Visit to Chengdu (part 3, more of the city)

China is a country of contrasts:

One day, we're being transported in an ultra-modern high-speed train, and the next day, we're being transported in this!  It's FUN!

At the "People's Park", this is someone's idea of making the place "wheel-chair accessible."

The building in the background (with the Mao Zedong statue out front) replaced the historic Chengdu Imperial Shu Palace (built in the 1300's.)  The palace was completely demolished in 1969, as part of the Cultural Revolution. This new building was originally built to house the "Long-Live-Chairman-Mao Thought Exhibitions."

 Chairman Mao,
responsible for the "Great Leap Forward"
and the "Cultural Revolution."

We visited many of the attractions so famous in central Chengdu:

                       

                        People's Park had a children's play-land:

There was also the more serious, historic side of the park.

This is the monument to those who died during the "Railway Rebellion."

Beautifully-formed Bonsai trees are common in every Chengdu park.

Christian churches are very rare in China.  We found one, though, complete with statues of the 12 disciples:

We get excited any time we see our Chinese names in print!  The first character, "Ping", is my name, which means:   PEACEFUL.

We have rented bicycles three times while in China.  Chengdu provided very nice riding, with its bike paths and flat terrain. 

Click here to watch Paula ride.....if you want to!

Max (from Germany) went bicycle-riding and
temple-hopping with us!

Unlike hilly, high-traffic Chongqing,
Chengdu is a bicycle-scooter-motorbike kind of city:

Do you remember the elaborate shrub-sculptures of the 2008 Beijing Olympics?  The Chinese people seem to appreciate this art form......Here, characters are formed from shrubs.

In one temple-park, there was a whole section of   Bonsai Trees!

Ceremoniously walking across Yin and Yang, at the Taoist temple.... trying to achieve balance in my life.

Having spent every Thursday afternoon (for the past 9 months) in a Chinese Calligraphy class, we find the formation of the characters most interesting. 


And, every temple has walls of engraved characters, telling stories or sharing poetry.





Click here to watch the calligraphy master, in action.

Max did the shake-one-stick-out-of-the-can-to-determine-your-future thing.  Then, the on-duty monk tells your fortune, from the stick.  If your fortune is not satisfactory, you can pay more to do it again.....and again.....

The problem was that Max's fortune was written in some sort of ancient, no-longer-decipherable script:

So, what do you think?  Would you pray to this guy?  Do you think that he could solve all your problems?

Even the end-caps on the tile roofs were artistic.

The entrance to one, last, Chengdu temple:  Chris, Max, and Felipe

A vendor outside the temple gate was selling turtles.  Apparently, a customer could buy one, take it into the temple for release into the (very dirty) pond water, and then get "good luck or good fortune."
We assume that the vendor probably goes back in every night, re-captures most of the turtles, and re-sells them the next day......

Very cool!  Old men bring their birds to a section of the park, every day, so that they can sing and interact with one another.....both the song-birds and the old men!

(The cages are hung from bamboo poles connected between the trees.)


Click here to hear the song-birds.

Inside the "Buddhist Library":  There were plenty of little statues, but we saw no sign of any books.

A chanting service was taking place down-stairs. We were made to feel very welcome.

The ceiling....Chris had to lie down on his back to get this photo.

The statue of "10,000 Buddhas"

Notice the man under the elephant:

The Temples of Chengdu were quite beautiful!

Chinese Police Officer:  This guy was REALLY HELPFUL to us, when Caroline lost her train ticket at the railway station, just as we were preparing to board the train.  There was no time to issue a new ticket, and so this officer escorted us through all the checkpoints of the station, finally putting us on the train. 

The next problem occurred ON the train.  Apparently, the seats were over-sold, and so there was a huge to-do about whose seat was whose....... Then, later, the 3 conductresses came and "extorted" an extra 100 RMB from us.....more than the cost of the lost ticket at the time of original purchase!

I was just thankful  that all 6 of us were on that train, heading back to Chongqing, together.

This adorable little boy sat across from us on the train.  He had a fun time, all the way home, playing with Caroline! 




Click here to hear a street performer playing his flute.