Discover China

On the weekend of the Dragon Boat Festival, 20-22 June, I was invited by Chinese friends to again experience the spectacular scenery around their village in southern Shanxi Province (you can see pictures from my earlier trip here). Dragon Boat races are traditionally a southern China event, but we did see races on a lake in Qin County as part of our travels. Other places we visited weekend included a 1000-year old cliff temple (Gaohuanyundong), Huangya Cave Arsenal (part of the Red Army resistance against the Japanese invasion), and Taiji Grand Canyon including an ancient cliff village.

Dragon Boat races, Qin County

1000-year old cliff temple (Gaohuanyundong)

Walking to Huangya Cave Arsenal

Walking to Huangya Cave Arsenal

Huangya Cave

Taiji Grand Canyon

Ancient cliff village, Taiji Grand Canyon

Last weekend, I visited the village of Chinese friends in WuXiang (武乡) County, Shanxi Province, about three hours drive south of provincial capital Taiyuan. It’s an area well away from the international tourist sites and where few other foreigners have been, with many fascinating and very friendly ancient villages. On Saturday we explored a spectacular section of the TaiHang Mountains east of the village. The TaiHang Mountains are a 400 km long range that runs north-south along the eastern boundary of Shanxi Province. As well as stunning natural scenery, a great surprise was to hear Buddhist chanting wafting through the valleys. Rounding a spur, we came across a remote Buddhist temple inside a cave with sacred spring and monks cabins along the cliff line. On Sunday we went to the nearby TaiHang Dragon cave, a local attraction, which was also impressive.

TaiHang Mountains

TaiHang Mountains

Buddhist Cave Temple, TaiHang Mountains

Buddhist Cave Temple and Monk’s Cabins

Interior, Buddhist Cave Temple

Sacred Spring, Buddhist Cave Temple

Sacred Spring, Buddhist Cave Temple

Entrance, TaiHang Dragon Cave

TaiHang Dragon Cave

TaiHang Dragon Cave

Located on the northeastern edge of the Loess Plateau, Datong in Shanxi province is the site of some of the earliest settlements of Chinese civilization. Find out more about Datong and three of its key attractions – Yungang Grottoes, Hengshan Mountain and Pagoda of Fogong Temple – in the China Daily article Height of art.

China’s long and complex history has given rise to a range of different architectural styles. They not only fuse cultures’ structural and decorative forms, but are also influenced by Chinese concepts such as feng shui and yin and yang. The Shenzhen Daily presents the ten best examples of Chinese architecture in this series of articles:

• Ten best examples of Chinese architecture (I) – Kaiping diaolou and Wang Family Compound
• Ten best examples of Chinese architecture (II) – Imperial Prime Minister’s Palace, Fujian tulou and Qiao Family Compound
• Ten best examples of Chinese architecture (III) – Dayi Liu Manor, Hongcun Village and Xidi Village
• Ten best examples of Chinese architecture (IV) – Kang Baiwan Manor and Yulin Manor of Jiang Yaozu

I had the pleasure of visiting the Hongcun and Xidi ancient villages on my trip to Henan, Anhui and Zhejiang in 2009.

Ancient Buddhist sculptures are scattered throughout Shanxi Province, including in the world-famous Yungang Grottoes and Tianlongshan Grottoes. In the “Solemn Images of Buddhist Sculptures from Shanxi Province” exhibition at the Shenzhen Museum people can find out more about the Shanxi Province’s history and culture. The Shenzhen Daily article A showcase of Buddhist art in Shanxi reports that the exhibition is scheduled to run until 28 August and features 61 sculptures, 23 of which are national first-class cultural relics.