Touring LeShan City Sichuan Summer 2007
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| LeShan Giant Buddha as seen from the River. |
During the Northern Summer of 2007 I spent three weeks vacationing in Macao and Sichuan. The Macao story was published at Magic City on November 11th (Macao Summer of 2007) with Larger and Different Photos at Kingscalendar.
I ended that article by saying that 'While my trip from SuZhou to Macao went off without a hitch, when it came time to fly from Shenzhen to Chengdu, that word 'due' took on real significance'.
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| Carving of a goddess on the cliff next the Giant Buddha |
Today, I shall continue where I left off in the last article.
While I was in Macao, Mingxing emailed me to say that his Summer job had fallen through, and so I made arrangements to go meet him in Chengdu.
Given that I hate planning anything, I simply told him to plan something for us to do, or elsewise be prepared to sit with me in a hotel for the duration of my stay.
On the morning that I left Macao, I took the hotel shuttle bus to the Ferry Terminal and from there took the ferry to Shenzhen.
I followed all the usual protocols of checking in etc, only to find that a little before our plane was due to board, the sign went up to say that the boarding would commence 10 minutes after the scheduled departure time.
Not a big problem, except that come boarding time, there was no plane.
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| Interior shot of our luxurious tourist hotel. |
When it did arrive, it delivered a full compliment of passengers, and we had to wait while they disembarked and wait while they cleaned the plane. Finally, we got the green light to board. But just then the rain came down. We nevertheless boarded to find that it was stifling hot in there. While there was an obvious' repair crew working on the problem, people naturally began to complain. Eventually the stewardess announced over the intercom that the problem would soon be fixed and that by the time we were in the air, we would have cool air inside the aircraft. Two minutes later she announced that the plane was to be grounded for an hour because of storms.
I don't know why it is, but if there is only one person on the plane who is sick, or only one baby on the plane that wants to cry, I am always the person sitting beside them. (Maybe that says something?) At any rate, whilst no one was happy about the delay, one particular gentleman, and I use the worse loosely, began to rant and rave in the loudest and most abnoxious way. You guessed it! He was sitting right beside me. I swear he came as close as only 30 seconds from being 'king hit' and knocked unconscious.
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| From the Giant Buddha on the River - a view of the city. |
This is the same trip I wrote about in Travelling in Exotic China Pt 1 when I wrote:
- You know that rule that you can only take one piece of personal luggage onto the plane? Well forget it! Not only do the Chinese carry more than one piece of hand luggage, but on that trip, I witnessed one lady entering the plane carrying 6 bags and dragging one suitcase. The poor attendants were running up and down the aisle trying to find places to put everyone's extra luggage, which included shoving them into the amenities cupboards, and stashing them under seats.
- Then there were all those people who found that their seats were occupied by others, and had to try and get them back. As they engaged in that activity, they of course blocked the aisle. Most fellow passengers finding their way blocked, did not bother to just wait until the situation was sorted out, but began pushing, shoving and climbing over luggage in the aisle, as though the plane was going to take off before they could get to their own particular seat. The attendants of course put on their best smiles and valiantly tried to keep their cool while they got everyone organised.
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| LeShan Giant Buddha - the other one is Mingxing. |
When we finally left we were 2 hours late.
With no mobile phone I could not advise Mingxing of my altered circumstances, but nevertheless found him waiting patiently at the Chengdu airport when I arrived.
Having previously asked him to check me into an ordinary (cheap) hotel for the night, he had a friend find me one opposite the university, and naturally since I am a foreigner, it was an expensive hotel.
It was a very nice and lavish place, but I do now object to paying a 'tourist' rental when I am actually paid in local currency. Give me an ordinary hotel anytime.
The next day we went to the train station to buy tickets to Emei Mountain, but either there were no trains to go there or none that we could catch and so instead we caught the bus to Le Shan in order to see the Giant Buddha located in the cliffs of the river.
Not being a tourist, I am often privileged to witness 'real life' in China, and our visit to the railway station in Chengdu was no exception. Being too tired to bother standing in a long queue with Mingxing, I decided to take a seat opposite the entrance to the ticket hall. I really have no idea how long I was there, but gee it was fun.
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| Interior shot of our hotel. |
I watched one old man stand next to me and urinate into the garden. I watched a policeman running around trying to catch a street urchin who momentarily took refuge beside me. I watched an official of some sort ask for identity papers of two locals who threw their cigarette butts on the ground, and was in the middle of a funny debate with a Tibetan woman about my lack of desire to buy a crucifix, when a policeman appeared and chased her off into the distance.
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| Famous personages in the park at LeShan |
Eventually I went up the stairs to the entrance to see if I could spot Mingxing, and ran into a family sitting by the front doors. I ended up in a conversation with them and their tiny tots, and had all the bystanders in fits as I taught the children some useful phrases in English, and tried to get the little boy to stand up. Although he held his arms up for me to pick him up, he played dead and so couldn't stand. It was certainly a funny game.
When Mingxing arrived I asked him to tell me what the place was that the family had said I should visit, and it turned out to be Emei Mountain - the place we were trying to get to.
We left the train station and headed for the bus station, where not long afterward, we found ourselves on a bus for the short trip to Le Shan City, which as I understand it, is part of Chengdu. At the bus station we were greeted by the usual crowd of taxi drivers and rickshaw drivers, and just kept telling them we were not interested. One lady rickshaw driver however rode beside us for some distance, telling us that she would take us to our intended destination for only 2 yuan.
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| A Permanent Nuclear Family. |
The skeptic in me warned that we must be close, or that she had some 'cheating' intention, but lo and behold, she rode that bike strenuously for quite some distance, deftly managing to avoid getting us killed by passing motorists. When we arrived at our lodgings (a place that must never have had a foreign body in it before), I paid the 2 yuan and slipped her another 10 for being a 'nice person'. As we went inside, she said she would wait for us and take us to a nice place for dinner.
Well - an hour or two later, after we had freshened up, we indeed found her waiting outside for us, and without wanting extra payment, took us to a nice restaurant. We gave her some cash and walked away from the restaurant she had chosen, and found ourselves a quite 'ordinary' place in an 'out of the way' street. (The extra cash was to make up for the tip she would have been paid by the hotel to which she took us.)
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| LeShan public Park |
The following morning (July 22nd) we took a local bus out to the park within which is located the Giant Buddha. When we got off the bus, we were approached by locals offering us a 'special tour' for a cheaper fee than if we entered the official park. Mingxing who is thoroughly adept at researching, was already apprised of the fact that one could indeed bypass the official tour and accept the local tours. It was all 'legit'. Agreeing to the price quoted, we were instructed to get into the rickshaw.
Now this was not a motorized rickshaw, it was just a bicycle with carriage on the back, and the driver was just a slender little lady. The road along which we were to travel however was quite obviously 'inclined' - a term that was not applicable to my intention to allow the driver to 'sweat it' trying to get this 90kg chunk of fat up and over that hill. She did however insist that it would be 'no problem' and that we were not to worry about it.
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| It's all in the Team Work - old and new together |
Well, without noticing that another couple were embarking on a similar journey just a few metres ahead of us, we boarded the rickshaw, and the little lady began to peddle.
I was dumbfounded. There was just no way that she was going to pull this trick off. Just then, to my utter astonishment, a motorcycle pulled in right beside the rickshaw in front of us, and it's driver, placing one leg firmly on the back of the rickshaw, revved up the engines and rickshaw, passengers and motorbike roared off into the distance.
I had barely taken in what I was witnessing when suddenly there was a jolt to our own rickshaw, and we too began speeding up the road. Only in China!
About 10 minutes later, after turning off the main road and following a dirt track, we arrived and disembarked at a gateway and bridge and several information signs, one of which related to Wuyou Temple.
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| Gateway after the Rickshaw ride. |
Leshan Wuyou Temple (Textual errors included.)
Wuyou Temple, Sitting in green and wetersurrounded Wuyou Hill, was built in the year of Zhide (75AD) in the Tang Dynasty.
Enjoying a history of over 1200 years, it is part of the UN-named natural and cultural heritage and the State-protected scenic spot.
It is also a key site of relics of the country and an important temple open to the outside world.
In the temple, there are many places of cultural and historical interest. Tianwang (Heavenly Kings) Hall, Guanyin Hall, Wuyou Hall and the Arhat Hall are solemn in ancient style, Kuangyi Pavilion is charm and elegant. On Erya Terrace you can overlook the river, while in Tingtao Pavilion, you can enjoy the music of the current. If you want to see how the three rivers meet go to Jingyun Pavilion; to enjoy flowers, butterflies and singing birds, go to the Plum Garden. What is mostly worth mentioning is that it is the temple and the hill on which it stands that form the hesd of the Giant Sleeping Buddha.
Here and there in the temple, you can see wonderful poems and tablets left by scholars in the history. Travelors and worshipers of Buddhism come and go busily, all attracted by the monk's recitation of the scriptures and the beautiful scenery.
This is but a temple in a lively hill surrounded by beautiful rivers. On hearing the morningbell and evening drum, watching the glowing incense, and thinking of the temple's location on the head of the Giant Sleeping Buddha, one cannot help leaving himself deep in the thought or ancient civilization.
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| Inside the museum. |
Now I have to confess, I don't know if the one and only temple we went to was the Wuyou Temple or not, but irrespective of that, the first place we went to was a museum and some caves.
Mahao Tomb Cave
During the East Han Dynasty, a special burial custom came into fashion in Sichuan province. The graves were dug into the hills thus came the name of Tomb Caves. The Mahao (placename) Tomb Caves are located at the cliff between Wuyou and Lingyun hills. Within the 0.1 sq kilometers there are about 500 tombs, look like honecomb. The decorative engravings and the stone inscription in the tomb are of great historical and artistic value. It is a key part of Leshan Grand Buddha Scenery Area, the national key cultural relic and the world cultural and natural heritages.
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| Thinking about a permanent residence. |
After our tour of the caves and burial chambers, we headed back to the bridge where we exchanged guides and began our ascent up the mountain with a sturdy Chinese Male guide. All the way up the mountain side one could see empty rock hewn burial chambers.
A Brief Introduction to Leshan Cave Tombs
The cave tombs, which were carved in the cliff, were popular in Sichuan in the Western and Eastern Han Dynasties. The Cave Tombs in Leshan were typical for their huge scale, great number and excellent design.
In the Han Dynasty, there were many salt and iron mines in Leshan. With convenient transportation, the area developed fast in economy, and this helped to lay a material foundation for its rich burial cutoms.
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| This tomb is large enough to walk in. |
There are thousands of cave tombs in Leshan. Many of them are distributed in hills by the river, with the city suburbs as the center. In Mahao, there are hundreds of such tombs. In ancient times, it was a general custom to bury the dead of a family in one tomb, The cave tomb usually has passages, seperated coffin chambers and kitchens. Some of the coffins are pottery, others are made from wood or stone. The funerary objects, such as human, bird and animal figures, inscriptions, pottery model buildings and iron and bronze wares, are placed according to the real living conditions of the dead. The vivid pottery figures demonstrate the recreation activities of the Han people, some talking and singing, and others playing musical instruments. The model kitchens, dogs and horses all look similar to those of the living.
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There are sculptures, paintings and inscriptions in and on the gate and walls of the tomb and the coffins as well. Some are portraits of lucky birds and strange animals. Some tell historical stories. Some describe the procedure of big barquets. In some inscriptions, the names of the dead and the carving date of the tomb are recorded. The relics in the tombs show that the people in the Han Dynasty were talented in painting and pottery making. Their artistic skills are a heritage to the artists of our time.
Leshan cave tombs have presented us a vivid picture of the life of the people in the Han Dynasty, which is valuable for our study of the past.
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| The bridge across which you must pass to climb the mountain |
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| The foreign emperor of China with his two servants. |
Not far up the mountainside, we came to the tourist traps - er - I mean souvenir stands.
It was here that I did something that I have always wanted to do, but about which I always felt a little shy.
I paid for the privilege of wearing traditional Chinese apparel. Not ordinary apparel mind you! Not for this foreigner.
I fulfilled a lifelong ambition to be a 'King'.
I had no sooner donned the robes when a man with two kids came by.
Without any prompting, the little boy ran up to me and Kowtowed and gave me the greeting appropriate for a Chinese Emperor - 'Wan Sui!, Wan Sui! Wan Wan Sui!' (May you live 10,000 years and ten times that! - Heaven forbid!)
They were wonderful little kids with whom I took several pictures, and it is unfortunate that I didn't get their contact address so that I could send them some copies.
After chatting with them a little while, we proceeded on our way to the top of the mountain where we rested a while - I was out of breath - and then proceeded to visit the sites that it contained.
I think from memory the term is 'Ar hat' temple - not sure - but there was one of those there. It's a temple that contains myriads of buddhas and teachers, each one in a different position.
When we finished our tour we headed back down, almost as quickly as we had ascended. Back at the bridge, we dined 'al fresco' amongst some banana trees. Despite the surroundings and the distance to the actual restaurant kitchen it was a marvelous experience which was enhanced by meeting up with the kids with whom I had taken some photos earlier.
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| One view of the Temple on the Mount |
As the food was arriving, the two kids appeared and I spent about 15 minutes chatting with the little boy. I have no idea where he came from, but his Mandarin was spoken with an excellent accent. I should be so lucky. I speak Mandarin with a 'country bumpkin' accent.
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| Inside the Temple on the Mount. |
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| By the Entrance to the Mountain Temple |
With lunch over, we returned by the way we had arrived.
Upon arrival back at the entrance to the main park, our rickshaw driver collected our agreed upon fees and promptly went off and got us our tickets for the riverboat cruise to the Giant Buddha.
Those poor saps who did the touristy thing had to first climb up and then down the jolly mountain to stand immediately in front of the Buddha.
We had the best view, although not without effort from the boat's captain.
It had been flooding all over Sichuan that previous week, and the river current was running furiously.
It seemed that he had the engine at full throttle just so that we could 'hold position' to get good views and take even better photographs.
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| A view from the mountain top. |
When our tour came to an end, we caught a local bus back to our lodgings, and took a walk around the town. Not far from where we were staying was a big park in which the 'SNOW' beer company was holding special events including a concert.
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| First you climb up to the hill and then you come down these stairs to look at the Giant Buddha. |
We took a wander around, listening to the musical performances and comedy sketches. At one point I had to stop and ask Mingxing if I had understand the artist correctly.
'Yes!' he said, and he not only called '----(nationality)--- (bad names) --- but the police as well!' Well! I have heard such things expressed privately, but never so publically.
I was a little shocked, although not quite as shocked as most people seemed to be at the appearance of a foreigner.
Taking the next day off for a rest, we went back to the park and took a few photos. The following day we took the bus to Mt. Emei - the most Divine place in China so far. But for that story, you will have to wait.
I hope you have enjoyed this story and these photos. Extra Photographs at KingsCalendar
R.P.Bendedek
Email: rpbendedek@hotmail.com
Other Stories from Chengdu
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R.P.BenDedek is the pseudonym of the Author of 'The King's Calendar: The Secret of Qumran' (www.kingscalendar.com), and is a guest columnist at Magic City Morning Star News. An Australian, he currently teaches Conversational English in China.
Photographic Stories From China
"The King's Calendar" is a chronological study of the historical books of the Bible (Kings and Chronicles), Josephus, Seder Olam Rabbah, and the (Essene) Damascus Document of The Dead Sea Scrolls.
