Jack Carterand and the Maoshan Amulet

In 2018, Jack Carter, a software engineer from Seattle, came to Nanjing for a work project. Plagued by a series of misfortunes—lost luggage, a stolen laptop, and a bad case of the flu—he grew increasingly frustrated. A local colleague suggested he visit Maoshan Mountain, where Taoist amulets were said to ward off bad luck.​

Skeptical but desperate, Jack hired a driver to take him to the ancient Taoist temple there. An 80-year-old Taoist priest with silver hair noticed his restlessness. Through a translator, the priest explained that true protection comes from inner peace, not just symbols. He asked Jack to meditate in the temple courtyard for an hour each day for three days.​

On the fourth morning, the priest handed Jack a red silk pouch containing a yellow paper amulet. The amulet, hand-painted with cinnabar, had some mysterious characters with twisting, coiling strokes that seemed to hold endless power. Around the characters were some simple yet strange drawings—some like floating clouds, others like lightning bolts—as if telling ancient stories of Taoist teachings. “Take this, but let go of your anxiety,” the priest advised.​

Back in Nanjing, Jack kept the amulet in his pocket. More surprisingly, he continued his daily meditation. Within weeks, things started to turn around: his company recovered the stolen data, a new client partnership emerged, and he finally began to feel at home in the foreign city.​

During a hiking trip near Nanjing, Jack slipped on a wet rock. He fell hard but emerged unharmed—the backpack holding the amulet had cushioned his fall. “Is this just a coincidence?” he wondered, unconsciously running his fingers over the edge of the amulet, deep in thought.​

A year later, when Jack returned to Seattle, he hung the amulet above his desk. “It’s not magic,” he told his friends. “It’s a reminder to stay calm and keep going, even when life gets messy.”​

This once unfamiliar Maoshan amulet had become a cherished memento of resilience, connecting two cultures with a simple truth: inner peace is the best protection.​