Traveling out from Suzhou

---

Traveling out from Suzhou, we drove to Qiyun Shan near the Yellow Mountains. While Qiyun Shan is one of the Daoist holy mountains, very few tourists ever travel there. The nearby Yellow Mountains attract more attention. In fact, our local guide had never been up on the mountain and had to enlist the help of one of the people who lives on the mountain to explain the sites. We thought since we were traveling to the mountains that the temperatures might cool down, but we were wrong. The first part of the approach to the mountain involved a cable car ride (there are steps up the mountain, but we opted for the cable car!); the views were spectacular. After the cable car, pilgrims pass through gates and bridges to arrive at the Daoist temple. There are many steps going both up and down; at the temple, I felt like I had really achieved something because the walk was so arduous. Just in case you are interested, I am now immortal (according to the Daoists) because I have crossed the immortal fairy bridge. There were palaquin bearers who became quite annoying; I guess my gray hair made them think I needed to be carried up the mountain. Most of the statues in the grottoes are not the originals, as they were destroyed during the Cultural Revolution. The mountain was a fascinating and beautiful place--the scenery on the mountain lush and the vistas breathtaking. I had planned to take the stairs down the mountain, but after much hiking through gates and over bridges, I took the cable car down and let the youngsters in the group hike down without me. Those nervy bearers said I should pay them even though I didn't ride in their palanquin--hmmm... They did not get any yuan from me.
Our hotel was really like a mountain lodge; the food was fresh and very good. The poor staff didn't know what to make of us since there are typically no non-Chinese tourists in the area. A large lotus pool in the center of the grounds had magnificent pink lotus plants in full bloom, and the mountain views from my window afforded my first sighting of stars for many days.
The following morning we went to Anji to the bamboo forest, the site where some of "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" was filmed. Dr. John provided great background on the importance of bamboo to the Chinese culture. By the time we arrived, the morning was already heating up and as humid as always. We strolled through the bamboo and enjoyed the myriad shades of green. One of the fascinating parts of the day was to see three of China's most important crops on the mountainside; farmers in the area grow tea and mulberry (for silk worms) and live in the bamboo forest.
Our guide suggested we visit the town of Hongcun, a preserved town from the Ming and Qing dynasties. It was by far the most interesting, and least touristy, of these towns we visited. The architecture is called "horse head" because of the squared off ends of the walls. The construction is adobe-like and different from other styles we saw. Legend says the ends of the buildings look like the merchant-residents coming home on horseback. The town was also in the film "Crouching Tiger."
M

---

Photos

Daoist god for education
More hopes for good test scores