Scenic Area of the Luya Mountain

Luya Mountain, named due to its highest peak which look like an asparagus shoot, located at the northern part of Shanxi Province of China, contains the source of Fen River (汾河) and Shanggan River(桑幹河) the two major tributaries of the Yellow River of China.     Its intact ecosystem along with its complex geography and biodiversity placed it on the tentative UNESCO list .  Besides the Million Years Ice Cave on this mountain,  there are many other tourist area such as the Fen River Source Park.

scene along the Fen River

Where water enters the Fenyuan Lake

View of Fenyuan Lake

View of Fenyuan Lake

View of Fenyuan Lake

Also the Shimen Hanging Coffin(石门悬棺) which were discovered 1,000 years ago.  Nothing is known for sure about these coffins.  It could have been the custom burial of the Bo people but no one knows for sure.  There are a total of 11 coffins found here.

two coffin laid side by side on the cliff

Hanging Coffin on the cliff

And then there is the cliff trails of 42 kilometers which only a portion of it has been restored and open for the adventurous.

cliff trail

cliff trail

cliff trail

bridge between the two mountain sides

The cliff paths connect between the mountains which was believed to be built around 785-780 during the Tang Dynasty the same time as this small hanging temple (小悬空寺) about 100 meters above ground.

The House of Huangcheng Chancellor

This large complex was started in the Ming Dynasty and finished in the Qing Dynasty (1368-1911) and was the resident of  Chen Tingjing , Premier of Qing Dynasty which Emperor Kangxi referred as the “perfect man”.  He served as head in different departments of the government except the department of defense.  He served as the teacher of Kangxi for a time and later Kangxi sought his counsel frequently.  Emperor Kangxi stayed in his home for a period of time when he was visiting this area.  In his later days, he was asked to stayed on service in helping to compile and proofread for the Kangxi Dictionary of the Chinese Characters which is still being referred to today.  He died at age 74 before this dictionary was published.  He served 50 some years in office away from home.

The Chen clan were farmers and then move on to coal mining.  They amassed their wealth and emphasized on educating their young.  It proved that through education can achieve a higher goal in life.  From 1501 to 1700 , the family had 66 members  who passed imperial exams.

Below are pictures of the family courtyard of his living quarters which he hardly lived in during his lifetime in office.

The entrance to the Premier’s residence

entrance to the girls living quarters

An auspicious animal

Jincheng City, in Shanxi, is the cradle of Chinese civilization and home of one-third of the ancient architectures built before 1234 AD in China.  Shanxi, China has an abundance of coal but Jincheng is most notable for a special blue coal with gives off a fragrance when burned.  No wonder the British Royals prefer them in their fireplace.

Qinglin Temple or the Blue Lotus Temple, about 17 kilometer southwest of Jincheng City, is one of the oldest temples in Maitreya’s Pureland in China.  Buddhist Monk   Huiyuan (慧遠)  built the temple in Northern Qi Dynasty (550-559 AD) named Xiashi but later changed to Qinglian in Tang Dynasty (867AD).  Huiyuan established this temple known as the literarery center of Buddhism just like the Shaolin Temple, known as the martial arts center.

 In its heydays, it stored more than 7,000 scrolls of Buddhist scriptures. Besides served as the library of Buddhism, it was the translation center of the different doctrine of Buddhism.

Over the years from which it was first built in 500 AD, many restorations, constructions, and expansions had been made.  To date,  it mainly has Song style architecture, murals of Ming and Qing Dynasty, and six painted sculptures of Tang Dynasty.   This temple is now protected as cultural relics by the Chinese government.  Therefore, all picture taking is forbidden indoors.  However, the scenes surrounding the temple is quite serene.

Hualien City is on the eastern coast of Taiwan along the Pacific Ocean and is the transition point to the eastern part of Taiwan.  The city has the most population of Taiwan aborigines, consisting of many tribes.  In the night market of Hualien City is a strip of all aborigines vendor selling their styles of cuisines and the most noted is their barbecues.

In the center of Hualien’s  shopping center is a pedestrian only area that was originally the old railroad track.  An Excellent place for people to relax during their shopping spree.

At one of the old railroad stop is an old police station and a jailhouse.

Next to it is an old World War II bomb shelter concealed by an old tree and a pond of fishes for water and fresh food.

In the outskirt of Hualien City is the most noted for its Taroka Gorge National Park, the world’s deepest marble canyon. Taroka means magnificent and splendid in Truku, the aborigines tribe that lived here.  They are known by their facial and body tattoos and weaving of clothing and utensils.  These days only a few of them still live in this area.  As always, the National Park is to protect the scenic sight, historic relics, and wild life of the area.  The park not only conserve natural resources, provide environmental education, and promote scientific research.  Aside from activities of hiking, biking, camping, the most popular marathon was held here annually.  Its popularity is renown world wide due to its beautiful trail.