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Published: February 9th 2011
Seven Stars Park.
As the Chinese say: "Eggplant!"Guilin. Wow.
I can now say that even the shortest time at one small destination can change a life. Because, Guilin changed mine. I experienced
so much in that town, perhaps more so than I have in the entire month I've been in Chengdu.
And I think it's because of the locals. The locals there are so friendly...so accommodating. More so than Chengdu's. They all just grabbed me by the arm and showed me around the city, as they shared many legends and customs of Guilin culture (which is, by the way,
very different from Chengdu culture). I had so many wonderful conversations with complete strangers on every corner I went to, and even though my Chinese is quite limited, I felt as though I could understand them completely.
And on that note, the boys are very flirtatious there!
Very flirtatious. You wouldn't believe the level of extremity unless you actually go. Maybe that's why I'm reconsidering moving to Guilin instead of Beijing...haha! Let's just say I had my flings...
So, the locals made half the trip. Of course, the scenery, history and culture of Guilin are absolutely stunning; however, if it weren't for the locals' good-natured cultural
personality, I may have become lonely traveling by myself.
This is exactly why I chose going solo. And I realized this long before I left---when I'm with a group of other foreigners, locals never stop and talk to me. But, when I'm by myself, they always want to show me around, or at least give me the experience in which I can learn something. Anything. Perhaps because I'm less intimidating by myself...
And I would SO rather have that. Any day.
I also met some awesome people at the youth hostel I stayed at. My roommates, Steve and Matt, were studying martial arts in Chongqing, and my neighbors Josh, Dan and Charlie were teaching English to kindergarteners in Beijing. Josh and Charlie were some of the funniest people I've ever met...I'm really going to miss them. Haha.
I also met some people that stayed in another youth hostel: Fred, Christine, Simon, Anna and Jake. Fred and Jake just started working in Los Angelos as film editors. They were really cool guys. I'm really going to miss them, too!
I took so many pictures of Guilin. So many. Because I love the city so much (and I
Jinjiang Prince's Palace.
The guy behind the mask was so handsome! might move there instead of Beijing after I graduate). So, I took a ton of pictures! I'm going to divide the blog posts by days, to make it easier on myself. I just cannot do this in one sitting. :-)
The first day, I went to Qixing Gongyuan (Or "Seven Stars Park"). It covers a large area along the eastern shore of the Li River, and is named after the the shape of the Big Dipper constellation many peaks form when seen together. This constellation, supposedly, governs fate in Chinese mythology.
The park had many crags and caves. Some of the caves had writing that dated back the Tang Dynasty. I was in
awe to be able to see and touch carvings...that once were engraved by someone who lived that far back. Doing so almost put me in a meditative state...
The park also has the famous Luotuo Shan (or Camel Hill), Qixing Yan (Seven Stars Cave), Flower Bridge, and temple ruins.
I also went to Fubo Shan, a tall, yellow-grey karst rising from the river. Its name, "Wave-Subduing Hill," is believed by the locals to calm the rough waters below. On the top, it houses
Seven Stars Park.
This rock was where President Clinton gave a speech about environmental protection in 1998. a huge bell, as well as hundreds of Buddha images from the Song Dynasty.
But, right when I got to the top of the karst, my camera died. I was SO MAD. Of course I'll always remember the image (hopefully, anyways), but I would have loved to shared the view with you all. :-)
I then went to Jinjian Prince's Palace. The "almost Forbidden City" sits right next to one of the few remains of Ming Dynasty's walls. The seignior mansions are, in fact, reputable for being the best-preserved in the country, from the Ming Dynasty. It was originally built for the Ming Dynasty prince Zhou Shouqian in 1372 (which predates Beijing's Forbidden City by thirty-four years!). Sun Yat-sen also lived there, as well as fourteen other princes.
I found this interesting: The palace had many carvings of clouds at the entrance, indicating an imperial residence. But, the absence of dragons indicates the palance is for a prince, not an emperor.
Solitary Beauty Peak is located in the middle of Prince City. And, as I saw for myself, the peak deserves the name it has been given. It's abrupt rise from the ground level has been
the topic of many poets' writings for since ancient times:
"No trace of beginning or ending can be seen anywhere, a peak suddenly thrusting into the southern heaven.
Strange are the hills and peaks in the city of Guilin, but nothing else can be compared to Solitary Beauty Peak."
Apparently, it is also called "Purple Golden Hill," because under the morning sunshine and evening glow, it looks as though it is cloaked in a purple robe with a golden girdle.
The top of the karst provides a panoramic view of beautiful Guilin. It's absolutely
stunning.
In fact, it was here that the famous thousand-year-old saying derived from: "East or west, Guilin scenery is best."
It was also here where Emperor Yuanshan of the Yuan Dynasty practiced austerities...where the Qing Dynasty painter Shi Tao lived...
...and where the largest Examination Hall in the history of Guanxi was held! I remember how fascinated I was, reading about the Examinations during the Qing Dynasty, but it was incredible to be there myself. I
was there. I
sat in one of the rooms. Where someone, three hundred years before me, did.
If you don't know the history of China's
Seven Stars Park.
It was ten kuai to take pictures with them. 不错! Examinations (especially during the Qing Dynasty), please look into it! I find it so amazing how hard it was...that people actually
died in these cells. And what they had to know for each exam...the length of the exams...the competition...it's mind-blowing!
The Examination Hall was perhaps the highlight of my day that day. That's probably not everyone's cup of tea, but it was these examinations that kept Chinese culture alive. And the entire process is so interesting!
Isn't it amazing? Just last year, as I sat in my Chinese and Japanese history class at K-State, I remember listening to the lectures about these halls...and dreaming of what it would be like to visit them. I thought I never would, at the time. And the next thing I knew...I
was.
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Nancy Dillon
non-member comment
Guilin exploring
Dear Lindsay, How brave you are! exploring by yourself. I think you are right, being by yourself (and being the friendly person you are) makes strangers want to help you. As the weather becomes more springlike I hope you can visit a botanical garden. Look for Tree peonies, one of my favorites and China is their birthplace. Love, Grandma Nancy