Field Trip to Tianshui!
This past weekend marked my first time joining a sight-seeing trip organized by my school for the foreign teachers. I did not make the first trip due to some alcohol-related activities that were clearly not well thought out. This trip would be a three day adventure, so I made sure I was present and accounted for.
Tianshui is located in the neighboring province of Gansu and was settled back in neolithic times. The major draw of this sprawling industrial city, and all of Eastern Gansu, is Maiji Shan and its Buddhist caves. Also located there is Fuxi Temple, dedicated to none other than Fuxi himself. Fuxi is a mythological character regarded as the “first ancestor” who introduced the Chinese to fishing, hunting and animal husbandry. On Friday we saw both of these sites, as well as the house of some poet from a long time ago. At least I think that’s what he was. To be quite honest I wasn’t paying much attention to the signs. The house was so beautiful and peaceful that I was completely engrossed in exploring the complex and imagining how great it would be to live in a place like that.
So what are my impressions of the trip as a whole? In a phrase: waste of time. That’s right, a gigantic waste of time. Don’t get me wrong, the sites were really great and I’m glad I had the opportunity to view them. Nonetheless we wasted an incredible amount of time getting there and back. How much time, you ask? Well I am more than happy to elaborate. Thursday was the first day of the long weekend, we spent 10 hours on a bus from Xi’an to Tianshui. One day down. Friday we did all of our sightseeing. Three sites in one day is not bad at all; I was satisfied with that. Two days down. Saturday was the day of our return trip. It took a whopping 12 hours to get back. 12 hours! By the time we finally got back to Xi’an I was ready to murder. I was totally and utterly fried and I think everyone else was too. And that makes three days.
I take this weekend as a learning experience. An important lesson life lesson, if you will: for a weekend trip take the train, take the train, take the bloody train. In my eyes the pain and suffering of a 10+ hour bus ride simply cannot be justified if you are only going for a day or two.
End rant.
Maiji Shan is an incredible sight. There are Buddhist figures carved all over the sheer face of the mountain. The feat of actually getting up there in the first place, and then carving something into the mountainside is impressive in and of itself. The quantity and quality of the pieces just adds that much more to the beauty and grandeur. Climbing up and down the steep stairs and narrow catwalks to view the different carvings from all different eras is definitely a highlight among my recent trips. I highly recommend a visit to Meiji Shan for anyone traveling in the area.
Fuxi Temple was interesting but paled in comparison to Maiji Shan. There is a 1000 year old tree that is nearly collapsed on the main building, that’s kind of cool. Other than that I don’t recall anything particularly impressive about the place. Like almost every other temple I’ve been to it is beautiful and tranquil. The traditional Chinese architecture never ceases to capture my interest. And despite the hustle and bustle of the market just outside the walls, Fuxi Temple was just as quiet as you would expect an ancient place of worship to be. In retrospect I suppose it is a great way to relax and rest up after a morning climbing all over a mountain.
The final bullet on our itinerary was, as I said, the ancient residence. For the life of me I can’t remember any of the history of the place other than some important guy used to live there. 
Regardless, it was a nice little side trip and I enjoyed myself getting lost in the maze of alleys and paths. It also has an awesome secret basement that was used as a treasure cave and later as a bombshelter. It would make a fantastic wine cellar. The house is very large and consists of several buildings connected by inner courtyards and porches. The style and layout made a big impression on me for some reason. I would like to imagine that if I ever own a house in the future I would like it to be similar in design with plenty of open space and inner courtyards/gardens. I feel like it makes for a really unique feeling that encourages a close relationship with nature, which I like. It’s probably a pain in the ass to keep clean though.
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I’m sorry about the wasted time… however, let me focus on the positive:
The second picture in this post… please see my previous comment the Fu Lions. That’s what I’m talking about. You have “the eye”.
I’m impressed.
Thanks! I am particularly happy about how that picture came out. I don’t know if I have “the eye” or not but I’m certainly trying my best. I still have a long ways to go and a lot to learn though.
[...] found some pretty intricate woodwork on a doorway in Tianshui, Gansu Province. I wrote about my trip to Tianshui a little ago; this picture is from the last part of the entry when we visited the old house (the [...]