The Many Faces Of Lu Shan - 廬山真面目 !
Posted On Monday, November 9, 2009 at at 9:07 PM by AlvinThe Cities Of Jiangxi (江西)
Posted On Saturday, November 7, 2009 at at 12:40 AM by AlvinPorcelain Capital Of The World - JingDeZhen 景德镇
Posted On Thursday, November 5, 2009 at at 12:20 AM by AlvinThis was also a very educational visit as we learnt the difference between earthenware and porcelain wares and how JingDeZhen earned its worldwide fame ! An interesting fact that we had learnt was that the porcelains which didn't make the Royal Court selection were all scattered to pieces on purpose, in case they were re-introduced by mistake or re-sold as being "marketed" as "almost made the Royal Court" - a photo below shows those porcelains which didn't make the cut and had been dug up as ancient artifacts. A truly worthwhile stop on our itinerary in the Province of Jiangxi (江西省) !
Chilling Out On Mount Huangshan (黄山)
Posted On Monday, November 2, 2009 at at 12:59 AM by AlvinThe Huangshan Pine (黄山松) had been a subject of prime research interest as these trees release a particular type of organic acid that facilitate their firm-rooting into the rocks of Huangshan and could thus live to hundreds of years amid the harsh mountain conditions. We witnessed numerous odd-shaped rocks (怪石) during our hike on the top of Huangshan; the best of all without doubt, had been the "Stone That Flew Here" (飛來石 - picture on the top) where we spent half an hour just admiring this sheer stunning vista.
The hot springs(温泉), sea of clouds (雲海) , Huangshan Pine trees (奇松) and odd-shaped rocks (怪石) had been known as the four attractions of Huangshan (黃山四絕). We thoroughly enjoyed our walk on the top of Huangshan where we visited the famous land marks of 始信峰, 排雲亭, 光明頂, 鰲魚峰, 蓮花峰, 玉屏樓, 天都峰, 一線天 and 慈光閣. We spent 2 hours on our way down to 慈光閣 and enjoyed our dinner at one of the two opening restaurants (low season) chatting over our fun day !![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF9kwdtTg3_cns0SosHSexCSLQutyIV67npMDl1pFvRivN-9SFJlmEI3EE0Y07RgBfIAtySC-SGVTnNXZ2nARPKJeANrmUk86Vk2tx0mDy1lONjnuRtW9Jk0u53Xu8YYRtOqa-qsubrkU/s320/%E5%B1%AF%E6%BA%AA%E8%80%81%E8%A1%97%E5%BE%BD%E6%B4%BE%E5%BB%BA%E7%AF%89+4.JPG)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjykpB6rLFxtQUlv0zz8TEV6A-EukMIMp-nufYy35LqWYhvzNUhOSLe4s_H7zdB0azcJ_i19049zuv2aKOGCDh4yH6WD-gizKgnDPF3jh8X4oqCMS-Dp5gUrx0UVgkjj70c2-8L4JKPa3Q/s320/%E9%BB%83%E5%B1%B1%E9%9B%B2%E6%B5%B7+4.JPG)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM1i_ZoSDn4jNXvwSPECrs_JCEwPWLUr46elu5ai8hX9k_gVUuHwagwY7FPb5WB9-Ja0okyXxDpRWm-PqUjEaYyNKT-bay-cKflCGghyj2yMIXBtYVZlGt1fhHIUqay_kbcgd88klUooY/s320/%E9%BB%83%E5%B1%B1%E4%B8%80%E7%B7%9A%E5%A4%A9.JPG)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuJiO_yEiX4b5s7z9-FMKykpND6TBaH3ldkHJ_Xw4picGxsD3OwOaPTD01fkcj42MFFYPsQ4TjkFR6T0Lr645XO9HnKQSwo-rFOq9YTQcfCmZ-HrqNl9cx79GKhKiLZcIBycGijJelRTE/s320/%E9%BB%84%E5%B1%B1%E6%80%AA%E7%9F%B3+With+Us+3.JPG)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPLsxuXCmfVSEIHZfo-ejiNln8uX87gaUmAE0yR3Pd9nrw07h7EQBxzqz06v_kkeYlQ4FR2DZsDfGW5oqaFOv3BR5eUx4TvGftPDTv-KDu22qy-pcAVq6q82JUL0PDmJ6DhRIh8WvXN2I/s320/%E9%BB%84%E5%B1%B1%E6%80%AA%E7%9F%B3+1.JPG)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia6zo5sk8ntSgDLM628c5xVIsOiJqAgxtpcp9AagSHJg_MksiyQ3CYC1_1DijHnHBG5VcPF8S8QZjrklLjgu5Xp8H5ziXVr1HUgpbES3Hba_7eFptyc_Ywr7RBcYE7qxjkiyQt7Y7dNkA/s320/%E9%BB%84%E5%B1%B1%E6%80%AA%E7%9F%B3+2.JPG)
The Beautiful Lake City Of Hangzhou - 杭州
Posted On Friday, October 30, 2009 at at 12:01 AM by AlvinThe Heroes Of Kaifeng (開封) and Zhengzhou (鄭州)
Posted On Wednesday, September 16, 2009 at at 2:21 AM by Alvin
We started our visit to this relaxing city by spending a chilled-out morning in the Kaifeng (開封) Millennium City Park (清明上河園 ); essentially a large open-space garden modelled on the famed painting by the Song artist 張擇端. The famous painting depicted life in the 1,000 A.D. Song Dynasty capital Kaifeng (宋朝 開封) and the Millennium City Park did a reasonable job in make-belief by re-creating such settings and we felt we were characters "inside" this famous painting !
The city of Kaifeng (開封) had been an ancient capital of China for seven dynasties; in particular the Song Dynasty (宋朝 - circa 1,000 A.D.) where China peaked and ebbed in its governing powers and foreign influence - this dynasty was at once flourishing and prosperous as it was feeble and corrupt. Through these tumultuous times, came two heroes praised and revered; and folklores guaranteed their immortality for generations till this very day - 包公 and 岳飛.
包公 was essentially in his days, a judge and he was known for his impartiality, selflessness and fearlessness. 岳飛 was known for his loyalty to his country and military brilliance and the injustice and ultimate death he suffered at the hands of corrupt hangers-on to the Song Emperors. We felt a sense of honour to be visiting the shrines and temples (包公祠 and 朱仙鎮岳飛廟) dedicated to these two long-ago giants.
On a completely different timeline and perspectives, we visited the 2.7 Memorial Tower (二七纪念塔) in Zhengzhou (鄭州) during our last part of this journey. The tower commemorated the bloody suppression of the railways (Jing -Han Railway linking Beijing and Wuhan that passed through Zhengzhou) strike that took place in 1923, February the Seventh. On this day, mass protests broke out against inhumane working conditions and Imperial-influenced injustice and inequality and that led to many brutal deaths and injuries. This strike and incident and these heroes who stood up, provided the added impetus that led ultimately to the founding of the Communist (and liberated) China as we know it today. Our hats off to these heroes.![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_gVgSjjHz58OyB4jcEvQQ_otH4PCZ3LIj9efgz4mQzveweFvVz1O_ccCCHjcT1A_-Abm_YzPl2Q-hpFWry9mG3yCEI_BL0fzsmDuc40pN9A848xY9K8n6aNq_vvbbW1J0botv31rReVE/s320/%E5%8C%85%E5%85%AC.JPG)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9P9Z16KM44TB4CeQ1imCvmhnMKY3DCB-8iGH8iXQKft2aNnwzYj2n9Xv2CpBS4AhcViCxt-sedsqj0bm9j8ObESBKwztQlkNDK2toIOvRKIPX8DbUQymqwpmpcRMfRZrhNDFiIFtz4tk/s320/%E6%9C%B1%E4%BB%99%E9%95%87%E5%B2%B3%E9%A3%9B%E5%83%8F.JPG)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVsTeaNFPSx03p4ktSS2yqhM9kdhl1GbIgm-9zeabQQLA0hyfziUh3fBlO1rsOH71Ce5AwN5ReY6GA3nvXwcEnaSaIHr_H5BjfceF7xR3wg4XTyjjnCJananwBa9BiqvOZx0b0zXlIm-M/s320/%E6%9C%B1%E4%BB%99%E9%95%87%E5%B2%B3%E9%A3%9B%E5%BB%9F.JPG)
The city of Kaifeng (開封) had been an ancient capital of China for seven dynasties; in particular the Song Dynasty (宋朝 - circa 1,000 A.D.) where China peaked and ebbed in its governing powers and foreign influence - this dynasty was at once flourishing and prosperous as it was feeble and corrupt. Through these tumultuous times, came two heroes praised and revered; and folklores guaranteed their immortality for generations till this very day - 包公 and 岳飛.
包公 was essentially in his days, a judge and he was known for his impartiality, selflessness and fearlessness. 岳飛 was known for his loyalty to his country and military brilliance and the injustice and ultimate death he suffered at the hands of corrupt hangers-on to the Song Emperors. We felt a sense of honour to be visiting the shrines and temples (包公祠 and 朱仙鎮岳飛廟) dedicated to these two long-ago giants.
Yun Tai Shan Geo Park (雲台山地質公園)
Posted On Sunday, September 13, 2009 at at 1:43 AM by AlvinBasically, the physical geographical characteristics of Yun Tai Shan had numerous similarities to those of Arizona and Utah and the very informative museum inside the park displayed the waterfalls, canyons, rock formations of Yun Tai Shan alongside those of Zion, Bryce and the Grand Canyons as comparisons. Truly fascinating ! The park was beautifully studded with red canyons, emerald river streams, waterfalls thundering down from heights of a few hundred metres as well as numerous cascading rock pools, such a beauty ! Luckily, there were over 200 rustic hostels (農家旅館) to cater for the sudden influx of weekend tourists and we sampled greedily the "rustic menu" after a hard day's hiking around this amazing Geo Park. What a gem !
Up Shaolin (少林寺) And Back Down From 三皇寨
Posted On Saturday, September 12, 2009 at at 9:36 PM by AlvinThe Shaoin Temple (少林寺) had been famous right round the world for its numerous martial arts skills and its respected monks, so we kept our expectations (really) low to avoid the hype and hopefully enjoy the site. We were not disappointed.
As we arrived to the nearest town Deng Feng (登封市), we were surprised to find more than 50 martial arts colleges dotted around town; each with numerous students decked out in smart sports uniforms (mostly teenager boys we noticed) lifting weights, going through their martial arts routines, running around the large training grounds, performing impossible stretching exercises and just generally keeping themselves fit - all looking serious and professional and we sensed ambitions in them.
The Shaolin Temple was as expected, not as dignified (莊嚴) as we would have liked to imagine (you know, with solemn-looking high-ranking monks mumbling Buddhist chants, each effortlessly disguising their supreme martial arts depths and so on). However, the whole visiting experience was "saved" by the 30 minutes live martial arts performance that included incredible demonstrations of the well known styles such as the praying mantis, snake in the tiger shadow and the famed 18 weapons (十八般武藝).![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdw0rgWCxMxAWtJFHR1zipMnNnh2oEn_IWDxOv552j_cBUEu8iu85sFBdThXNPip036fnXaLc76qhSDQ5NhXmhx-E44wPUYb-aY7P8droYYfE7W7G1pQje50EFpFRcvDmEVgLgWVBYVZQ/s320/%E5%B0%91%E6%9E%97%E5%AF%BA%E5%A1%94%E6%9E%97+5.JPG)
After visiting the Talin (塔林) where respected high-ranking Shaolin monks were buried, we cabled up the back bone mountains of Shaolin - 嵩山 and spent 3 hours visiting the backend of Shaolin - 三皇寨. The scenery was awesome as this mountain range gave us a geographical perspective of the Shaolin Temple that we found obscured in the Temple's commercial front entrance. As per usual regarding tackling any Chinese mountains, love them or hate them, we had to negotiate some 3,000 steep well-paved staircases (好漢坡 ) on our way down this famous mountain. The views were superb and we thoroughly enjoyed the hike down.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN1FF1W7lS9llQLYERIcRC0re2PfSTU9nODQAFoGvLDtwBQ4oIJea_kjJDoOe4SxGg1ZXNFarDOJeRjodrY7he9QxQ73c0xiuAfWRySB4Wql80Cb7w2sNJyzPazfDKdk5u8tNs_K4tmRQ/s320/%E5%B5%A9%E5%B1%B1%E5%B0%91%E6%9E%97%E5%AF%BA%E9%96%80%E5%8F%A3.JPG)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzoaWR5r96yavfeg0lpylvPzlDZsmMLBjbmPPR2TiT5AmQ5kRAv70oDX_KwY3ugZGvdkGzEEsMGzKYi5gZ0MITBBQ0k8cirI6ekQAe7C3CZs88SzxqV_xIweWBq-jgHEMD6wETjvfLsSQ/s320/%E4%B8%89%E7%9A%87%E5%AF%A8%E6%A3%A7%E9%81%93+3.JPG)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk3WiNS7edhNZhpcKGZteQ8JHLglA1ulqyWVfB6NNhYkpISRpda7UCyax7U7tHQIMVa69J9xjrks2pO1sLdyKNRKZEZFwDquHiavmAYnTiG1_hvZHlQItbddLvqmZDiXHA8pE6Gb1HEkY/s320/%E4%B8%89%E7%9A%87%E5%AF%A8%E5%A5%BD%E6%BC%A2%E5%9D%A1+2.JPG)
As we arrived to the nearest town Deng Feng (登封市), we were surprised to find more than 50 martial arts colleges dotted around town; each with numerous students decked out in smart sports uniforms (mostly teenager boys we noticed) lifting weights, going through their martial arts routines, running around the large training grounds, performing impossible stretching exercises and just generally keeping themselves fit - all looking serious and professional and we sensed ambitions in them.
The Shaolin Temple was as expected, not as dignified (莊嚴) as we would have liked to imagine (you know, with solemn-looking high-ranking monks mumbling Buddhist chants, each effortlessly disguising their supreme martial arts depths and so on). However, the whole visiting experience was "saved" by the 30 minutes live martial arts performance that included incredible demonstrations of the well known styles such as the praying mantis, snake in the tiger shadow and the famed 18 weapons (十八般武藝).
After visiting the Talin (塔林) where respected high-ranking Shaolin monks were buried, we cabled up the back bone mountains of Shaolin - 嵩山 and spent 3 hours visiting the backend of Shaolin - 三皇寨. The scenery was awesome as this mountain range gave us a geographical perspective of the Shaolin Temple that we found obscured in the Temple's commercial front entrance. As per usual regarding tackling any Chinese mountains, love them or hate them, we had to negotiate some 3,000 steep well-paved staircases (好漢坡 ) on our way down this famous mountain. The views were superb and we thoroughly enjoyed the hike down.
A Slow Train From Hua Shan (華山站) To Luoyang (洛陽)
Posted On Thursday, September 10, 2009 at at 12:35 AM by AlvinHaving had a good overnight rest, we boarded the train from 華山站 to Luoyang (洛陽) - a.n.o.t.h.e.r. ancient Chinese capital. Hey Man, this IS central China - (中 原) where it all happened and dynasties came and went ! We were greeted on the train, as usual, by a compartment full of hungry passengers - each and everyone carrying their ration for their journey, which typically included the omnipresent giant cup noodles (the 康師傅杯面 brand of course), beverages with mouth-watering names such as vanilla and mango vitamin yogurt shakes and of course their own 1L hot water bottles ! Amongst our travels, we found that the Chinese trains had one supreme facility - an endless supply of hot drinking water located at the end of each compartment; and with that, the problem of fulfilling one's essential meals and drinks are solved - you could have your cup noodles (康師傅杯面) and Chinese teas to your heart's contents !
We reached Luoyang by lunch time and found Luoyang a pleasant city to stroll around for a few days (slowly) as we were still feeling the strains in our calves from the Hua Shan climb ! We did venture out to the famous rock carvings and Buddhists caves at Long Men (龍門石窟 ) the next day. The Buddha images and worshipping caves were constructed over successive dynasties dated almost 2,000 years back and the caves could be visited on both sides of the Yi River (伊河). These caves and sculptures were impressive and they reminded us of those we saw in Ajanta and Ellora in Western India as well as those in Dazu (大足).![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_1opx7wc0eB6vX7-Bvb1LpBAgB7NkIKaL3zvZmjWYtjJ6LrLwhpy28TPNjlcsH-GNik02hyphenhyphenEa6eT5WSKtHewg9gErow3Za_IqU8xpVxmfALc2tq-WWVqFHnhPu9ro3wQj09l8Vl-0rwE/s320/%E6%B4%9B%E9%99%BD%E9%BE%8D%E9%96%80%E7%9F%B3%E7%AA%9F+13.JPG)
There was a also an interesting site nestled by the Yi River - the burial grounds of the famous poet and administrator of the Tang Dynasty 白居易 - 白園 (白居易墓). He spent much of his later years by the hills (香山) along the Yi River. It was also most interesting to note that there were many of his direct descendants from Korea and Japan (now all naturalised) paying tributes to their ancestor and they had contributed many stone tablets to commemorate this master poet. He wrote the following memorable lines (amongst many others) :
《琵琶行》
同是天涯淪落人,相逢何必曾相識。
《長恨歌》
在天願作比翼鳥,在地願為連理枝。
天長地久有時盡,此恨綿綿無絕期。
《賦得古原草送別》
野火燒不盡,春風吹又生。
We reached Luoyang by lunch time and found Luoyang a pleasant city to stroll around for a few days (slowly) as we were still feeling the strains in our calves from the Hua Shan climb ! We did venture out to the famous rock carvings and Buddhists caves at Long Men (龍門石窟 ) the next day. The Buddha images and worshipping caves were constructed over successive dynasties dated almost 2,000 years back and the caves could be visited on both sides of the Yi River (伊河). These caves and sculptures were impressive and they reminded us of those we saw in Ajanta and Ellora in Western India as well as those in Dazu (大足).
《琵琶行》
同是天涯淪落人,相逢何必曾相識。
《長恨歌》
在天願作比翼鳥,在地願為連理枝。
天長地久有時盡,此恨綿綿無絕期。
《賦得古原草送別》
野火燒不盡,春風吹又生。
Watch Your Steps - This Is Hua Shan (華山) !
Posted On Sunday, September 6, 2009 at at 10:59 PM by AlvinSince ancient times, Hua Shan (華山) had been one of the most revered and picturesque mountains in China where temples (西嶽廟 ) were built as far back as 3,000 years ago for the emperors to perform their worshipping rituals.
Hua Shan was made even more famous by the well-known Chinese novelist and historian Jing Yung (金庸) as he penned his heroes and heroines doing swords and fists battles and duos atop the dangerous peaks of Hua Shan whose sheer cliffs and precarious steep ascents offered the ultimate testing grounds for "who dares win" and "who dares not die". None more so than the "world-famous" battles of 華山論劍 between such well-known fictional characters as 東邪、西毒、南帝、北丐、中神通 !
We stayed at the foot of Hua Shan near the 玉泉院 entrance where we enjoyed the local dinners of 四菜一湯 (four dishes with one soup) for a bargain of 50 RMB ! I love this place ! Having fed ourselves well, we felt ready to tackle our itinerary the next day : 8AM start by climbing the 5 main peaks followed by the steep descent from the Eastern slopes back down to the 玉泉院 entrance where we would be met with a lovely hot shower !