and big Buddhist temples. Many families would ask something from Buddha to protect their family. I am not really a religious person, so is my mother, but my grandmother has believe in Buddhism, and she asked this piece of object from a small temple. This is a pillowcase which could “protect” one from demands when one is sleeping. Like many kids, I had a demand-fear since I sleep alone when I was 7 years ago, so my grandmother gave me this pillowcase at that time. Although I think it is just a psychological comforting, but I still take it with me everywhere, even now I am in the U.S, only I do not really use it as a pillowcase, even though I use it, I will cover something pretty on it, it is like a faith mixing and history mixing. It reminds me of my family and the small city I grew up in, and it shows the protection from my grandmother. It is also a connection between my origin and present.

– Qi Zheng

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