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Exploring China |
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Beijing -
Xi'an -
Chengdu -
Songpan -
Yangshuo -
Back in Beijing
Chengdu
Chengdu is the capital of the Sichuan province and the 5th most populous city in China, with estimated 11 million residents in the city area. As we quickly came to realize, due to its location Chengdu has one of the lowest sunshine rates in China, most of the days are foggy and cloudy.![]() |
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Once again on the train. Countryside is getting more diverse, and train is driving slower than to Xi'an |
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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.
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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 |
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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 |
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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.. |
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...on wet slippery stairs | A view to the bottom platform, worshippers lighting joss sticks |
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Going further down with the crowd | Final descend to the bottom |
Giant Buddha as viewed from the feet up |
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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 |
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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.
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Driving 10 km outside Chendu... |
... to the Giant Panda Breeding Research Center |
We are lucky, pandas are very active and playful this morning |
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Way too many photos of pandas. They have about 50 pandas in the center, of varying ages. |
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AVI Video clip 480x640, 30fps, XVID, MP3 stereo (17 seconds, 5.97 MB) |
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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 |
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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.
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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 |
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Delicate gardens and statues inside the monastery | A nice meal in the monastery's restaurant, everything is vegetarian |
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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.
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Shufengyayun Opera in Chengdu |
Inside the theater | Attendants with special tea pots for refilling |
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Opening performance, traditional music, and a dancing act | Sichuan Opera puppets on sticks, amazing skills, puppet comes to life |
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One of the dancing routines |
A humorous play where wife punishes husband |
Changing Faces and Spitting Fire |
Next page: Songpan