culture – Page 6 – HurricaneMaine

Silk road tour, day 7, Mogao Caves and Dunhuang (Gobi desert)

We traveled 5 hours to get to Dunhuang from Zhangye. Dunhuang is a city oasis which just pops out of the Gobi desert sand.

The next morning we took a short trip to the Modao Caves. I am glad to have been okay if a tour as the number of types of tickets are restricted. Mogao means high up in the desert.

According to Tang Dynasty (618 – 907) records, a wandering monk in 366 AD had witnessed a vision of thousand Buddhas under showers of golden rays. Inspired, he started the caves construction work that spanned ten dynasties. Mogao Caves are also known as the Caves of a Thousand Buddhas.

This is the largest treasure of Buddhist art in the world. The earlier caves are more of the Indian style of Buddhist depiction with more Chinese style in later works. Each dynasty can be distinguished by the colors and cultural depictions in the paintings. It also have a glimpse of culture, politics, religion, and the arts. There are 492 caves from the 4th to the 14th centuries. They were actually forgotten for 500 years with some vandalism. Only 20 of the caves can be visited. No pictures are allowed and groups can only enter certain caves as long as temperature and humidity are stable there.

Caves 23 of the Tang dynasty show workers in the fields.

The unique artistic style of Dunhuang art is not only a blend of Han Chinese artistic styles assimilated from ancient Indian and Gandharan customs, but also an integration of the arts of the Turks, ancient Tibetans and other Chinese ethnic minorities.

The discovery of the Library Cave at the Mogao Caves in 1990, together with the tens of thousands of manuscripts and relics it contained, has been acclaimed as the world’s greatest discovery of ancient Oriental culture. This significant heritage provides invaluable reference for studying the complex history of ancient China and Central Asia.

Cave 61 is the largest. You can view it here: https://www.e-dunhuang.com/cave/10.0001/0001.0001.0061

It depicts Mount Wutai with a large scale map that depicts daily life. The Grand Buddha sculpture is from the Tang Dynasty which shows elegant architecture.

Cave 329 shows oxidation of the paint used for the faces where lead paint was used and turned black over the years. The art can be found here: https://www.e-dunhuang.com/cave/10.0001/0001.0001.0329

Caves 16-17 are 3 stories restored in 1906. They found sanskrit manuscripts of medicine, astronomy, and geology. Only 8000 exist in Gansu and Beijing; the rest being taken by explorers to other countries. They were held in cave 16 a non-descript monks cave off of 17, which can be seen here: https://www.e-dunhuang.com/cave/10.0001/0001.0001.0017

Monks living area today are caves with no murals.

Song dynasty preserved the murals on the outside facade of these caves.

In cave 259 you can see architecture from the Wei dynasty. There is an influence from India and gabled ceilings. The sculpture is 5th century. It boasts alot of blue from Afghanistan (Lapis lazuli) and the sculpture is the Pensive bodhisivata.

Cave 257 is also the 5th century and in the same style. It can be seen here: https://www.e-dunhuang.com/cave/10.0001/0001.0001.0257

The 9 stories pagoda was built in the Tang Dynasty but only colors have been restored. The Buddha is 35 m high. It was the 5th largest Buddha in the world but 2 in Afghanistan were bombed by the Taliban so now it is the 3rd largest. It is the future Buddha known as Maitreya. This is the bodhisattva who will appear on Earth in the future, achieve complete enlightenment, and teach the pure dharma.

Paintings found around it were destroyed when the roof collapsed.

Cave 23

Silk road tour, day 6, Jiayuguan pass and where The Great Wall ends

This is the last day in Zhangye and a pretty long day ahead. After 3 hour bus ride we arrived at Jiayuguan Pass. This is a key point of trade for the silk road as well as a protection point as it is linked to the western most part of the Great Wall.

Jiayu Pass or Jiayuguan is the first frontier fortress at the west end of the Ming dynasty Great Wall, near the city of Jiayuguan in Gansu province. Along with Juyong Pass and Shanhai Pass, it is one of the main passes of the Great Wall.
https://g.co/kgs/9af9cx

Jiayuguan Pass

This area is called the Hexi corridor and is only 15 km between the mountains on each side. The mountains themselves provided some protection and only a small wall was needed there as invaders could be seen from the fortress towers. Also, in this remote area, it was difficult to get and move materials.

We walked from what would be the city at the time to the fortress that housed the civil and military leaders and also had towers to watch for invaders, particularly those coming from the West. Soldiers and munitions would be found here.

Temple of literature

Outer city wall

Here merchants could walk along as they could not enter the fortress.

Warrior temple and God of wealth

Amusement temple

This is meant as a stage for entertainment.

A close up of the ceiling that shows many Taoist symbols.

The outer wall

The outer wall leads into a confined area in order to contain invaders as there is another gate they would have to get through. They would be ambushed by soldiers above. You can walk along the inner courtyard wall as well as these outer gate walls. Every corner has a watchtower.

The first inner area for defense taken from the top where soldiers would stand.

The Light gate

This heads to the inner courtyard where generals, troops, munitions, and horses were held.

Cannons

Cannons were invented in China in the 12th century. The idea was taken by the Mongols who then passed it on to the Turks who then passed the new weapon on to the British….

Generals residence

This is the outer building wall of the residence courtyard which had a meeting house, residence house, and kitchen.

Residence area

This is where officials lived when you enter the separate compound door.

Opposite Gate leading to the west

Getting to the top wall

To get to the top there are a series of stairs next to a ramp. The ramp was used for horses, most likely to move heavy materials to the top of the wall.

View from the top looking at the inner residence courtyard

View from the top looking at the inner courtyard

The view from the top looking outside towards the one set of mountains.

Shorter outer wall for merchants. No need to enter the garrison in order to move materials.

Great wall not so great here. Hard to move stone on mountain and this area is so dry that the wall can be made from dirt mixed with straw. The more impressive wall is about a half hour away and the other sections closer to Beijing.

This fortress is the actual end of the great wall here in the north west. It is the furthest Western point on the wall.

You can see the wall running across the picture.

Resting brick above door

The extra brick is above the arch on the ledge. Rumor is that he would not get paid if his numbers were not exact. With the extra brick he made a story of the western wall being blessed with strength.

The western outer wall is thicker and more fortified because it faces west where enemies were known to attack from. There has been some sort of wall here for thousands of years because of enemies. However, the silk road was known as a way to promote trade from the West. Marco Polo used this trade route and brought back noodles from this region (excavations have found evidence of noodles here 2000 years ago). Wheat was brought from the West as well as Buddhism, which predates Christianity by thousands of years.

The end of the Great Wall

A short ride away is found a section of the Great Wall that butts up against the mountains. This is the western most section of the Great Wall that ends at the Jiayuguan Pass.

I made it to the top, snapped pictures from the tower, made an informative video and a silly one as well before going down the other side to get a view there from a path.

The below is not a good video as not pre-planned. Three teachers were singing Pink Floyd’s The Wall on the Great Wall.

It is crazy to be on a highway where there is not much traffic in the desert but still have enough connection to create this blog post!

Silk road tour, day 4, Mati Si temple

Originally we were to have a long bus ride with views of scenery along the way. Even though I know that it was pretty I did not want to spend that much time on the bus. Instead, a bunch of us booked a high speed train then hired a driver to drive us to visit the Temple. This was supposed to be in our tour but was taken out.

The people here were very friendly and it was not packed with tourists like other places we have been.

On the way we saw sheep sharing the road and beautiful mountains and plains.

These grottos were built around 317 to 402 AD in the Linsong mountain. The mountain itself is red sandstone. Paths connect caves inside and wind their way up to the temples. This is one of the most important Tibetan Buddhist grottos in China. Legend has it that once a sacred horse left its footprint in a rock here. Mati means horse hoof.

Thousand Buddha temple

Going up the stairs and into cave passages you can get to the statues of Buddha.

The details on the roof carvings are wonderful and amazing.

So incredible the carvings and structures with passageways that connect them.

One passageway you have to climb vertically with footholds. Those brave enough can see a really cool view.

View from the top

I first walked up the many steps to get to the top of the hill and look at the surroundings.

The white stupas. These house ancient relics and have prayer wheels at the base.

Tavatimsa grottos

Then I walked to the temples carved in the rock. There are 7 levels of passages and temples to get to the top.

This was the last passage to the 7th level of grottos and is to bring luck in life.

Outside the Temple grounds we had time to take pictures as they keep track that everyone who visited is accounted for by scanning tickets. The driver was helpful to do all of that for us and herd us around so we would see everything.

On the drive back we saw many Villagers hauling corn.

We had him drop us off at the Night market where we met up with others from our tour.

Yummy food of course and lots to see.

This was a gelatin, nut, watermelon dessert that was quite tasty.

A spicy crepe with a skewer of fried crabs.

Fenghuang ancient town

Street food and night boat ride on the You River

We arrived in the evening after our troubles as to whether foreigners were allowed in due to the pandemic. Small places still don’t realize that the borders have been closed since March 27 and we have been in the country for awhile. After settling in, we did a little exploring.

I ate some street food and this was so yummy. Pancake batter bread that is split then chili sauce, pickled greens, some really yummy spices, and cucumbers and peanuts. You could also get sticky rice that is pressed flat instead of the pancake. I’ll be trying that next.

This is little shrimps in a batter to make a pancake. Yummy but definitely shrimpy.

Boat tour at night

The next morning we woke early to climb a hill to an abandoned pagoda to see the sunrise. We were a little late as we had trouble finding the trail but it was spectacular.

After sunrise I went for an 11.75 km run throughout the ancient town and into adjacent farmland. I especially stored at a little island to cook if on the river before continuing.

Early morning views from my run. I would stop along the way to take random pictures.

The second morning I woke up early to walk around the part of ancient town I haven’t been. Specifically I walked to Phoenix square to take a picture of the sculpture. While I was sitting watching all the Chinese women dancing for exercise, a tour group took a picture with a Tujia woman and wanted me in the picture. So funny when you are a random foreigner they don’t always get to see. You get asked to have your picture taken often.

Random people

Huangxiqiao ancient town, Hunan

The town was first discovered in the year 687 during the Tang Dynasty.
There was often fighting between the Qing Emperor Kangxi and the Miao ethnic minority group. This town was rebuilt for military purposes (along with the southern great wall).

There are four gates. The south gate has been permanently closed. The eastern gate is called
the “lucky gate,” and is the one used most often. It is the entrance for events such as weddings. The north gate is used for funerals. The west gate belongs to the chief of the Miao people in ancient times and only he could use it.

Besides the ancient city wall, the interior of the town is similar to other villages the area. People live here peacefully. They have livestock
and local residents grow and process corn outside their houses.

In a few years, the town will be rebuilt in the style of the Tang Dynasty, and no one will live
here. While this might be beneficial for providing tourism, it is a shame
that tourists will no longer be able to see this way of life.

This game the kids played is like Rock, paper, scissors but with feet. If you choose the same footing as the champion, you lose. This young man had been game champion many times.

Furong ancient town, Hunan

We traveled to a remote area halfway from Zhangziazie on our way to Fenghuang ancient town. It is not as popular as our ending destination and it is for this reason it is quaint and worth a stop to see as it is not touristy.

Furong Town is also known as Hibiscus Town. It was originally Wangcun Village but changed after a popular and award winning movie Hibiscus Town that was filmed here. It is found in the Western Hunan Tujia and
Miao Autonomous Prefecture.

Today the old town is a mix of Tujia (original people here)
and Han Chinese people. The town is beautiful. The scenery is lovely with cliffs and a waterfall to the You River.

Lunch was amazing. We are just outside of the gates of the old town. The potatoes are unbelievable and the spice here in Hunan is hot but so delicious.

Pickled daikon with red wine vinegar and tofu with lots of chilies.

The typical Tujia “Diaojiaolou” building is high on the cliff for easy defense against invaders.

This “Xizhou Bronze Column” marks the ceasefire after a long war. It is inscribed with over 2300 characters of the story of the war and teens if ceasefire.

The waterfall was closed but we went around the one side where there was no guard to go behind the waterfall. It was so hot that standing under the water felt great and just what we needed. I was waiting to be going out but we made it through without interrogations.

Some of the others on the tour “saw” us.

Behind the falls are statues of native Tujia people.

At the top of the falls.

From there we had another 2 hour ride to get to the next ancient town. As buses are not allowed into the town, we had to transfer to a shuttle bus. Unfortunately they did not know what to do with foreigners as covid-19 restrictions have changed. Finally they were able to straighten out whether it was safe to let us enter.

Shuhe old town, Yunnan

When we left Dali, we took a train to Lijiang and then a car was waiting for us to bring us to Shuhe Old Town. Our host Shirley was great. When they changed the rules and foreigners had to register at the local police, she went with us to make sure everything was okay. She arranged us transports and walked us to a bus pick up.

Her place is beautiful.

And she has dogs. One night she went to get us apples for breakfast the next day as we could not find the market. Her poor dog howled because she left. I kept him company.

We explored areas of Shuhe old town. The Naxi indigenous people live here. They are known for their embroidery and flower cakes. They keep their town very traditional and it is lovely.

A bridge over a pond. Lots of blessings hanging from the ceiling.

There are lots of photographers and people in costume or traditional dress.

The Naxi indigenous people believe water is sacred. They have three pools at various levels. The first pool has water coming in from the spring and is used for drinking and it flows into the second pool which is for washing. That flows into the third pool which is for scouring. That water drains to the ground which filters the water as it returns to the groundwater.

And I chuckle at some of the signage…

On the last morning I walked to an ancient hotel that is the oldest in the area. It now has a market with handmade embroidery objects. I walked through many smaller villages along the way.

The hotel. It really is much older than the other buildings.

I bought a beautiful handmade jacket. It is all pieced and stitched by hand, not machine. It is also hand embroidered.

A few other places I tired before I was for to fly out. We went to get a coffee drink and have a flower cake with it. The flower cake is a flaky pastry with red bean inside and infused with rose. It is totally yummy.

This cat food everything to get attention.

Shirley was so fun. I had a great time hiking and getting to know Morgana! She teaches at a Canadian school in Guangzhou.

The dog would run into my room every morning when I had the door open.

Exploring Dali

It rained most of the night but after breakfast we decided to try to go to hike the mountain. After getting at the foot of the mountain, we were told the cable cars were not operating and then at the foot path entrance we were told that was closed as well. So we hiked to the three pagodas.

The three pagodas

About 1.5 km north of Dali Old Town, these pagodas are unique Buddhist towers. They were built 1,800 years ago. It is a symbol of the history of Dali City, and a record of the development of Buddhism in the area. The Three Pagodas are made of three ancient independent pagodas forming a symmetrical triangle. The middle pagoda is the tallest from the Tang Dynasty. Inside were Buddhist relics.

The north gate of Dali from the foot of the pagodas.

I am unsure what this rock sculpture represents and could not find the answer.

Some history of Dali

In 738, the Nanzhao Kingdom was established with Dali as its capital.
In 937, the Kingdom of Dali emerged.
By 1000, Dali was one of the 13 largest cities in the world.
In 1253, the Mongols conquered the city and ended the Kingdom of Dali.
In the early 1400s, the old Dali City was rebuilt by the Ming Dynasty (1368–1644), and it still stands in a similar layout today.

An alternative to hot pot

For dinner we went to a slate cooking restaurant. It is like hot pot where you order the basic ingredients then cook it on a stone. One of the servers helps with the cooking. You eat slower this way as you have to wait for things to cook. The sauces are amazing and not too hot.

City gates

There are four city gates. The east gate is near the guest house.

The south gate is over 600 years old and is the landmark of the town.

The north gate is a preserved palace building built in the Ming dynasty.

The west entrance that is not a gate

Fuxing street has architecture from the Ming dynasty.

It rained off and on through the day and it is forecasted to be the same tomorrow. We have more exploring to do in the area but hope for a break to hike the mountain.

Dali, Northern Yunnan Province

This was the first time flying since being back in China. I planned this trip with Morgana, Tricia, b and Daniel. I met Tricia at an event last year and she messaged me about getting together for a dinner. I now have a wide circle of friends from other schools who have similar interests.

We were tested again for covid 19 as it was recommended to have a test completed within 7 days of travel. By the way, this is my 8th virus test. Many Chinese hospitals will not test foreigners and the one international clinic charges 10 times as much. We found a clinic that would test us.

We flew into Dali and a driver took us to Old town. Dali Ancient Town is one of the most famous ancient towns in China. As a major stop on the Ancient Tea Horse Road, or Southwest Silk Road, it is a town full of historic sites and traditional culture.

In search of lunch, we wandered the stone paved streets of the old town. We looked at the traditional architecture of the Bai ethnic minority. We stopped at a restaurant to try their local food and found snacks to take on future hikes.

On the corner of the foreigner street. Yes, that is a McDonald’s.

This night club we intend to go back to tonight to hear the live music.

All three places looked so inviting for one reason or another. This giant Teddy bear wins the prize for the day.

Hidden Hotel guest house and the map

Our guest house is very beautiful. There is a central garden courtyard with a stream that had crayfish, crabs, and fish.

The Bai architecture has three buildings forming a U shape with a fourth wall forming a screen. The courtyard is in the middle. The houses are built of brick and wood. Bai houses are decorated with black tile paintings, woodcarvings, and crafted marble objects.

The map they gave us covers many of the places we are going. The old map feel is genius. The square is where we are staying and we plan to view all the places inside this square and sights outside. The area is 3 square km or 1 square mile inside.

People

We were exhausted. School just ended and this year everyone was on edge and pulling double duty. School itself is always such a race. The first few days of vacation seem normal but then you crash. That was today. All of us just needed to lay down. I napped for three hours. When we woke up there was a different vibe in the streets. There were lots of vendors and we decided to do what I love, just eat street food.

Top of the picture is rice roll, the middle is a sticky rice cake with apple pineapple glaze, and the bottom is fruit we can’t identify except for the big one which is a wax Apple.

We ate some of the street food along the way then took the rest to this little night club we had seen earlier.

History of Dali

In 738, the Nanzhao Kingdom was established with Dali as its capital.
In 937, the Kingdom of Dali emerged.
By 1000, Dali was one of the 13 largest cities in the world.
In 1253, the Mongols conquered the city and ended the Kingdom of Dali.
In the early 1400s, the old Dali City was rebuilt by the Ming Dynasty (1368–1644), and it still stands in a similar layout today.

Cycling rural Zencheng countryside and the eclipse

I took a tour with Cycle Canton to escape the city (after all I need to get out of this city of 17 million and get to nature). We cycled through the beauty of rural Zengcheng district and celebrated the arrival of lychee season in the countryside.

We traveled 2 hours by bus before assembling where they had the bikes. There was a Taoist temple there and snacks and water. It is supposedly bad luck to take a picture of the Temple. How could this year be any worse?

I took the shorter of the 2 bike rides for a total of 23 km. We stopped often as it was very hot and we needed to drink water and allow others to catch up.

We passed through lychee, banana, and papaya orchards as well as gardens.

Scarecrows to keep the birds off the lychee trees.

We passed through several villages. At one, there was an old factory that had a chimney. A banyan tree started growing at the top and it was considered bad luck to remove it. When the factory was abandoned the village decided to keep the chimney as the tree was growing roots through it to the ground.

Another had an old building that was used to protect the village before China was unified into a republic and warlords protected each village.

We had snacks of hard boiled eggs, sweet potatoes, cherry tomatoes, and fruits (enough for a lunch) in a village before finishing and ending up at the lake.

This is the largest village. The buildings are so small compared to downtown GZ.

Unfortunately I have no pictures of the lake as we were so hot we spent the whole time just standing in the water. During that time, we were about to see the solar eclipse. It was not as easy to see as it was very cloudy out but I was still able to get some good pictures.

It was also lychee picking season. This area is renowned for it’s lychees. We enjoyed them at every stop.

A very tired day and slept on the bus ride home. It was nice to get a different exercise besides running and walking.