Chengdu

Once again on the train. Countryside is getting more diverse, and train is driving slower than to Xi'an

City streets while driving to the hostel

In Chengdu, we stayed at the Holly's Hostel. The plan for the day after putting down our luggage was to go to Leshan, 180 km south of Chengdu, and see the Giant Buddha, the tallest stone Buddha statue in the world, carved out of a cliff face on the Emei mountain. This was the first day we were let down by the weather, it's lightly drizzling most of the day.

Driving to Leshan, a thick fog all around	Sichuan is one of the main green tea provinces, and Chengdu is well known for their teahouses. We stopped in one on the way.			Entrance to the Giant Buddha site

There are many Buddha and other smaller statues along the path leading to the top of the Giant Buddha				One of the pavilions where visitors can rest

Buddha's head and a view down to its feet by the river before starting to descend		Even if raining, there is a long slow-moving line	Slowly descending on Buddha's right side..

...on wet slippery stairs		A view to the bottom platform, worshippers lighting joss sticks

Going further down with the crowd			Final descend to the bottom	Giant Buddha as viewed from the feet up

Incense is burnt in a big pot at Buddha's feet	Leshan city in a thick fog	Taking the stairs on the other side back to the top, by a small waterfall		A pavilion with a huge bell

There is a nice small temple near the top of the Giant Buddha site	It's supposed to be good luck to rub this Buddha's belly	Arhats at Great Buddha Temple	Lighting candles and joss-sticks as an offering and asking for benefits

Young monks presenting their work	There is a beautiful and peaceful garden with thick vegetation behind the temple on the way down			Everywhere to be seen, rickshaws

The next day we have visited one of the Chinas greatest national treasures, pandas. Pandas are found in wild only in Sichuan, Shaanxi and Gansu provinces, and there are fewer than 1000 of them left, a majority of them in the Sichuan province. Just outside Chengdu is the Giant Panda Breeding and Research Center has been created and imitates the pandas' natural habitat in order that they might have a the best possible environment for rearing and breeding. The center is open to visitors for further scientific education and to improve public awareness of the protection of both wild creatures and their environment.

Driving 10 km outside Chendu...	... to the Giant Panda Breeding Research Center	We are lucky, pandas are very active and playful this morning

Way too many photos of pandas. They have about 50 pandas in the center, of varying ages.

AVI Video clip 480x640, 30fps, XVID, MP3 stereo (17 seconds, 5.97 MB)

The center is arranged as a very nice park	There was a peacock walking around	The center also has a few lesser pandas, also known as red pandas, or small pandas

They are much smaller than giant pandas, quite cute, and resemble a mixture between a fox and a raccoon			For a fee, you take a picture with one

Returning from the panda center, we visited the Wenshu Monastery, Chengdu's oldest, largest, and best-preserved Buddhist temple in the Chengdu city. We treated ourselves with a vegetarian lunch prepared by monks in the monastery's restaurant, and relaxed in the adjoining teahouse. The afternoon was free to explore the city on our own, and in the evening we are going to see a Chinese opera performance in the local theater.

Local streets with many small shops near the Wenshu monastery		Wenshu monastery dates in the 6th century, it has almost 200 buildings, and comes with a distinct red wall

Delicate gardens and statues inside the monastery		A nice meal in the monastery's restaurant, everything is vegetarian

Relaxing by a cup of green tea	Walking around Chengdu and stumbling on a marketstreet	Live fish and eel are common to find on markets

In the evening, we visited the Sichuan Opera in the Shufengyayun Operatic Circle in the Chengdu Culture Park. With a cup of ever-present green tea you can enjoy performances like the famous magical Changing faces, where actors are capable of changing as many as 10 masks/makeups in less that 20 seconds, each with an instant split-moment gesture! Other performances also include musical solos, acrobatics, hand shadow show, Rolling Light (clown play while balancing a flaming bowl on one's head), and Spitting Fire.

Shufengyayun Opera in Chengdu	Inside the theater	Attendants with special tea pots for refilling

Opening performance, traditional music, and a dancing act			Sichuan Opera puppets on sticks, amazing skills, puppet comes to life

One of the dancing routines	A humorous play where wife punishes husband	Changing Faces and Spitting Fire