A PICTORIAL TOUR OF SHANXI PROVINCE, CHINA

INTRODUCTION: I went to China with a group of wonderful singers from the San Jose Chinese Choir after our annual performance in October 2002. This was not the first time we went to China. It was probably the best cultural and historical tour, especially from a little known and hard to reach province of Shanxi. Because it was hard to reach, its history was well preserved and not commercialized.

HISTORY: Shanxi is situated between two well known capitals, Xian and Beijing. If we follow the migration of the Chinese people from the West to the East along the Yellow River, we would know that Shanxi had its share of history from Xian to Beijing. Since the Silk Route goes through Shanxi, it has a diverse culture.

GEOGRAPHY: Shanxi is bounded by the Taihang Mountain Range in the east and the Hungshan Mountain in the North. The Yellow River separated Shanxi and Shaanxi (Xian) in the West and with Henan province in the South. We took a train from Beijing through the Taihang Mountain Range to Shanxi.

WEATHER: Shanxi has continental climate with long, cold winters and mild summers. Its average temperature is -16C to -2C in January and 19C to 28C in July. The best month to visit is October.

PRODUCTS: Shanxi is known for its pears and coal. Since it is difficult to transport them outside of Shanxi, they are consumed locally at a very low price. Shanxi is quite polluted due to its extensive use of cheap coal. The local people prefers vinegar in every meal; said to counter the ill effect of the pollution.

PEOPLE: Shanxi people are industrious and innovative. They ventured outside to find work. To trade, they minted their own money and probably started the international banking system if one considered their trading partners were the Russians and foreigners along the Silk Route. In the early 1900's, China lost several wars to the foreign countries and had to pay compensation. They "borrowed" money from the wealthy Shanxi bankers but never paid them back. Instead, they decided to mint their own money. Nowadays, the people works hard for low wages.

ITENARY IN SHANXI:

1. 10/12/2002: Flight from San Francisco to Beijing, China.
2. 10/13/2002: Arrive Beijing.
3. 10/14/2002: Beijing by train to Datong in Shanxi.
4. 10/15/2002: Datong to Wutai Mountain via Hanging Monastery. Datong
5. 10/16/2002: Wutai to Taiyuan. Wutai Mountain
6. 10/17/2002: Tai Yuan: visit Pingyao ancient city. Taiyuan
7. 10/18/2002: Taiyuan to Linfun. Linfun
8. 10/19/2002: Linfun to Bottleneck. Road to Yellow River
9. 10/20/2002: Bottleneck to Yuan City. Bottleneck
10. 10/21/2002: Yuan City to Luoyang in Henan province. Bonus

Note: Due to time zone differences, the date in my camera may be off. This shows up in some of the photographs.

Datong: In Northern Shanxi
Yungang Caves: 53 caves, over 51000 stone sculptures completed during 460-494 AD	A Yungang Budha: most sculptures are well preserved
Entry to a Yungang Cave	Inside a Yungang Cave
The Hanging Monastery: Constructed 1400 years ago in Northern Wei Dynasty. In true freedom of religion, Budha, Confucius and Laotsu are enshrined together	A corner of the Hanging Monastery
The Nine Dragons Wall	China's oldest and largest wooden tower. Built more than 900 years old without using any nails.
Wutai: Centrel Shanxi
Wutai Mountain is one of the four Buddhist holy lands in China. Starting in 25 AD, it had over 300 temples and 10,000 monks in its heyday. Nowadays, 47 temples with 100,000 sculptures are still in good condition.	WuTai (Five Terraces) is a cluster of five terrace-like peaks. The coal-burning smoke is noticeable even in this remote area.
Remote, but well preserved Foguang Temple built in 618 AD	An original Foguang roof with locking beams without nails.
Taiyuan: State Capital, 150 miles North of Wutai
Jin Temple was built in memory of an Emperor's mother in the Jin Dynasty around 250 AD.	Dragons signified loyalty in China. The Emperor's official dress was a yellow silk gown with dragons. (Ancient dragon was not that pretty. Looked like lizards climbinging the posts.)
Two thousand years old trees inside the Jin Temple.	Home of A Wealthy Banker: site of a recent Chinese movie.
Pingyao City Wall: Rebuilt in Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) is 3.85 miles around, 32.8 feet high, average 30 feet wide at the base.	Pingyao city dates back 1100-711 BC, listed in the World Heritage by UNESCO
Pingyao's main street: food, groceries and CD/VCD.	A Pingyao hotel: people do live and stay in this city.
Linfun: A Long Drive to Southeast Shanxi
About 500 years ago in Ming Dynasty, the Hakkar people were forced to migrate South from here. Their descendants would come back to remember their ancestors and look at the dead tree.	Site of the dead tree.
A Long Drive to Hu-Kao (Bottleneck)
Another long drive from Linfun to Hu-Kao (bottleneck). We were very close to the featured highlight of Yellow River bottleneck. The road was winding and hilly. It was foggy. For once, the choir members forgot to sing.	Did see many caves along the way. People used to live there. When we get to Laoyang, we actually visited a multi-bedroom cave featured in the bonus page
Hu-Kao: The Awesome Yellow River Bottleneck
Yellow River is the second largest river in China. It is called the mother river because it nurtures the Chinese and its civilization. Started from the mountains East of the Himalayas, it flows through a muddy plateau and reaches a bottleneck in Shanxi.	Yellow River approaching its bottleneck
A view of the Yellow River Bottleneck	"Am I standing too close?"
After passing the Bottleneck	Several days later, the muddy water settles down in Henan province. The muddy ground is like a sponge.

Bonus Page on Luoyang
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