11.04.2008

Hengshan

We took a day trip to a city called Hengshan. It was about 2 hours away by bus. It is an ancient city where there are many Buddhist temples. Mt. Hengshan, where we went, is one of the five sacred Buddhist mountains in China. The day was VERY foggy, which made it so we couldn't see down into the valleys from the peaks, but it also added an element of mystery and beauty to the mountain temples. First we walked through a courtyard of different temples which paid tribute to different buddhas. Then we walked up the highest mountain peak (4258 feet) to the temple at the top. That is the picture at the bottom. The fog was the heaviest up there, so pictures were difficult. It was beautiful and inspiring. It's so amazing to think that these buildings are over 1,000 years old.....our country never even existed (as we know it) when these wonderful Chinese people were building their sacred mountain temples. What a great experience!


Chase rubbing a portal of riches. We rubbed them a lot....and still waiting for our check.
A dragon ying-yang
An ancient temple. Apparently the Forbidden City was patterned after this temple. That's right, this one came first.
Buddha
Warrior king.
Another temple complex.
A phoenix ying-yang.
Hiking up to the peak....having too much fun.The "Wishing for Harmony" peak and temple. Look closely through the fog and you can see the temple. It was beautiful.

8 comments:

mckenna said...

Have I told you yet how jealous I am of this experience?? :) So cool!! One day when I'm 90 and my kids are gone, maybe I'll make the trip.

Anonymous said...

oh,how beautiful,the scenery is to. what an education you are getting. thank you for sharing with us. when you go to thialand i hope your dad will still be traveling that way. love moegam w.

kylie said...

very good meg! ohhh how fun. i love you! :) now you need to post a things i miss most!!

Rich - Deb said...

Incredible views! Brings back memories of my trip to Beijing. Yes the temple you show looks very similar to the one in the Forbidden City!! I'm headed to Taiwan on Monday for 2 weeks. Maybe if you climb to the top of one of those mountains and yell I will hear you??!!! Love, Dad

Molly said...

Okay, I'm totally thinking about your upcoming trip across Europe. I'm glad that You have a lot of connections, etc., but if I can help offer ideas of what's worth seeing on such a short schedule let me know. You guys are going to a couple of places I went to, and remember that the Eurail pass includes a few cruises as a mode of travel! Dublin will be a great way to end your traveling. There is a lot to do and see all within a short shuttle ride from the airport. You basically want to hit the Temple Bar district. Did you get a copy of Rick Steeve's book "Europe through the back door"...it really helped with knowing some neat things to see in between destinations. A lot of info is on the internet, but I still have all my stuff that I can look up for you about train scheduling,etc. Love ya! I'm so excited for you!!!! :)

kylie said...

you should update your blog with something silly, pointless, and entertaining. i'm bored on this side of the apt complex, so do me a favor!

Bryn and Blaine said...

Just thinking of you. Hope you are having fun.

kylie said...

i demand a new post, i demand a new post!!!