Shaanxi: Visit the Ancient Ceramic Town

On June 13 of this year, my Beijing-Xian one day tour came to an end and I took a plane back to Beijing. I remembered that as soon as I got off the plane in Xian Xianyang International Airport and met my old friend Pei Jingde, a famous wildlife photographer in China, he told me that he would take me to an unique ancient town, Chenlu Town in Tongchuan City. It is said that it is “a world famous town of ceramic”, which is hailed as “the living fossil of eastern ceramic-making”and “eastern ancient ceramic town”. But I had known little about it before I came.

Located in the boarder of Loess Plateau and Guangzhong Plain, Chenlu is a small town which is also the continuing of the most famous folk kiln in north China — Yaozhou Kiln. When we drive into Tongchuan, the a vast of wheat field came into our eyes. It was near the harvest time, and ears of the wheat turned yellow. When a gust of wind swept by, the wheat rippled in the breeze just like wave in the sea.

It is deduced that the history of the ceramic-making can be dated back to the ages before Tang and Song Dynasties from the board between the beams. The ceramic-making got it highest peak Jin and Yuan Dynasty, and it has been continued for more than 1,400 years till now. In modern time, the potters in Chenlu still use the primitive method to produce ceramics, which can be said as a living fossil of ceramic-making. If you are interested in China’s ceramics, Chenlu is a must-see tourist attraction when you conduct a Xian tour.

Tengwang Pavilion

From the ancient time, Tengwang Pavilion has been regarded as first among the three famous pavilions in south of Yangtze River, followed by the Huanghe Pavillion and Yueyang Pavilion. Lying beside the North Fuhe Avenue in Nanchang, the magnificent pavilion is located at the junction point of Ganjiang River and the old Fu River. Thanks to its special location, the Tengwang Pavilion takes the city as its backyard garden and the river as its mirror. After been built, Tengwang Pavilion has witnessed Song, Yuan, Ming, Qing dynasties. The pavilion has changed a lot after it was been reconstructed for several times and restored by 18 times. Recently I have a travel in Xian. I found that different from the attractions I have seen in my Xian tour from Beijing , the Tengwang Pavilion is imbued with the aura of the literati.

The Tengwang Pavilion becomes well known mostly because of a famous poet Wang Bo, one of the four excellences in early Tang Dynasty. His representative masterpieces Preface to Tengwang Pavilion has been famous throughout ancient and modern, as well as maintained the glory with the years going. Because of Wang Bo, when reading Preface to Tengwang Pavilion, people remember the Tengwang Pavilion. It is so popular among the mass that it has been passed down from generation to generation. In the ancient time, Tengwang pavilion has been a place where poets welcome friends and guests. Even in today, it is still popular to inscribe a poem when visiting at here.

The picturesque Lijiang

Known as the most beautiful Guilin landscape, the Lijiang River is a gorgeous pearl among China's beautiful mountains and rivers. For several thousands of years, it has attracted millions of tourists at home and abroad and numerous of bookmen and scholars have been intoxicated with it. The whole voyage of the Lijiang River from the Guilin City to the Yangshuo City is about 83 kilometers, you can finish the visit in three segments.

The first voyage is about 46km from Guilin City to Yangdi. Commonly, it will take you 4 hours at this segment. During this trip, you will have a sightseeing of those scenic sights for they are a bit far from the waterway and near Guilin City. There are two hills named "Chuanshan" on the east bank and "Guishan" on the opposite west bank, resembling a pair of fighting roosters. One of the advantages to visit the Lijiang River is that the you need not to worry about the change of the weather, since no matter what’s the waether, you can appreciate the beautiful Lijiang River with its different characteristics. You can view the inverted images of green peaks in sunny days, see the clouds and mists covering the hills in overcast days and view the misty rain of the Lijiang River in rainy days.

Anhui: China's Top Mountain: Mt. Huangshan

Huang-shan Mountain, one of the notable mountains in China, is situated in China’s southeast Anhui Province. In most of Chinese people’s eyes, it is the most beautiful and most famous mountain in China. With a total area of 1,200 square kilometers, Mt. Huangshan is designated as one of the top ten tourist attractions and destinations and has been listed in “World Cultural and Natural Heritage” in 1990.

In China, the expression “Wu yue(five mountains)” is the collective name given to China's most important mountains. They are Mt. Taishan in Shandong Province, Mt. Huashan in Shaanxi Province, Mt. Hengshan in Shanxi Province, Mt. Songshan in Henan Province and Mt. Hengshan in Hunan Province respectively.

There is a saying goes like this: You won't want to visit any other mountains after seeing wu yue, but you won't wish to see even wu yue after returning from Mt. Huangshan. This saying may indicates how unique and attractive Mt. Huangshan is.

　　

Jiangsu Wuxi: The Grand Buddha in Lingshan Mountain

Compared with exquisite Donglin Academy, the Brahma Palace scenic spot can be described with the word “resplendent”. The first step I put into the hall, I was shocked by the golden dome and huge marble columns. A dizzying pastiche of Dongyang woodcarvings, hand paintings, glass products, Yangzhou lacquer ware and cloisonné enamel etc all jump into my eyes.

As a multi-functional cultural building for tourism, exhibitions and cultural experiences, Lingshan Brahma Palace has been built beside a mountain in the integration of the Chinese Buddhist rock-cave art and traditional Buddhist building elements.

There is a huge revolving stage in Shrine with the area of 35,000 square meters and the dome of 30 meters in height. Light up 1500 lotus lamps atop the building just like staying in the starry universe. Timed giant musical history drama will be performed in the Shrine every day, expressing legend experience of Buddha.

Yunnan: the red earth in Dongchuan

Words on the Internet has it that the red earth in Dongchuan District in China’s southwest Yunnan Province is thought by experts as the most imposing one except that of Rio de Janeiro in Brazil. It even can be more magnificent than the red earth in Brazil.

Therefore, we choose the red earth in Dongchuan as our first stop of the trip to Yunnan.

It is cold in early winter, though here is the south China. People all ware down jacket to keep warm. The inns are all privately owned by the local farmer, therefore, the sanitary conditions can hardly reaches the set criteria. We only live here for one night and then start our journey after the breakfast next day. The photos were taken in the second morning. Because it had rained before the day, the earth was not as red as it was said online.

The red mud sticked on the trouser legs looks like some blood spot in the first sight. Even though we got dirty, but the earth is really eye-catching.

The Beautiful Autumn Scenery of Wulanbutong Grassland

Wulanbutong Grassland is located at the southermost Keshiketeng Banner in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region and lies across a river from the Saihanba Forest Farm, about 300 kilometers away to Beijing. Wulanbutong is a part of Mulan Paddock in Qing Dynasty. It is not only famous for its historical role but also renowned both at home and abroad as an exterior base of film with the gorgeous European grassland scenery. It belongs to the ecotone of hilly lands and plain, forest and grass are integrated together, which makes this area gifted with both southern and northern beauty. It is the natural art gallery, the photography of township,and the open studio in China.

The autumn Wulanbutong doesn’t have endless green grassland. But the Golden White Birches stand uprightly and grow vigorously into the cloud. The sunlight scattered from the dense forest, shinning and sparkling. The white cloud drifting across treetops, leaving numerous silver lines in the sky.

Three Hills Convent

Three Hills Convent is the third temple of the Eight Great Temples of the Western Hills. It is situated among tile Cuiwei Hill, Pingpo Hill and Lushi Hill, hence the name. The year of building the convent is unknown, but it was renovated during Emperor Qianlong's reign (1736-1795). The convent is not large and consists of only one courtyard, it is of rather exquisite construction. At the doorway of the main hall there is a rectangular “Cloud and Water Stone, ” carved with images of scenery, human figures and animals. To the east of the main hall is a small kiosk with an inscribed plaque, which reads, “Cuiwei Hill is part of a painting. ” Looking out from here, tourists can see many peaks covered with pines and cypresses. The temple is set in the midst of a dense forest that provides a cool and pleasant place for a stroll. Dining the hottest days, tourists will find an ideal place to flee the heat. The Temple of Great Compassion The Temple of Great Compassion is the third temple of the Eight Great temples of the Western Hills. Climbing up the Thee Hills Convent, tourist pass a lot of strange rock formations before reaching the fourth of the Eight Great Temples, the Temple of Great Compassion situated on the half slope of the the Pingpo Hill. The temple was first built in the Yuan Dynasty (1279-1368) . It got its present name in 1712 and restored in 1975. The three main halls in the temple compound date from different eras of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), the most recently built being the rearmost Hall of Great Compassion. On the front hall hangs a plaque inscribed with the words “Sea of Compassion, ” and the courtyard before it is thickly planted with a rare species of bamboo, which remains green throughout the winter. The courtyards also contain potted landscapes, fragrant plants and decorative rockeries. Also of interest to tourists are the two huge ginkgo trees in the rare courtyard, reputed to be more than 800 years old. The carved statues of the eighteen Arhats (immortals) in the front hall of the temple are some of the finest in all of the eight Great Temples. Legend relates it that the renowned Yuan Dynasty sculptor Liu Yuan made them.