day 109 Leshan

There are two big tourist draws near Chengdu and today we head out across town to catch the public bus for the 2 hour trip to Leshan and the Giant Buddha. At the bus station we then take a taxi, (after much negotiation on rates and the use of the meter) to the Buddha complex. The Leshan Giant Buddha  was built during the Tang Dynasty (618–907AD). It is carved out of a cliff face that lies at the confluence of the Minjiang, Dadu and Qingyi rivers in the southern part of Sichuan province in China, near the city of Leshan. The stone sculpture faces Mount Emei, with the rivers flowing below his feet. It is the largest carved stone Buddha in the world and it is by far the tallest pre-modern statue in the world.

 

 We are discovering that no Handley day trip is complete without atleast a steep hill, long set of stairs or slope climb and today is no exception!  The level of humidity on the way up in comparison to the city is a bit of a shock as we thought it would be cooler the higher we climbed. Along the way there are several small shrines carved into the rock face, complete with candles, incense, statues and offerings of flowers left by worshippers on their way up to the main attraction. According to legend Lingyan Hill with its dense forest and cave offered good shelter for a white tiger, while at the foot of the hill, the three rivers provided a black dragon with waves to play in. The dragon and tiger after hearing the Buddhist sutras decided to dedicate themselves to Buddhism and became guardians to protects Buddhists. Cen Shen a Tang Dynasty poet wrote while visiting Lingyan Hill "Wind blows over the tiger's lair and rain drops to fill the dragon's pool". This site later named Dragon Pool and Tiger Lair has been a popular destination in Lingyun Hill since the Tang Dynasty. 

 

At the top there is another beautiful Wuyou Buddhist temple, complete with the most beautiful and ornate images, carved and decorated in the most sumptuous style.

The Big Buddha is...  well... BIG! Sitting, literally on the river bank and carved into the rock face. We start at the head and get our first glimpse of the statue in it's enterity. It is HUGE!

Construction was started in 713, led by a Chinese monk named Haithong. He hoped that the Buddha would calm the turbulent waters that plagued the shipping vessels traveling down the river. When funding for the project was threatened, he is said to have gouged out his own eyes to show his piety and sincerity. After his death, however, the construction was stuck due to insufficient funding. About 70 years later, a jiedushi decided to sponsor the project and the construction was completed by Haitong's disciples in 803.
Apparently the massive construction resulted in so much stone being removed from the cliff face and deposited into the river below that the currents were indeed altered by the statue, making the waters safe for passing ships.

At 71 metres (233 feet) tall, the statue depicts a seated Buddha with his hands resting on his knees. His ears are 7m, the shoulders are 28 metres wide, his big toes are 8.5m long  and his smallest toenail is large enough to easily accommodate a seated person. There is a local saying: "The mountain is a Buddha and the Buddha is a mountain". This is partially because the mountain range in which the Leshan Giant Buddha is located is thought to be shaped like a slumbering Buddha when seen from the river, with the Leshan Giant Buddha as its heart. To fully appreciate the Buddha's magnitude we descend the steep, winding staircase carved in the cliff face and thank our lucky stars that we are here when it is relatively peaceful and not in the Golden Week throngs. It was tricky enough in the quiet!  We also get a good view of the tour and speed boats fighting against the current as their passengers (complete with waterproof ponchos to protect from the spray) view the Buddha from a different angle.

 Once we reach the bottom of the statue we then have to make the punishing and hot and sticky climb back up the other side through a series of steep staircases and tunnels, gradually working our way past groups of wheezing, puffing and panting Chinese as we "mountain goat" upwards to find the exit.

The exit proves difficult to find, we take several wrong turns as the signboards don't seem indicate the way out. We do stumble upon the riverfront and this beautiful bridge a little way upstream, but patience, energy and sense of humour are beginning to run out as we have walked up and down more than our fair share of stairs by this point. 

 

We see a sign "South Gate" and decide this must be one of the exit points - it was a cruel trick! It was merely a gate into the Buddha site from another scenic area - but the unusual typo, breaks the tension!

 Eventually we do escape and head back to the bus station to make our way home. Amazingly - even on the motorway back to Chengdu with no apparant reason, the bus driver honks his horn regularly at approximately 30 second intervals. He also talks as loudly as his hooter on his mobile phone for the duration of the journey mostly saying "Waaaiiiih", which we now understand to be hello, ok, yes or all of the above!

 

The taxi from the bus depot drops us at the end of our street and we walk past the teahouses which double as venues for Chinese Opera performances in the evenings - These costumes are on display as advertisements for the shows and were beautifully embroidered.

Day 108 Chengdu

After an eventful start to our journey, the night progresses without a hitch, apart from the ridiculous 4.30am arrival time in Chengdu! We have arranged for the hostel to collect us from the station so as to avoid trying to negotiate our way across a new city when we are bleary eyed and half asleep given our experiences at previous Chinese railway stations. There is man waiting with our name on a board and we are whisked into a minivan and arrive through some large doors into a covered courtyard at just after 5am. On first impressions this was going to be a good stay, however, we rapidly change our minds! Our family room has 1 double for all of us, is filthy and is trading on it's previous excellent owners and their reputation. After some fruitless negotiations we settle the girls into bed and David and I take advantage of the free wifi and electricity and rapidly find alternative accommodation. Just to be on the safe side David takes a taxi (easily this time) across town to check before returning to collect us. We leave quietly and no one bats an eyelid! 

The Wenjun Mansion is beautiful and the staff are super, super helpful. Breakfast is included, there is a bed for everyone and it is better placed. Phew! We spend the rest of the day recovering after the early morning excitement and planning our next few days!

day 107 Xian to Chengdu 9 October Sun

Leaving Xian behind we make our way to the station to travel to Chengdu - again by overnight sleeper. We bought these tickets as soon as we arrived in Xian and again had trouble buying 4 soft sleepers together. Atleast we had tickets and we have always been able to exchange them before so we are hopeful that we can change again. We have a short wait in the "soft sleeper waiting room" and the girls are fascinated by an older Chinese chap and his snacks and flash him a smile or two! Amused by the attention he shares his little sachets of assorted pickles with us and produces tissues and wet wipes at just the tight moment! He is also travelling to Chengdu and co incidentally and, as it turns out, rather fortuitously is also in carriage 9 with us. It is only when we are on the train that we suddenly realise that we have tickets for all top bunks, 2 in one compartment and then singles in 2 others... hmm, not sure that is going to work! Clutching our trusty piece of paper with "Please will you swap tickets so that we can be together with our children?" writtten in Chinese script, David approaches the "gentlemen" in the compartment where we have 2 beds and begins the negotiations. It is clear from their response that they will not be moving and one chap, obviously not getting his point across verbally while speaking very LOUDLY and S L OOOO W L Y... starts to write it down in Chinese script just to make it extra clear! At this point we are wondering how this journey will play out, one single bed is in a compartment already home to  a sleeping family with a baby, toddler and paying child, the other another group of single men. At this point the lovely man from the waiting room approaches, he cannot speak much English. He ushers the children, Nicole and all our bags into the sanctity of his empty carriage and he telephones his daughter who speaks to David in broken English to say that her father will sort things out for us if he can. David remains in the corridor and we sit and wait and wonder how the night will progress as the train pulls out of the station.  The man shows David his Press card which in our predicament is sufficient to convince David that he can hand over our tickets to help him sort this out and then begins a dialogue with the train guards. After much negotiation it appears that this man has kindly given up his cabin and persuaded the guards that the owners of the other three beds which will be accupied later on the journey will be persuaded to fill our other beds in the other various cabins. The guard then gives us our cards (which are always exchanged for tickets when you get on a train in China) which clearly confirm we have this four bed compartment to ourselves. David thanks the man (& the guards) profusely for his help and retires to the cabin with the good news, locking the door behind him. Everyone heaves a big sigh of relief! Once we have left the 'good samaritan' knocks on the door and shows David a text (in English) that his daughter has sent us on his phone confirming what has happened. What amazing people there are in the world! To say thankyou the girls draw him pictures and write "Thank you" in chinese script copied from the guidebook to give to the man. He is overjoyed and a bit overwhelmed and shows their pictures to everyone, taking photos of us all to show his family! Our only sadness is that he wont be able to access our blog or emails from China. 

day 106 xian Terracotta army

We have come to the conclusion that travel within China is really hard work! It just feels difficult and so, rather than repeat the stresses of Beijing, we opt for a "guided tour" to visit the Terracotta Army. It is not really that much more expensive than a "DIY" version and we have decided that the added stress of negotiating our way to the site, the buying of tickets etc it is definitely worth the extra. We are collected from 7 Sages and board the minibus, collecting other tour members en route. Our party consists 4 Brits (us), 4 French ( who dont speak English) 3 Russian and 1 German - a tough gig for our "English speaking" guide - actually his English extended as far as "Remember my face - there are a lot of groups! Remember the bus we came in and its registration number - there are a lot of buses! Finally remember there are 12 persons in our group!"   Sadly our tour involves an initial stop at a government run "reproduction terracotta warrior factory" which roughly translates as "buy your tourist souvenirs here folks!" Not just pottery figures, ranging in size from matchbox to lifesize but also silk, carpets, jade, furniture, jewellery etc. The initial infomation session (lasting about 2 minutes, does atleast yield some useful facts - not least the symbolic detail of various hairstyles and that each warrior has a moustache! We retire to the minibus to wait for the Russians to spend their roubles They return with several conveniently packed and ready wooden packing crates!

Fortunately the stop here doesnt last too long and we arrive at the Museum Complex. The sum total of  information given by the guide at this point is "It's very noisy inside, lots of people! There are 3 pits. Meet me back here at 1.30." The two French couples had absolutely no idea what was going on and Nicole ends up translating for them for the rest of the day. Not sure who was more bemused, them or the guide. 

  

The terracotta army isnt just Xians premier site but also one of the most famous archeaological finds in the world and gives one of the greatest insights into the world of ancient China. It has stood guard over the soul of Emperor Qin ( he of Great Wall building fame) for over 2000 years - he was terrified of the vanquished spirits awaiting him in the afterlife and also wanted to ensure his rule continued in death as it had in life. The site was discovered in 1974 by peasants drilling a well, uncovering an underground vault, yielding thousands of lifesize terracotta soldiers and horses in battle formation. One of the most impressive and surprising attributes of the warriors is  that no two faces are alike - it is said that you can even find your own image somewhere here. The level of detail is extraordinary: the expressions, hairstyles, armour and even the tread on the footwear are all unique.

There were indeed 3 pits and we duly visit each in turn - in hindsight we probably should have done this in reverse and saved the best till last! The largest and most impressive of the pits is pit 1, an aircraft hangar sized building 230 metres long and 62 metres wide. So far 2000 pottery soldiers and 20 wooden chariots have been uncovered - but the estimate is that there are in fact 6000 men and 50 chariots buried here in total. The pit is an earth and wood structure, divided into 11 corridors which are paved with pottery bricks.  Each earthen alley was spanned by strong wooden rafters, covered with straw matting and then fine soil. Around the edge is a single row of foot soldiers facing out and at the eastern end, a vanguard of 3 rows protecting the rest, placed in battle formation. All made with local clay, baked in a kiln and then painted in detail using the highest of ancient technology. Later we learn, more incredibly still, that the weapons held by each soldier were plated with chrome, to maintain their sharpness and shiny surface, even when they were unearthed 2 millenia later and to protect from corrosion. Chrome plating technology was invented by the Germans in 1937 and the Americans in 1950 but had been in use by the Chinese 2200 years before! Mercury was also used as a defence against tomb raiders, contained within the tombs and soldiers themselves and has taken the lives of a number of early investigators of the site. It is a truly amazing place and we spend a long time, walking the perimeter of the pit and viewing soldiers in their various formations. 

 

 

The smallest u shaped Pit 3 is next - housing only 72 warriors and horses, believed to be the army head quarters  due to the number of high ranking officers unearthed here. There is also what is believed to be a prayer hall used to make sacrificial offerings before battle. Animal bones were heated and depending on the direction and shape of the cracks the future was predicted.

Pit 2 is less impressive, but nonetheless contains 1300 statues.  it is still a work in progress and hasnt been excavated to the same extent but was also a big victim of a farmers uprising soon after the death of Emperor Qin. Many of the artefacts uncovered have been found to be already broken. There are however five soldiers, housed in glass cases, which we can see up close. 

   

A kneeling archer, one of 160 found in this pit and a standing archer, one of 172, dressed in unarmoured battled costume. 

 

A mid ranking officer wearing double layer flat hat and squared toed shoes and a cavalryman and his horse.

And a general with upward pointing square toed shoes - only 7 have been found throughout the whole site.

We finish our time here with a slightly bizarre filmshow in a 360 degree movie theatre telling the story of Emperor Qin and his tomb. The film was a cross between a kung fu movie and an episode of "Monkey" all filmed in 1979, crackly, a bit blurry and very badly dubbed!  But it was worth the 10 minutes at the end of our visit.
Lunch is also included as part of the tour and we are walked to a "local" restaurant and seated on two large tables. The price of the beer is definitely aimed squarely at "tourists" and we end up having to negotiate the price of bottles of beer. Plates and plates of food are deposited on the table with no explanation of what we are eating.  At this point Nicole loses her cool as we  have been abandoned by the guide and the restaurant staff are inattententive at best. The guide is eventually located and asked to "guide" us - he admits he has never eaten here and is not allowed to do so! He reluctantly returns to the table and explains each dish before scuttling off back outside to wait. Very, very peculiar.

And the toilets were amongst the least fragrant throughout our China stay!

day 105 Xian 7 October Fri

 

Finally we have made it Xian but cant find a taxi to take us to our hotel - the 7 sages. We try to flag several down but none wants to stop. When we finally do get an audience not one wants the fare. We learn later that Western tourists are not well accepted here by taxi drivers, which we find surprising given the "tourist" status of the area and also our street is an area not well liked either. Great! Another secret doorway and we emerge into another beautiful courtyard area and smiles! What a difference a smile can make! It also has the most enormous bathroom we have ever seen! We settle in and then make our way out towards the city walls

Built in 1370 the 12m high walls are surrounded  by a dry moat. 14km in length and enclosing the old city, several other travellers have told us  we should hire bikes and cycle around on top. Xian in comparison to Beijing and Shanghai is relatively quiet, still lots of people but not the shoulder to shoulder squash we are used to.
Xian is one of the oldest cities in China, with more than 3,100 years of history and we pass by the cultural centre where there are several displays and performances taking place throughout the afternoon - tai chi, living statue installations and period costumed warriors and drummers.

 

We climb the steep stairs and walk along to the cycle depot. The girls toy with a less strenuous form of transport but are eventually persuaded to mount their tandem and off we go! 100 minutes to complete the circuit and the clock is ticking! 

 

Our bikes rattle and groan as we progress round and we develop inventive ways to stop as the brakes are there for little more than decoration! The ride  is a really fun way to spend the afternoon and gives us great views on both new and old city. As everywhere there is tremendous construction and redevelopment happening. The pace of change is more than rapid. We swap rear passengers several times throughout the trip and amuse ourselves as we trundle along the sometimes flat, sometimes cobbled sections of the walls.

    

. When we make it back to the Cultural Centre we are treated with a drumming and soldiers performance and we stand on the steps away from the masses and watch for a while. 

 

We wend our way back to the hotel, trying in vain to get a taxi and, much to Rowan's annoyance (her favourite phrase of the moment is "Can we get a taxi?), we stroll through Xian taking in our new surroundings. And yes! This lady was out in the city with her cat so it could watch the fountains in the park opposite - the girls asked!

Another city, another light show - this time complete with water fountains to music which runs every night, supposedly the largest in Asia. It is located at the Big Goose Pagoda  which was completed in AD 652 to house Buddhist sutras brought back from India. Quite fun, but a little squished!