三清山 (Sanqingshan, Jiangxi Province)

I hiked up Sanqingshan with the Chinese couple that I met in the village that I got dropped off at. Our friendship reminds me how you can't predict how and where you will meet people. But we spent most of our journey together talking about Jilin and Shandong, each of their respective home provinces.

Sanqingshan is really something, the trail is cut into the side of the cliffs. It was a sweaty walk just up the porter's trail and we weren't even carrying anything these bare-chested guys were.

The rest of the journey consisted of mopping my face every five seconds. I never knew my pores could sweat so much. My hiking partners were a spry, older Chinese couple. The wife had a penchant for doing random hoots into the cliff-side just to hear the echo as well as yell to her husband on the single trail up the mountain that she was in front of him and 10 ft later, she would yell again that she was (still) in front of him.

Gorgeous skies.

the weekend-long date I third-wheeled on

And then the fog started to come in...

Trekked to the Taoist temple, nestled into the mountaintop

I'm walking on sunshine...sort of.

A breather, Jiangxi.

I had some time on my hands and wanted to escape the tight hug of Beijing's summer smoggy heat. I bought a ticket to Nanchang, Jiangxi, after buying some slacks one afternoon. The storekeeper had told me that a train ticket office was just around the corner. She had just sold me some really great slacks so I figured that was a good sign, right?

Jiangxi is not high on tourists' (or Chinese locals') list of places to visit. Unlike Henan, where most people thought I said Hunan every time they asked me where I went, nobody mixed up Jiangxi with another place. They simply asked,"Uh...Jiangxi? Really?...Why?"

This reminded me of when I went to Bandung in Indonesia and every time I met a local Indonesian and they found out I was American, they would simply ask,"Why are you not in Bali?!"

Turns out all these people are missing out, Jiangxi is a great place simply to absorb. And have some really great fish soup.

The next day, took a sleeper train to Nanchang. Arrived bright and early and was lost in the throng of people yelling out items, buses, and hellos. I knew I wanted to head to Sanqingshan, one of Jiangxi's famous Taoist mountains, with a temple buried into the mountaintop. Except no idea how to get there. So I wandered around, asking people for the bus. Finally, found the bus ticket office. Turns out there are no buses there (thanks Lonely Planet) but I needed to go to Sangrao. Get the ticket, wait.

Bus starts rumbling off and I and the 20 other men on the bus wave by to Nanchang. We passed the time mainly bouncing along the bumpy roads and watching really awkward KTV videos on the bus' TV. There was one with a Chinese pop star singing while alternating with clips of American cowboys in chaps, dancing and lassoing things. To save your eyes, I included a more PG cut of the video below.

Most of the scenery outside showed the industrious side to Jiangxi. Most houses were built out of concrete, smoggy air spewed every where. My face was either doused in sweat from the humidity that hung in the air or a thick layer of dust from the roads and factories. Front yards were either filled with trash or some kind of mechanical item.

And tons of factories everywhere. Most things with the "made in China" label should really say, "made in Jiangxi."

Finally arrived in Yushan (bus driver took pity on me after a 5-hr ride to Sangrao and took me a bit further). There, I had to wait for another bus to the actual mountain. Waited, chatted with a local student.

And then onto another bus into the mountains--bumpy rides and neck-twisting swerves at no extra charge. I chatted with some of the other bus riders. Upon finding out that I was traveling alone, they took pity on me and said they would help me out.

Next thing I know, they drop me off in front of a random house in the mountain village. Hmm...

The bus driver though talks with another man and turns out he's touring through Jiangxi with his wife and they were also visiting Sanqingshan. He was staying a homestay/make-shift hostel and helped me out. The bus driver refused to take me to the mountain that afternoon since it was already past 4 PM and too late to climb the mountain. So I had to nix my plan of camping out on the mountain, which in hindsight is probably for the better.

So I stayed with this lovely family and hung out with my new Chinese friends--I was a total third wheel (or light bulb, as the Chinese saying goes).

"See you later," the bus driver says.

Um...where am I?

at least the house had  a yang-yang--can't be that dangerous, right?

And of course, no household is complete without:

Farewell to Henan

Last night in Zhengzhou, what else to do but KTV?

Special message from our good friend, Barack.

Early morning goodbye to Henan's rising red sun.

Luoyang and the Longmen Grottoes

Luoyang is the capital of ancient China during the Song Dynasty. Despite the promise of historical recreation, Luoyang was fairly monotone. We headed here after a morning spent at the Longmen Grottoes, a UNESCO protected heritage site. Thousands and thousands of Buddha statues were carved into the mountainside, making it a sacred place. Pretty epic.

His parents were keen on him acting the part.

 Then we went to eat Luoyang's famous "water banquet." It consists of 18 different soups. From soup to soup, the courses are supposed to flow like water = "water banquet."

Luoyang's reputation as the ancient capital of China is reflected in the air. The whole old town area was generally empty, the rhythm slow. 

On the bright side, Luoyang is good for mid-afternoon naps. Siestas everywhere. 

Kaifeng, Henan

Kaifeng was filled with fantastic food and easy on the eyes. We spent a significant amount of time at the River Park, which aims to replicate village life during the Song Dynasty--a bit of a Chinese Colonial Williamsburg. We talked with a lot of the artisans.

We mostly spoke with a flour-clay artisan. He learned the skill from his father, a skill only passed down through the men in his family. He continues to teach his children. He's really something, only charged 10 RMB for each model since we were in Kaifeng. But in Shanghai, which he periodically makes a short-term visit to, he can charge beyond 200 RMB. While the River Park can come off as a bit gaudy, it's places like these that allow artisans to continue the traditions of rare artisan skills while still earning enough money.

Guess whose torso-less, topless body that is!

He matched everything on me, from the shoes to the color of the strap to a red hairband on my wrist.

As a result, we can finally put together a claymation tv show. Styled after Korean Dramas (think dramatic cityscape backgrounds, distanced but tense lovers, long stares of longing).

We called it,"戏剧在河南" or "Drama...in Henan."

Kaifeng also has a fantastic night market with desserts and meats of all kinds. 

xoxo, love Henan (all drama, all in claymation)

Shaolin Si (Shaolin Temple), Henan

Setting the mood first...

We went to the Shaolin Si in the Shaolin mountains area. The Shaolin Temple is probably Henan's current claim to fame. Definitely the place where I saw the most tourists. The history was pretty interesting, I saw some trees with deep holes which are supposed to be evidence of years of finger boxing. One of the buildings had deep grooves in the concrete floors from Shaolin monks secretly practicing kung fu when it was banned during the Ming Dynasty. 

Finger boxing holes

grooves in the floor, looks much more impressive in real life

Chinese tourist, Chinese monk

While I was there, I saw parents bring in their son to register him to learn kung fu full-time with the temple. Kung fu schools are still largely acceptable alternatives to the traditional schooling system. Usually, the students practice for 8 hours a day, using computers the rest of the time to fulfill basic education requirements. 

Waiting for some kung fu(n)

We asked the headmaster of the kung fu school if he had mastered all of kung fu. He answered, "I 'm not very good, I know all of the disciplines but only kind of good at each." Right.

Also hiked the Shaolin Mountain area, there's this incredible temple nestled into the mountains.

Spectacular.

Along the way.

China's mountains are really something.

And of course, nothing like a very convincing picture with both the Abbot of the Shaolin Temple (Grand master Shi Yongxin) and Former Russian President Vladimir Putin to keep the memories.