Just A Little More Hangzhou and Food Street, China
What else to do in Hangzhou? There were so many other sights in Hangzhou that we never got to. A hike up the bamboo-lined path at Yunqi, the Baopu Taoist Temple, the Chenhuang (Town God) Pavilion, Leifeng Pagoda built in 975 AD and collapsed in 1924 because locals stole the bricks to make magic medicine, and Yue Fei's Temple (a national hero). We always missed the timing of the Music Dancing Fountain along West Lake and never did walk across the two causeways with "lingering snow on the broken bridge."
Where to stay in Hangzhou? Hangzhou is loaded with an infinite variety of hotels and guesthouses for every price range. Sofitel Xanadu Resort, Radisson Plaza and Shangri La are just a few of the many 5*****.
Hangzhou, China: Lingyin Temple, Dragon Well Tea and The Medicine King
Not a great day for sightseeing (dreary and raining) but what can one do. Mao Mao picked us up early for a hectic day with much to see. First up was Soul Retreat Temple (Lingyin Temple)...View image..., built in 326 AD. This is one of the best known Buddhist monasteries in China with magnificent muntains and trees around. A very scenic spot even if it has been destroyed and restored at least 16 times. Mao Mao said that the big incense sticks are usually the cause of fires in the Temples and warned us not to get set ablaze ourselves. Incense sticks waving everywhere...
The Victoria Regal Hotel loaned us umbrellas, and an early start got us to Linygin Si Temple by 9:00 am, ahead of the main tourist crush. Approximately 10,000 people visit daily and 1,000,000 on May 1. Do not expect to have this temple to yourself.
Another free and sunny day. Perfect for exploring the lake area of Hangzhou. There are 36 lakes in China called Xi Hu but this one is the most famous and the symbol of Hangzhou. It was originally a lagoon but was dredged and, subsequently, a dike cut it off from the river.
Quite a few options for getting around West Lake:
- you can wave down the "Round The Lake Sightseeing Golf Cart";
- Rent a bicycle (free rental for the first hour) at one of the 27 rental/drop off points on the lake; walk; and/or
- Take one of the very cheap buses (2 yuan - $.25) that are constantly circling West Lake, get off and sightsee whenever you choose to.
Not only is Hangzhou (pronounced "Han-Joe") extremely popular with both Chinese tourists and Westerners but it is also the country's most famous tourist attraction (along with Guilin) for the Chinese. Less than 2 hours by bullet train from Shanghai, a favorite and easy accessible weekend destination for them. Hangzhou was linked with the Grand Canal in 610 AD and Marco Polo passed this way in the 13th century leaving raves behind. The Mongols, Taipings and Cultural Revolution managed to destory most of the city and almost everything remaining has been reconstructed.
Met at the Hangzhou airport by new guide, Mao Mao (pronounced: Mao-mah) and transfered to the Victorian Regal Hotel within walking distance of everything. Newly married Mao Mao has only been guiding for a short time and loves it (not burned out yet). Showed us her wedding pictures and told us that bride and groom traditionally pose for formal portraits six-months before the wedding. The Victorian Regal Hotel has only been opened for four months and is still getting the kinks out. However, it is drop-dead gorgeous with a wonderful staff. They showed us to a third floor room with its own little deck area to sit out on. ...View image
... Not that we had the time and/or inclination to sit outside in the very hot and humid weather without wilting... But we could see the Ching Huang Pavilion, also called "Heavenly Wind at Wushan Hall" lit up a night.
Some more cautionary information on the traffic situation in China:
- You do not have the right away in the Chinese driver's way of thinking. They don't care if the light is green...View image...or red...View image..., they'll run you down;
- Cars, trucks, buses will cut across three lanes of traffic without looking;
- Everyone drives into opposing traffic to pass; ...View image...
- No one wears helmets; and
- The police just stand there and watch.
Dengfeng Food and Zhengzhou, China Capital of Henan Province
Dengfeng is a quiet town at the foot of Taishi Shan. Only night here at the Shaolin International Hotel before driving to Zhengzhou for the last trip in Henan Province. Chao, Andy, ex-Marine and I walked a few blocks away (passing another restaurant with a strange sign...View image) from the Shaolin International for dinner in another local restaurant. If you've never eaten in a "local" Chinese restaurant, prepare for an unbelievable level of noise. The owner screaming out orders to his wife, waitresses...diners shouting to be heard over that...but the best food ever. Many readers and friends haven't been enthralled with Chinese Food in China but that's because they may never have had a chance to experience a local restaurant with someone who knows how to order.
And the costs for four people! Chao ordered (2) leafy vegetable something or another (one tasted very cheesy); (1) leafy cold salad that tasted similar to radishes in a vinaigrette; another cold dish that resembled peanuts or lima beans with peppers; huge platter of sweet and sour pork; cold beer, water, soft drinks; and Lo Mah (Watch video below). The grand total was 115 yuan or less than $17 U.S. Unbelievably delicious.
Around and In Shaolin Temple and Pagoda Forest, China
At one time, 3,000 monks lived at Shaolin Temple but now there are less than 350. Students pay around 7,000 yuan (approximately $1,000 U.S.) to study here for just one year and Kung Fu/Wushu devotees come from all around the world.
Lunchtime at a restaurant on the grounds of Shaolin with a unique variety of food on the English/Chinese menu. Monkey brains, pigs heart and many, many other items not to our taste. We ate pork with garlic sauce and Kung Pao chicken...no gourmet versions for us. They were wonderful and I wish I could muster up my courage to try some of these "different" food...
Shaolin Temple, The Birthplace of Kung Fu/Wushu, China
On the road again to Shaolin Temple, possibly the most famous temple in China. Not only because of its long history and role in Chinese Buddhism, but because of its martial arts. "Wushu" or Kung Fu is China's most famous martial arts tradition. We were scheduled to watch a Kung Fu/Wushu performance, visit the Pagoda Forest and Shaolin's various temples. From what I understand, you never see the masters doing Kung Fu, only the younger students and thousands enroll every year at Shaolin's martial arts schools.
We pulled up to Shaolin, visited the absolutely 5***** public toilets...View image...View image..., bought tickets and started the walk into the complex. Fields filled with students everywhere you looked, working intensely on their exercises. They run 10k/6.2 miles every morning and practice 5-7 hours a day. There are at least 3,000 students enrolled in the various schools, most hoping to become the next Jet Li or Jackie Chan, appearing together in a new movie, The Forbidden Kingdom. Jet Li is the favorite because he studied at Shaolin Temple and made it big.
After finishing up with the Peony Festival, Chao suggested an additional excursion after lunch out to a cave town, a middle valley village not too far from Luoyang. At one time, the entire village was built underground but progress came along and only one family still lived in their original underground home. This little side trip wasn't going to be free but what the heck, there was nothing else to do.
First lunch at a different restaurant Chao picked with a few very strange items on the menu and wall... View image... (There were photos on this menu and Andy translated...lots of dishes with fish heads in them....) While there, we learned a few other random facts about China:
- Beijing has about 800 star-rated hotels with 130,000 rooms, not counting guesthouses, etc. For comparison sake, Las Vegas has just over 132,000 rooms. If you visit Beijing during the 2008 Olympics, a budget hotel will run approximately $250/night, luxury hotel $700/night and most are completely booked.
- The Chinese say they have three mountains on their shoulders: Medical care, housing and education.
White Horse Temple and the Annual Luoyang Peony Show, China
The White Horse Temple (Baima Si) was built by the Han Dynasty in 68 AD when Buddhism started to spread. This temple is believed to be the first Buddhist temple built by the Government in China, and is regarded as the "originating court" and "cradle of Chinese Buddhism" by the Buddhist disciples. It is this that makes it an important Temple to visit. The story goes: A Tang dynasty monk went searching for Buddhist scriptures. He met two Indian monks in Afghanistan and returned to Luoyang with Buddhist scriptures and statues on the backs of two white horses. The temple was founded to house them and named after the horses. There are two stone horses by the entrance and tombs of the two monks inside the first courtyard. (Watch the video below...)
There are many pavilions. The Guest Hall, Hall of Prayer, Hall of Abstinence, living quarters of the monks, all reconstructed during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), My thoughts? Other than the iris in bloom and an original ancient horse, I was again underwhelmed... However, it was peaceful in the early morning stillness with people lighting incense sticks and praying. It was just another beautiful temple to us non-Buddhists and worth seeing only for the reasons above. FYI: Andy strongly suggests not to buy bottled water at White Horse Temple. According to him, the locals fill used plastic water bottles with tap water and reseal them perfectly!
The clear blue skies here were a marked contrast to our views of Luoyang most mornings from our hotel room....View image...and, this image was taken on a clearer day!
Visiting and Exploring the Longmen Grottoes of Luoyang, China
Luoyang, pop: 7,000,000, is located in one of China's smallest provinces, Henan Province. It may be one of the smallest provinces but is also the most densely populated. The Yellow River crosses Henan and Chinese civilization can be tracked back around 3,500 years in this area with a few remaining sections of its original walls in the old city. Luoyang was also the capital of 13 dynasties.
Enough of that...lunch. Chao ("Chow") is a man after my own heart and really knows his way around food. The first restaurant chosen had Henan cuisine. Chao and Andy would be with us for the next 5 days and we explained our dietary rules once again. No dog, cat, rat, snake or other unusual beasties. Like spicy foods. Explain to us what the dish contains and we'll yea or nay. Whatever it was, very delicious and happy that Andy asked for extra chopsticks to use on the serving plates as serving utensils instead of us all dipping chopsticks back and forth into the communal plates. I know this is Chinese tradition but I'd prefer not to go along with tradition in this instance. One of the first things I noticed were the newly washed and sanitized dishes delivered by a service at the front door of the restaurant. We saw that on the Eastern Tibetan Plateau last year. If only a service would come to my house, take the dirty dishes and return them nice and clean. ...Oops, that's right......that person is me!
From the Wang Family Compound, a drive back to Taiyun (prounounced "Taiwan") for the overnight train, actually a 12-hour overnight train, to Luoyang in Henan Province. Back on one of China's excellent major highways with the crazy drivers passing on the left, on the right, shoulders....they are nuts!
The majority of Shanxi Province is filled with homes built into the hillside dirt of winding crevasses and anytime there is an inch of tillable land, you'll find narrow fields at the bottom. At first, it didn't dawn on us that these were houses until we passed a few entire villages built into the dirt hillside....View image...
Jenny came with us into the soft seat waiting room where we went through the same routine as before:
- Show tickets to enter soft seat waiting room
- x-ray bags
- Twenty to 30 minutes before train time, the gates open and everyone heads for the train.
Shanghai Far East added in two other visits to replace the aborted and snowed out Wutai Shan. We rolled our suitcases through Pingyao's busy streets, even this early in the day, to Mr. Wong waiting with the car, and headed south a short distance (only 5km/3.1mi away) to Shuanglin Si Temple...View image... This temple was originally built in the Northern Wei and all the buildings were arranged around three courtyards, Ming and Qing.
It is the collection of Buddhist sculptures that people come to see. There are horsemen, depictions of Buddha, sainas and guardians, Guanyin (the Goddess of Mercy) and monsters. We basically were underwhelmed but there was one interesting fact. The only reason this temple was spared during the Cultural Revolution was because the surrounding farmers used it to store their crops and intelligently pointed out to the Guards that they would have no place to put them if the Shuanglin Si was burnt to the ground.
Pingyao was the undisputed financial headquarters of China during the Qing dynasty. Baichuan Tong, Rischengchang Exchange and Sie Tong Qing were three of the most powerful banks.
- Rishengchang Exchange Shop (Financial House Museum) ...View image...is where a man named Li introduced a systems of checks and deposits. His system became a bank (established in1824) that prospered for over 100 years. It wasn't until the Japanese invasion that Rishengchang closed. This museum had over 100 rooms, including offices, living quarters, kitchen and several old checks. Now, we had never stopped to think how banks operated before checks and deposits but once we saw the heavy old silver that had to be transported between towns, the light dawned.
In Pingyao, China: The Confucius Temple and Government Building
Today was some in-depth sightseeing of Pingyao with Jenny. You must buy an all-inclusive ticket that allows you to see all the sites in the area. They are valid for two days and it doesn't make any difference whether or not you only want to see one or two sites. You must buy the ticket - no exceptions, no exclusions.
First stop: The Confucius Temple, a national relic. ...View image... Confucius (551 BC - 479 BC) was the famous Chinese thinker and social philosopher. One of his famous quotes is: Forget injuries, never forget kindnesses. (ex-Marine had another so-called "quote" from his teenage years in one of the previous videos on Pingyao.) There are 87 sculptures of Confucius and his disciples in this temple and also an exhibitiion of the history of the ancient Chinese Examination including a Ming Dynasty examination paper from the 13th century.
Pingyao Ancient City was something else. From the moment the little golf cart dropped us off, a five-minute walk from Chang Yi Feng Inn...View image... - our "home" for the next three nights - until we left, Pingyao Ancient City was completely engrossing and fun. The Lantern Festival, held 15 days after the Chinese New Year, is possibly the only event that could have made Pingyao beyond perfect. Pingyao is one of the only complete walled cities left in China and an outstanding example of Chinese Han nationality cities during the Ming and Qing Dynasties. It is located on an old route between Beijing and Xian and became a thriving merchant town.
All the hotels within the city were once old houses that have been turned into guesthouses. Our room's decor was typical Chinese-style with the mattress laid over a brick foundation. In olden days, hot coals would have been placed in the bricks at night to heat the room. We sure could have used them the first night since our modern heater didn't work. Buried under three extremely heavy quilts, I slept in all my clothes. We had surprisingly comfortable buckwheat filled pillows and a very modern bathroom. (They changed our room the next day to one with a working heater.)
After lunch, a visit to the Qiao Compound. This was the last stop today before Pingyao. After experiencing the unbelievable road sights of Ethiopia, China couldn't hold a candle in comparison (and I do my best not to compare trips). Unless you call Sinopec Gas Stations (China's main gasoline provider), trucks carrying coal and oil, and fields with huge steel, generating and coal processing plans, stuck in the middle of them "interesting."
The ornate Qiao Family Compound was first built in 1756 in the Qing Dynasty by Qiao Zhi Yong. Qiao made his money in Baotou (in Inner Mongolia) and became wealthy running banks, pawnshops and teahouses. The huge compound has been renovated twice, enlarged once and has six big courtyards, 19 small courtyards and contains over 300 rooms. (And we think we're building mega-mansions...) Qiao Family Compound has been converted into a museum and has period furnishings distributed throughout.
...was our lunch stop at Kang Zhuang Eco-Gourmet Restaurant...View image.... What made this restaurant different from any other? The decor and a big Chinese wedding going on inside it. First of all, the restaurant was huge with a capital "H." Each area was decorated differently. One, modern. Another, huge fish tanks. Separate rooms for diner families. A see-through kitchen area with cooks carving an unedible vegetable into the shape of a rooster, plating foods, frying live turtles and other critters (fortunately, the turtles were the only ones I could identify), and wait staff rushing by with yummy smelling food. Even the reception area floor was built of clear glass (or plexi-glass) over a stream below it..
Jenny filled us in on this particular area's wedding customs. There are two days of celebration. The first day is for the groom's family and friends only. The second day for the bride's family and friends. Today, happened to be "groom day" and big festivities were taking place. A d.j. pumping out music....the bride and groom posing for their formal portraits outside in the gardens....little children dressed in their finest...
Taiyuan (pop: 4 million) is the capital city of Shanxi Province and accounts for more than half the national coal mining output (more haze). There isn't much to do in Taiyuan and the city functions primarily as transfer point for onward journeys to Xian and Pingyao. Regardless, the Longcheng International Hotel was gorgeous and they had the best breakfast buffet we'd eaten to date. (Wonderful bacon, our weakness...)
Wutai Shan Mountain (Five-Terrace Mountain) was definitely a "no-go." According to the morning internet, Wutai was -5c/22F at 8 am with a wind chill of -12/c/9F. The road was a sheet of ice and trails covered with snow. There was nothing else that could be changed or arranged on short notice (the May Day holiday was coming up). Conversation with Cindy (over possibilities and/or options) at Shanghai Far East and off we drove towards Pingyao with stops on the way. First stop, Jinci Temple complex. Today was sunny and beautiful with fruit trees and flowers blooming everywhere. ...View image...what a difference a lower altitude makes...
To be brutally honest, there's not very much to do in Taiyuan with the exception of the new Shanxi Museum complex with its huge cultural relics collection. There are over 200,000 pieces of precious relics - the cream of the entire province. The main building is shaped in a combination of two Chinese cooking vessels. A Dou (kind of measuring implement in ancient China), and Ding (an ancient cooking vessel with two loop handles and three or four legs). This gorgeous, modern museum (and we're not usually museum goers) is divided into two main sections:
- The History Section further divided into: The cradle of civilization; traces of Xia and Shang Dynasties; vassal state Jin...View image...; relics of Buddhism...View image...; operas; Shanxi merchants in the Ming and Qing Dynasties; and melting pot of different nationalities.
- The Art Section exhibits divided into: Paintings; calligraphy; chinaware; ancient currency; Jade and ancient architecture.
Still completely amazed by the Hanging Monastery and in our nice warm car with the heat blasting, we drove back down the mountain towards the Wooden Pagoda and lunch before the long drive to Wutai Shan.
The Wooden Pagoda (Mu Ta) in Yingxian County, was built during the Liao Dynasty (about 1056). It is the oldest and highest wooden structure in China and regarded as the "First Pagoda in the World." They also say that not one single nail was used to construct this massive 9-story Pagoda. ...View image... Decisions...lunch before or lunch after? Since we were both still cold, it made sense to stay outdoors and visit the Wooden Pagoda before warming up completely.
The Hanging Monastery (Xuankong Si) was about an 1-1/2 hour ride from Datong and if we thought yesterday was cold, today was freezing, 8c/40F. Long-sleeved shirts, fluff jackets with waterproofs over - the only cold weather gear we brought with. The entire area is higher in altitude (I know Wutai Shan rises to 3,000m/9,000') and it's a given that rain yesterday meant snow in these mountains.
The road to the Hanging Monastery wound through valleys and started climbing with a light drizzle off and on. As the car approached, ex-Marine and I were speechless at the sight of this itsy-bitsy building literally hanging from the side of a sheer cliff. And if that left us stupified, you should have seen our faces when we got out of the car. Tremendous gusts of wind, ice on the swinging bridge across to the Monastery and freezing cold! How cold was it? People were doing a landslide business RENTING Chinese Army coats to the tourists.
Datong's Nine Dragon Screen and Huayan Si Monastery, China
It was quite cool and dreary today. Unseasonably cool according to Jenny. Not only that but Datong was clouded by a thick pall of noxious fumes thanks to China's biggest coal mines in this area. As a matter of fact, one coal plant supplies all the electricity for Beijing! Our journey through Shaxi and Henan Provinces are considered the heartland of the Yellow River flowing for 3,400 miles through China. The Yellow River begins in the Plateau of Tibet and ends in the Bo Hai Sea. Unfortunately, the entire stretch is now lined with factories and coal power plants. Thousands of miners die every year in the usually unsafe mines.
But...it was time for lunch at a place where Mongolian Hot Pot is the local specialty. Neither of us have the patience for Mongolian Hot Pot. A cart with different ingredients is wheeled to your table and you decide which ones you want. In the center of the table is a big pot with a propane tank under it. The waitress pours boiling hot soup into the pot and you start cooking and mixing the various ingredients in it and chowing down. Instead of that, we selected plates of green vegetables with mushrooms, a huge dish of spicy chicken with peanuts and red chilis and Jenny insisted we try a local noodle and lamb concoction that wasn't to our taste. A little too bland but there was so much food without this! ...View image...
The Yungang Grottoes, China (Also Known as Cloud Ridge Caves)
We started the day by visiting the Yungang Grottoes (also known as Cloud Ridge Caves). It was a very short drive from Datong, only about 16km/10mi. The grottoes contain 252 caves and 51,000 statues carved during the Northern Wei dynasty in the 5th and 6th centuries. These caves are why most people (including us) visit Datong and represent the outstanding achievement of Buddhist cave art in China . The caves are cut into the southern cliffs ...View image...of Wuzhou Shan, next to the pass leading to Inner Mongolia...hmmm...Inner Mongolia...that's a thought... The caves were also modeled on the Magao Grottoes/Caves at Dunhuang on the Silk Road.
The caves are divided into three main groups: Early caves; caves with Yungang art; and caves carved in 460 AD with the Buddhas in each of these representing an emperor.
