On the way to Wutaishan

On Monday 14th October, we visited the oldest wooden structures in China, perhaps in the world.  They were both built during the Tang Dynasty - approx 600 to 900AD.  It is remarkable that wood has lasted so long.  Those of us from Longreach know how vulnerable wooden structures are to fire.

Nancha Temple.  China's oldest remaining wooden structure.

Foguang Temple Complex.  It is one of the best-preserved and oldest complex timber structures in the world.

Another pic of the same complex.  They are lovely and peaceful.

Then to our hotel in Wutai.  Buddhist pilgrims to this place have made it a major centre.  It is over 1,000m above sea level and the maximum forecast temperature tomorrow is 6degC.  At last my winter clothes will get a workout.  This is our hotel room - they skimped on fixed walls for the bathroom - which made the room look spacious.

And no postcard from China is complete without a bit of Chinglish.  This is today's.

Qufu

On Thursday 10th October, we tested China's high speed rail network  to travel from Beijing to Qufu.  We appreciated the shepherding of our Tour Manager, and once through the right gates, it was fast and comfortable.  There are a lot of folks in China.  If you think Town Hall is busy, try Beijing South.

Qufu is the birthplace of Confucius, so no prizes for guessing what today was all about.  Our lecturer is excellent and gives us the broad picture - including the life of Confucius and the varying views of him, depending on the politics of the time.  We also got a good overview of the past 70 years and the treatment of religions.  BTW, celebratory signage is everywhere, testament to the amazing progress made since 1949. If you deduct the GLF and the CR, the progress is even more rapid.

Our tour lecturer and local guide for Qufu.

This is the Confucius Temple - after passing through MANY pavilions.  Nothing in this temple pre-dates the 1980s.  This drew gasps from the Brits in the group, but our lecturer explained that China does not seek old and historic things and buildings.  Rebuilding is common, especially when painted wood is used.

What persists in China is the site itself, the appropriate rituals and the written word which is literally set in stone known as steles. (Thanks to Wikipedia for this one).


In the afternoon we went to the Confucius tomb and family cemetery.  Are his bones REALLY there? It reminded me of the pilgrimage to Santiago - is St James really in that box, and does it really matter?  I began to appreciate "sacralisation" - making something sacred.  It's all in the mind!

The huge cemetery is pleasant and peaceful.  Descendants of the great man are buried here, and if you can prove your links, there is a place for you too.  It was quite a contrast to the noise and bustle of most Chinese sites. And a lovely place for walking, although we didn't see anyone taking advantage of this.

Today's Chinglish.

Bells

We saw some bells while in China - not hung for change ringing of course.

This one is typical.

Another single bell - surely odd-struck.

And a peal of bells. 

Beijing - duck and airport

Our dinner last night was at a Beijing Duck restaurant.
This is the oven...

And these are the ducks.  Needless to say, they were delicious.

Today we are waiting at Beijing Airport.  They have ATMs called Cash Recycling Systems.  AKA SHOPPING!

And sadly, the last Chinglish.  Perhaps is is a failure of spell-check rather than Chinglish.

Beijing

We are now back in Beijing.  Looking forward to proper internet in Singapore!

Our very last visit this afternoon was to a church.  This is St Josephs' near our hotel.

There was a service taking place.  Surreptitious photo.  Communion items were at the back of the church.  Not sure why.

 

Dunhuang

We are now in Beijing, having spent two  nights in Dunhuang.  Dunhuang's claim to fame, apart from its sand dunes and importance to the Silk Road, is the nearby magnificently decorated Buddhist caves.  But some pics.

Our hotel room in DH.

Sand  dunes around DH.

Magao Caves is the largest and most well known  complex.  Getting to the caves is an expedition in itself.  The ticket office is miles away and then you take a shuttle bus and walk.  You can see there are lots of people wanting to see them.  The caves have entrances stabilised and paved.  There are hundreds of caves - each day only some of them are open.  We saw 8.  No pics in the Caves, not even surreptitious ones.

This is the cave containing a huge Buddha.  There is always a Big Buddha somewhere.

In the afternoon, we went to the much less crowded Western Caves.  The Caves are smaller and less spectacular, but it was a much more relaxed and peaceful process. This is the lead-up to the caves.

And this is the built-up entrances to the caves.

Cave country.

Xian

Today we flew to Xian.

We visited a Taoist temple.  It was large and very peaceful, in contrast to the stalls and high-rise around us.

We also visited the Xian Mosque.  Islam, along with Christianity and Judaism, are monotheistic faiths.  They are also congregational, with the architectural need for assembly halls.  In this mosque, the architecture is distinctly Chinese, or as our lecturer would say, sinicised.

Looking towards the Prayer hall.

Close up of the hall, showing the mihrad (indication of the direction of Mecca).

Today's Chinglish.  This was above the tap in the ladies basin.

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Yungang Caves

There are several cave complexes in China containing Buddhist iconography.  Yungang Caves are interesting because they date from the 5th century and differ from the sinicized later Buddhist images.  Hence the Indian influence, from whence Buddhism originated, is very obvious.  (You can see I have been intently listening to our lecturer!)

Some pictures.

General view of the caves.

Some entrances are built up.

The caves contain carvings - many carved our of "living" stone - ie carved out of the existing stone.  Here is an example of a column.  It gores from the floor to the ceiling.

Another image of Buddha.  Managed to get this when the "no photography" attendant wasn't looking.

Another surreptitiously obtained photograph of the decorations inside a cave.  Some are more elaborate than others.

And every Buddhist complex has to have a Big Buddha.

Chinglish at breakfast

I am starting to feel mean chuckling at attempts to welcome "foreigners".  But basically we are in inland China and best to forget any familiar breakfast items (like toast) and just stick to the noodles.

One part of the breakfast lineup for foreigners.  Bread & butter pudding next to the bacon next to waffles and next to the  fried chicken.

Some items from breakfast. 

Google tells me that a pleurotus eryngii is a King Trumpet mushroom.

And something new

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The Hanging Temple / Hanging Monastery / Xuankong Temple

The main feature of today was the Hanging Temple.  It was one of the reasons for choosing this tour.

It is a temple built into a cliff, 75 metres above the ground.  Oak crossbeams fitted into holes chiseled into the cliffs provide the main support for the monastery.  The vertical poles don't do much, except provide "visual reassurance", according to our lecturer's book on the subject.

This monastery supports three faiths - Confucianism, Taoism and Buddhism.  But I think its unusual location makes it much more a tourist attraction than a functioning monastery.

Some pics.  This is the wide view, showing the temple on the cliff face.

Closer up.

Side view.

You can go up.  I got as far as the entrance plaza.  BTW, here I was welcomed by someone considerably friendlier than the previous day's monk!

 Kin Mun went the whole way.