Zhangjiajie, Hunan Province 张家界, 湖南省 & Grand Buddha, Sichuan Province 大佛, 四川省
A snapshot from the train. Countless hours.
This was my standard respite of the main cabin where I'd go and put on my headphones and enjoy the comforting aroma of a cigarette.
Coming back from Jiuzhaigou 九寨沟 I spent a few days in Chengdu 成都市 and decided to visit the Grand Buddha statue in Leshan 乐山.
I don't know why I'm adding this, but I like it. This was taken in Chengdu and outside my guesthouse window was a car wash business. This gentleman was playing with his son while they waited, so I took a picture.
Filth along what used to be streams.
Chicken feet 凤爪 is OK, just difficult to eat because there are many small bones. I have since learned to eat the bones spit out the claws.
Absolutely delicious Beijing duck 北京鸭. A must-eat when visiting the capitol.
This is an old estate that was used in the film Raise the Red Lantern 大红灯笼高高挂. It is my favorite Chinese film. I took a day trip here while I was in Pingyao 平遥.
After I started learning Mandarin, I began watching Chinese movies. There aren't many good ones because acting is usually poor and there is currently a distinct suppression of creativity in Chinese culture. Raise the Red Lantern is an exception. It was filmed in 1991 and directed by Zhang Yimou 张艺谋 starring Gong Li 巩俐, both who have become my favorite Chinese entertainers (and among the most famous).
It was filmed in the Qiao Family Compound 乔家大院 and the plot revolves around a woman who married into a polygamous household during the Warlord Era (1916-1928). It was banned in China for some time.
Beans!
My fantastic friends Eric and Ulya. Eric is a Spaniard and Ulya is a Pol. They were traveling overland from Europe. Last I heard, they were in Taiwan. This was taken at our split in Lanzhou, Gansu province. We met in Kashgar.
The following four were taken at Zhangjiajie National Park in Hunan province 湖南省，张家界.
A cloudy day, but one can see how James Cameron was inspired by these features as he worked on Avatar.