Yungang Grottoes

2009 09 19 – Days 85 – near Datong

Not too far from Datong, but in the opposite direction to the Hanging Monastery, is one of the most famous ancient Buddhist sculpture sites in China, the UNESCO World Heritage listed Yungang Grottoes.

A couple of the grottoes had wooden temples constructed in front.

While the rest are vulnerable to the elements and display signs of significant weathering.

I'm sure weathering is not the only explanation for this Buddha's lack of nose and other surface detailing - looting and vandalism must have occurred at some point in its history.
The many small holes were to hold short sticks of wood that supported a coloured plaster surfacing, both now fallen away by fair means or foul.
A couple of the grottoes have kept some of their colour and detail:

And this Buddha retains his surfacing in the form of blue robes up to his waist:

Either side of him:

Our guide told us that, rather than having complex scaffolding, the sculptors would cut in through the cliff and sculpt the head before gradually working down the figure and then cutting the door. Aside from the practical nature of this approach, it results in an aesthetically and spiritually pleasing arrangement whereby a visitor walks in through a darkened doorway to stand, often in dim light, by Buddha's feet. From there, your gaze is naturally drawn upwards to the light, the main source of which is Buddha's serene visage bathed in the natural light entering through the upper cutting.

There are 252 grottoes spread along the site,

many of them quite small,

but some are pretty big and of impressive craftsmanship.

This is the best preserved face on one of the large Buddha sculptures and is an iconic tourism image in China.

Hanging Monastery

2009 09 19 – Days 85 – near Datong

One of three non-industrial reasons to stop in Datong, the Hanging Monastery is truly a fantastical sight.

Who would live on a cliff face like this?
Monks it would seem and not only those of a particular type as the Hanging Monastery has Buddhist, Taoist and Confucian elements.

The nearby trickle with pretensions of being a river must become a raging torrent with spring snow melt because some serious concrete channels had been constructed and our guide told us that the Monastery had been washed away a couple of times and rebuilt slightly higher up the cliff face.

Despite the place crawling with tourists, a well thought out one-way loop of a route enabled frustration free touring and appreciation of the vertiginous positioning.

Despite the simple wooden construction and sheer drops beside most walkways, the building felt stable, with a magical quality to the way it clung to the cliff.
Experiencing that stability while walking around it made the location seems slightly less ridiculous than when viewed from the valley floor.

One of the best preserved shrines.

Ceiling art, accompanied by an entirely necessary, but unnecessarily conspicuous smoke detector.

Is this really necessary!? Whether it should be there or not is debatable, but that it should be so conspicuous?

Hill Temple

2009 09 15 – Day 81 – Chengde

Having been only semi-conscious during my arrival and tour negotiation, I was aware that I was joining a Chinese language tour, but not entirely sure what the itinerary was.  First up was a hill temple I'd never heard of. Not an ideal start, but the day was young and, as I wasn't going to understand any of the information dispensed by our guide, I was free to wander at my own pace.
The courtyard of the temple provided good views over Chengde in the valley below,

and an inevitable construction site:

It wasn't obvious whether this sculpture quarry was still operational.

The temple buildings themselves weren't particularly noteworthy, but I was taken by some of the art :

Culture Museum

2009 09 14 – Day 80 – Shanhaiguan

Although I wasn't particularly looking for it, the tourist shepherds of Shanhaiguan ensured I visited the small but enjoyable Culture Museum.

A pleasure to see some genuinely old artifacts in this 'renovated' town.

I really liked the look of these ornately carved raised beds, though I imagine I'd need a larger size.

I really like this sculpture.
There's something ugly about the proportions and yet its simultaneously beautiful from its curves and flow of forms.
Wonderful! :)

I See No Sea

2009 09 14 – Day 80 – Shanhaiguan

I rose early with ambition to climb the nearby section of The Great Wall, hopeful of a grand view over Shanhaiguan and out to sea, before checking out some of the touristy stuff in town and a visit to the shore before heading on to my next destination at the end of the afternoon. Seemed feasible.
A short but wobbly ride in a three wheel red Reliant Robbin wannabe got me to the Great Wall park before anyone else, including, it seemed, the park staff! At first, I was being told by my driver and others hanging around outside, that it wasn't open yet and I couldn't enter, but the gates were wide open and my persistence eventually revealed that actually it was just the chairlift that wasn't operational yet and if I was crazy enough to walk up, then of course I could enter! Which I did. At that point, of course some staff did materialise from round some corner or other to make sure I paid my entrance fee.

Didn't look too bad a climb.
Before I knew it I had my own personal Great Wall climbing coach:

Waddling up to my side and then bouncing on ahead, then pausing to grin back at me – come on Martin! It's enthusiasm was infectious. I'm not quite sure how it managed to bound up stairs twice the height of it's legs, but it was inspirational!

As the climb got progressively steeper I started to worry for my little chum, who now needed more regular breaks, lungs clearly working overtime, visibly heaving. But the panting pooch would not give it up... Until the onward path was a ladder into a tower:

Or so I thought! Down the other side of the tower and re-joining the wall, there was pooch, waiting for me! Clearly the little bounder had been this way before.

Entering the wooded crest of the hill I began to encounter beasties:

Spiders with leg spans of about 15cm, and possibly the hairiest caterpillar ever:

Good thing the temple at the peak had some guardians:

Over the other side, the scenery was quite different and the sun began to power its way through the smog, giving me hope of a fine view:

But time wore on and sun and smog seemed to reach a stalemate and I had to return to the town if I wanted to fit everything in.
By the time I was most of the way down, the smog had won and, though I had a reasonable view of the plain between mountains and sea that Shanhaiguan protected, I would not have the view to the sea that I'd hoped for.

But a wedding or two is not a bad substitute!

One of the two couples enjoying a photoshoot with the greatest of walls on their special day.

Back in town, visiting the First Pass Under Heaven, I got a consolation prize:

At last! A view of the sea!
Ok, not quite what I'd hoped for, but a fine artistic depiction of the strategic significance of Shanhaiguan and its position between mountains and sea.

Yonghegong - Lama Temple

2009 09 05 – Day 71 – Beijing

Thanks to my Dad's love for silliness and wordplay, I can't help but associate the word 'Lama' with this Ogden Nash ode to the llama:

  The one-L lama,
  He's a priest.
  The two-L llama,
  He's a beast.
  And I would bet
  A silk pajama
  There isn't any
  Three-L lllama.
 
Of course the above poem has absolutely nothing to do with the Buddhist Lama Temple in Beijing – Yonghegong.

It seemed to be the done thing to offer incense at the temple and so I'd bought the second cheapest pack from one of the multitude of stalls on the street outside the front gate. However, once inside, I didn't feel the inclination to make such an offering. Watching those who lit their sticks of incense, raised them to their forehead and bowed three times before planting the sticks in the large sand-filled iron troughs, the thought of mimicking that spiritual gesture made me feel like an imposter. Thankfully there was no real pressure to offer incense, so I didn't, but that did leave me with a pack of incense in my bag for a week!

I love these Buddhist gods with a million limbs! On the left is The Great Dignity and Virtue (Yamantaka) and on the right is Kala-chakravajra (both 18th Century gilt copper).