First stepping out in Jingzhou


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Asia » China » Hubei » Jingzhou
August 1st 2018
Published: August 1st 2018
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Jingzhou Overview



My adventure in Hubei province seemed to be a reprieve from Shenzhen's busy lifestyle and a chance to refocus myself in a peaceful surroundings but that's just the start of my time here. My path lead me by train from Xiantao to Jingzhou, which is a city filled with historical importance and sights of the ancient times of China. With nothing but advice on which bus to take from the train station to reach the downtown area, I was free to explore. This was a good refresher to my time when I first arrived in Guangzhou and was a lone explorer left to my own device.



Jingzhou is an ancient city even if it is a small place. Ancient city walls, gate houses, and other structures that had been pivotal during China’s history stood nearly undamaged. The largest part of history kept in place and mostly open to visitors is the Ancient City Walls of Jingzhou dating back into the Ming dynasty. Not all sections of the wall are open to tourist but many parts are as I discovered one small section of this wall at one site and a much larger part at the main site. It was a full two days of exploring as I would leap from the bus as I spotted a section of the wall we would pass under on this route.



Guan Yu Temple



The first place I visited Guan Yu Temple which has a small section on the wall attached to it that is accessible. It was a much smaller place than I would normally find while in China but it did give me chance to see another nearby location without much problem finding my way back to where I had suddenly jumped off the bus. As far as the other temples I had visited, this one was very odd to me. The outer wall had glass covering the open sections where small planter sat. This outer wall wasn’t part of the actual Jingzhou’s Ancient City Wall but a divider between the courtyard and the street. I found the real wall later in my exploration. Planters holding small sculpted trees before five (5) busts, an extra large statue of someone that resembled the fortune icon I have noticed in many businesses I have visited, a turtle and koi pond, and small open alters could be found easily but it was the feeling of the place had me doubting. It felt more like a military compound than a temple to me but it didn’t stop me from refraining to take pictures within the smaller enclosed shrine upon the ground.



Small area to relax and what appeared to be ancient items sat around the open spaces giving it a very authentic look. One half of the wall had a small section of park area following parallel to it. Flowering trees, benches in the shade, and even water troughs were place in this garden pathway butting the inside of the true ancient city wall. Even a stable sat upon the grounds with a ceramic looking horse standing within the stable for realism. The second level attached to the guardhouse and wall sported a few smaller statues and temples including what appeared to be an authentic women dress section. Steles lined the inner short walls of the central guardhouse which double as the roof of the entry gates. With this area done explored so quickly I exited through the back gate since I had seen another historical looking building from the wall.



Zhang Juzheng Ancestral Hall, Wenchang Pavilion, and Lezhi Garden



This discovery was Zhang Juzheng Ancestral Hall which was linked to the Wenchang Pavilion and Lezhi Garden. The entire place was very small even if it housed three (3) separate things. It was mostly small inner courtyards with blackened widows preventing visitors to see inside. The few open area showed ancient styled furniture polished to shiny perfection. It held a very homey feel to it as you could easily find a “house cat” sleeping in the sun drenched veranda. This had turned into a very quickly covered area which in a way made me wonder if the other places would be as small as these two places. The actually park for the Jingzhou’s Ancient City Wall returned to the typical large area to visit much to my enthusiasm.


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