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Post by chefying on Jun 19, 2014 16:15:27 GMT
The reward for the effort to climb all those steps was this view of the temples from up high.  Tough though the climb may be (I am not as fit as I should be) the view is quite worth the effort.  Another enchanting view from the top.  |
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Post by chefying on Jun 21, 2014 15:30:38 GMT
Perhaps it was the altitude, but the sight of of this Taoist priest haivng his lunch at noon certainly made me hungry!  The descent from KongTong Shan can be a bit unnerving, as the temples give the feeling of being suspended in mid-air.  |
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Post by chefying on Jun 21, 2014 15:33:03 GMT
Finally, to honour those who helped build the temples, and those who help maintain it, here are a couple of pictures of the hauliers. This man seems to be cheerful....  A group of hauliers taking a break. Morning tea, if I remember correctly.  |
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Post by chefying on Jun 22, 2014 16:51:51 GMT
I liked Kongtong Shan; the buildings have a natural and rustic feeling to it. In this photos, it can be seen that the beams are not all totally straight. The ones with slight curves are used too, giving the building an authentic and realistic charm.  It was also nice to see the Taoist priests going along their business, reading and chanting their scriptures etc. I had this photo enlarged, and it was only then that I noticed the Taoist priest used a bone to strike the metal bowl. That bone looked like a femur to me (thigh bone).  A sight that intrigued me were these mushrooms that local priests collect to consume, I presume. Surely they are not preparing some obscure poisons with the fungi! I have never seen these types before.   |
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Post by chefying on Jun 22, 2014 16:53:20 GMT
Now, for the million dollar question - is there a martial arts school in Kongtong Shan? The answer is yes, but I did not visit them so I could not ask if they teach the Seven Injury Fist...  Note that the sign (on the left) says the participants learn martial arts and (presumably) normal school literature - I would guess at the very least, reading, writing and arithmetic. |
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Post by chefying on Jun 22, 2014 18:48:45 GMT
While in Chengdu in 2005, I visited the temple dedicated to Zhuge Liang, the strategist in The Three Kingdoms. It was a very nice temple, peaceful and quiet. What irked me, however, was that in the central (main) altar was the statue of Liu Bei, to whom Zhuge Liang served. This is the Zhuge Liang Temple, not the Liu Bei temple! The rational behind it was that Liu Bei's burial mould was nearby so the Military Genius Temple got usurped and was reshaped into the Liu Bei Temple, but the name was unchanged.  Typical of Zhuge Liang, there are occasionally puzzles for the visitors. It took me a while to figure out that this is a toilet meant for the disabled.  |
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Post by siuyiu on Jun 23, 2014 4:07:43 GMT
ahahaha, chinglish! great to see all your trip pics make it here!
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Post by chefying on Jun 23, 2014 9:25:45 GMT
Thanks siuyiu.  In 2005, I took time to travel from Chengdu to Leshan to see the giant Buddha statue. This statue was prominent in the film, Storm Riders - Feng Yun (Wind / Cloud).  It was big.... this is looking down at it walking half way down to the base.  |
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Post by chefying on Jun 23, 2014 9:33:25 GMT
This is the mass of people queuing to go down the LeShan Big Buddha. It was quite warm, and it was interesting to see the men squatting down, with their trouser legs rolled up, and some even with the shirt rolled up to expose their abdomen, all in an attempt to keep cool. ![]()  To see it, one hikes to the top of the hill, queue to walk down the stairs to the foot of the Buddha, and then walk all the way back up the other side to exit. There is no exit from the foot of the Buddha - unless you are willing to consider jumping into the river just in front of the statue. Proper foot wear is advisable when visiting this site.  |
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Post by chefying on Jun 23, 2014 9:45:42 GMT
To extricate oneself from this site, there are two options. One is to jump into the river and sail/swim away. The other option is to take a long walk back up. This is the picture of the route of the long walk back up.  |
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Post by chefying on Jun 23, 2014 17:18:23 GMT
On a different theme, here are a couple of shots of the Grand Canal - TVB had a series of this title, I believe, but I never go around to watching it. Grand Canal at dawn. My apologies, these photos have rather faded with age.  Bricks being transported along the Grand Canal. Observe how low the junk was riding in the water - I half feared it would sink. I suppose this would be how they transported the bricks to Beijing to build the Forbidden City.  Finally, a shot I took when I was in Shao Xing, the place where they make the famous Hua Diao wine. I use it quite liberally when I cook. I like this photo because it seems to transcend time.  |
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Post by chefying on Jun 23, 2014 17:22:46 GMT
Having mentioned Shaoxing and its famous spirits, I thought I would digress a bit and start a theme on food. When I saw this wine shop, I thought of the parents of GuoJing and YangKang (Legend of the Eagle Shooting Heroes) buying some spirits to celebrate, just before they met the Taoist Qui Chu Zi, and sealed their fates.  On the other hand, when I saw these wine jars, I thought of Hong Qi Gong, the leader of the Beggar Clan. I rather envisaged him hiding somewhere in the palace stealing drinks.  And knowing how Hong Qi Gong likes his food, I have no doubt he would have loved this dish - Stewed Dog Meat!  Finally, just to gross out you all, here is the piece de resistance, which I am sure Hong Qi Gong would have loved, the Meeting of the Dragon, Tiger and Phoenix.  |
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Post by siuyiu on Jun 23, 2014 22:06:49 GMT
that reminds me: we haven't made Emperor's Soup in years!
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Post by Admin on Jun 25, 2014 14:51:06 GMT
wow chef...you're pictures collection are really cool. that's really a treasure! Anyway, so what is Hua Diao wine? can you please tell me the hanzi? perhaps I can buy it online. Anyway, my erhu teacher (yes, I'm taking lessons again to go to further grade) is from Xi'An. and they have a very good glutinous rice wine. Smells really good and the taste is mellow. I kinda curious why there's no glutinouse rice wine mentioned in wuxia books. Perhaps because it contains not much alcohol? |
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Post by siuyiu on Jun 25, 2014 19:15:49 GMT
hua diao = 花雕酒, andrea. |
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