Standing beneath these behemoth rock formations brings perspective of size, age, and beauty found in few places. There is a reason these three natural bridges have been designated a UNESCO World Heritage site and why one of China’s great filmmakers … Continued
Continued from Dazu Grottoes – Beishan and Nanshan Baodingshan Arguably the best grotto in the Dazu area, this one has some of the most spectacular grotto art I’ve seen. It also has a rich collection of story-telling panels as opposed … Continued
In my effort to visit the four major (World Heritage) Buddhist grottoes in China, our first adventure in the Chongqing vicinity, on Christmas Day, was a day trip to Dazu Grottoes in the western part of the municipality. Several sites … Continued
For Christmas, my friend Aaron and I had an adventure in Chongqing, China. This municipality, once a part of Sichuan province, is littered with mountains, crisscrossed by major rivers, and dotted with priceless wonders of nature and humanity. And, as … Continued
Beijing has two summer palaces. The newer one with its giant pagoda on top of Longevity Hill with the massive manmade lake in front and world’s longest covered walkway is the more visited of the two. It is the UNESCO … Continued
Beijing, China, is a city with seasons. It has been a while since I truly experienced all four seasons, so I’m excited to be in a place that has them all. When I arrived in September it was still hot … Continued
A young woman sacrificing herself to save her father and his fellow artisans is just one of the things that makes a visit to Beijing’s Bell and Drum Towers an interesting cultural experience, while the drum performance is what turned … Continued
On my first visit to the Summer Palace four years ago, I declared that I wanted one. After recently visiting twice in the past month, I have to say that sentiment hasn’t changed. It is a magnificent complex of Chinese … Continued
Four hundred and eighty five individually carved stone lions have watched Beijing’s southwest entrance for nearly 900 years. They inspired a legendary explorer to mention them in his writings and provided a backdrop to one of modern China’s most harrowing … Continued
As the sun crept lower and the shadows longer, I sat on a wooden bench under the magnificently decorated ceiling of a former emperor’s main boat dock at his manmade lake with bats flitting about after bugs. The auspiciousness of … Continued