- by Gordon Hammond

Sally has invited me to post a photo-essay on China using images that have remained dormant for many years or have never even been posted or edited. I will share these as a gallery of images on this page complemented with four short video-slide shows. Of course we could never forget China, but it has changed considerably in the twenty years since these images were captured, and it has been fun bringing them into light of day once more.

One question that people often ask is, “Is China a safe country for travellers? Travelling as a couple we have covered vast distances by road and rail and have never really felt threatened or unsafe. There have been 'moments', but that is par for the course with all travel. On the whole the Chinese are good, honest and hospitable people.

The Cultural Revolution from 1949 onwards dealt a severe blow to religion in China and statistics would indicate 75 per cent of the population are not religious. However, as one travels away from the large cities, temples and mosques tell a different story of a strong religious culture which was never eliminated.

There is always a flow of people who are still culturally tied to their religion through tradition and superstition, worshipping and praying in countless places throughout the land.

Worship is informal, simple and open. Temples are never closed. Sandlewood joss sticks and candles are commonly used for their pleasant, aesthetically pleasing, scented smoke.

You never have to look far to see a monk on the temple grounds.

Prayer beads serve the same purpose as rosary beads and are more commonly used by older devotees.

Temples and shrines come in all shapes and sizes. The Hanging Temple outside the city of Datong is an extraordinary example of building a whole temple on the side of a vertical cliff. Climbing up the ricketty stairs is no place for those who have a fear of heights. You just have to trust that the builders knew what they were doing.

This little fellow doesn't seem concerned.

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Xiahe - Little Tibet

The inland city of Lanzhou lies close to the geographical centre of China. It is some 1500km by road from Beijing and, although not an easy place to reach, is worth visiting. It is the junction for the three-hour journey across the Liujiaxia Reservoir to the famous Bingling Temple on the Yellow River to the West. A Four hour drive to the south brings us to Xiahe, the Gannan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in Gansu. Sometimes referred to as “Little Tibet” this unusual town has been settled by ethnic Tibetan people who migrated from Tibet

The Labrang Monastery has about 2000  monks living on the grounds of the monastery.

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BIG BUDDHAS

The Chinese are master sculptors who have left the legacy of many large Buddhas. Unlike the stand-alone Buddhas of many Asian countries these are carved into the side of a cliff and the grotto is excavated around them. Here are some of the finest in the country.

The Maijishan Grottoes are a series of 194 caves cut in the side of the hill of Maijishan in Tianshui, Gansu Province, northwest China, containing over 7,200 Buddhist sculptures and over 1,000 square metres of murals. Construction began in the Later Qin era (384–417 CE).

The Yungang Buddhist caves in Datong.

Crossing the Liujiaxia Reservoir to visit the Binling Monastery, we discover a giant Buddha.

Here, the Yellow River exits into the Liujiaxia Reservoir.

The Great Maitreya Buddha of Bingling, built in 420 AD, stands more than 27 metres (100 feet) tall.

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SNIPPETS FROM ALONG THE WAY

Some of these images were taken from the car or the train as we were travelling, giving us a glimpse of the 'back yards' of China and its life.

The monastic town of Wutaishan.

Monks testing their strength by lifting this heavy lance at the Temple in Wutaishan

Twin Pagodas of Taiyuan.

Mosque in Chinese style of architecture

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A TOUCH OF CULTURAL DANCE

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