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clay dube.
Rob_Hugo@PortNWIn my honest opinion our experiences on the 8th of July provided us with some of the most impressive construction projects that we experienced throughout our stay in China. In brief, the day consisted of our visit to the Yungang Grottoes, the Hanging Temple, a visual look at the countryside and an extremely long bus ride to Taiyuan that allowed us to view a different and beautiful portion of the Great Wall.
This was one of the most unique portions of the trip as it was the only one that consisted of train and bus travel all on the same day. The day actually began with the group arriving into the city of Datong, which is in Shanxi province, at around 12:30 am. Although we were excited at the conclusion of a 6-hour train ride, many of us were also looking for the comfort of a good nights rest in our hotel in Datong. However, before we were able to enjoy our bed, we were greeted with another new element, a new tour guide. For four days we had experienced the wonderful leadership of Jean (J-E-A-N) Gao during our stay in Beijing. Now our tour would be led for the next several days by our charismatic new guide who referred to himself as Indiana Jones (I apologize I don’t have his given name). Although there would be an adjustment process at our loss of Jean, Indiana would become one of the most memorable tour leaders of our trip.
Another interesting element that this portion of the trip provided was that it was beginning a string of one-nighters that took us from city to city (Datong → Taiyuan → Pingyao → Xian) and never allowed us to fully settle in to our hotels. However, the constant moving was exciting and very eventful. We were like a band on tour! At this time I would like to thank our tour leaders for allowing us to sleep-in a little more on these days.
After some well-needed rest and a nice breakfast we headed for our first stop which were the Yungang Grottoes approximately 45 minutes outside of the Datong City. Besides observing an eclectic mix of industrial and countryside scenery on our way to the historical site, we observed that leading up to the grottoes themselves was a city within a city just footsteps (BIG footsteps) away. Clay and Indiana referred to this as the Datong Coal Mine and the mini-city itself was the self-sufficient community that was created in order to support the local workers and their families. For starters the coal mine is one of the largest in all of China, and is located in one of most coal-rich areas in the entire country. It was quite unique as the community was practically on the grounds of the coalmines themselves. The community contained barracks, stores/shops, recreation and even farming areas that allowed it to provide for the residents. Since coal is such a major energy resource in the region, this coalmine is extremely vital and its demand is displayed in the continual arrival and departure of trains (containing coal) on a daily basis. Sadly, because of the danger of this type of work, our tour guide and Clay mentioned that a little over a year ago the mine had experienced a coalmining accident that unfortunately claimed the lives of 11 workers.
After finally arriving at the Yungang grottoes you cannot help but notice the modernization that is taking place as a means to enhance the location. From the parking lot, landscape and laid out walkways, the park is on its way to become extremely beautiful. Upon entering the park one notices that the grottoes are considered an UNESCO World Heritage site, a privilege that was granted to the park on Dec. 14 of 2001.
Amongst the aesthetic beauty of the trees and overall layout of the park arises an enormous cavernous display of Buddhist art containing an overwhelming amount of statues and cave paintings that date back to around 1400-1700 years ago during the reign of the Han and Tang dynasty. Since during this period the Silk Road was at its height, and that this area belonged to the actual trade route, it is very much likely that these caves, statues and paintings were created as a means of providing honor and respect to the cultural diffusion that was taking place at the time on the Silk Road through the spread of Buddhism into China. The park itself contains over 250 grottoes both great and small. The caves themselves were built over three project phases, whereas the early projects (caves 1-30) were built over 1500 years ago, the last remaining caves were built by local farmers and are considerably smaller in size in comparison to the earlier caves built. These caves were more than likely commissioned or funded by local kings, the wealthy or merchants. According to Indiana, the largest Buddha built on the premises measures an astonishing 17 meters in height, while the smallest is a diminutive 2 cm! We were also informed that a majority of these statues were built by the nomadic Toba peoples of the region. This is reflected in the facial features of the statues, which reflect a mix of Chinese, Indian and European features. The purpose of these statues was probably due to the fact that the Toba people wanted to build something to show honor and craftsmanship ability to the local people, as well as providing honor and respect to Buddhism, which was their core religion.
Due to time constraints and the overall size of the park, we were only able to observe just about the first 30 caves of the park. However, each grotto is a story all to its own. The caves are beautifully hand-decorated with paintings that are rich in rustic red, white, blue and green colors, but many of those colors are dulled due to time and a process of preservation that allowed the earth of the caves to settle on the sculptures themselves. Also a majority of the caves contain carvings of mini-Buddha's that adorn the inner wall and outer walls of the caves themselves. When one is inside these caves, you cannot help but feel a sense of awe at not only the sheer magnitude of the project, but the precision that it took to create such a marvelous work. An example of this is seen in one of the caves where it is evidenced on how thin the walls are to these caves. For many of the wall carvings the sculptors were only working on a piece of sandstone that was a little less than an inch in thickness. However, the real treasure was to see the detail in each one of the giant Sakyamuni Buddha's that were created inside each of these caves. Many of these make up the larger Buddha statues throughout the park, and reflect the pinnacle works of this religious site. As humans we are dwarfed by their sheer enormity, but we can also revel in wonder at the story, purpose and history in the creation of each one.
Upon finishing up our tour of the grottoes with some ice cream and lunch we then proceeded to one of the areas that I was looking forward to on the trip, the Hanging Temple. All I knew about this place prior to going on this study tour was that it was a temple, it was hanging, and to be sure you do not fall off. Anyway, the Hanging Temple did not disappoint and was I’m sure a highlight for many on the trip.
The Hanging Temple is simply a structural wonder of engineering. The temple itself was built on the face of Mt. Hengsheng about 500 feet in the air and is in the midst of a gorge. What makes the building so stunning is the allusion that the building is being fully supported by long wooden beams from the bottom. I thought this myself, until Clay burst my bubble and said that crossbeams were inserted into the face of the mountain and serve as the core support for the entire structure. The building itself was built about 1400 years ago, but has seen restoration during the Ming & Qing dynasties. Even though it was used as a Buddhist monastery, it is no longer used as a temple and is now one of the most important attractions to visit in the Datong area. What I found to be truly unique was how the temple incorporates the philosophies of Confucianism and Daoism, along with the religion of Buddhism into one. There is an element of coexistence that is found throughout the entire structure of the building, as well as the shrines within the temple itself. Although there are not many, some of the shrines will have statues within them that reflect the leaders of each of the philosophies and religion. The level of coexistence is something that I pondered while we were here and still mill around in my head. One of the things that I considered was its location, which due to being in the midst of a gorge it seems to appeal to nature, an idea that is so fundamental to Daoist believe, along with the idea of isolation/or separateness something reflective of the monastic lifestyle in Buddhism, as well as the traditional Confucian mindset of honor, respect and tradition (even the architecture) that was so embedded during this period of Chinese history. However, although my thought may not be entirely accurate, I still ponder on why this place was even built, for what purpose and why it was built here.
In terms of my experience at the site, it was AMAZING!!! There is nothing like being inside a 500 ft. up maze. The architecture, narrow spaces/walkways and shallow staircases provide this place with a character all its own. Although it is a rather small place, you could spend a considerable amount of time exploring and admiring the beauty of the building and scenery of the area itself. I would like to thank my camera buddies Jackie, David, Mike, Joe, Minh, Clay, the dynamic duo and Kyle for taking some amazing photos. One thing to note is that the wooden beams that give the look of holding the temple up are quite loose and wobbly. Thank goodness it is built into the mountain.
To conclude, the 4-5 hr. ride to Taiyuan allowed us the opportunity to experience the (I think) Pianguan Pass, which was a scenic ride through some amazing mountain tunnels constructed on this road. The travel along this highway provided us with some amazing views of the portion of the Great Wall of China that lies within the Shanxi province. It was truly remarkable because it combined the amazing engineering capability of the past (Great Wall) and the present (mountain highway tunnels). Last of all, I would like to extend my thanks to the wonderful restaurant staff in Taiyuan. I do not remember the restaurant, but I would like to express my gratitude for staying so late in order to accommodate and serve us our meal despite our later than expected arrival into the city.
As a whole, July 8 was one of the most memorable days on the trip for myself, largely due to the unique nature of what I saw and the historical sites of China that I was able to experience.
Shur-er!!!
Manny
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AnonymousManny, thank you for this. I think that you are right about these sights making the biggest impression on us, or you and me at least. Throughout the trip I was always looking for something that personally felt more spiritual. The raw-ness of the materials in the grottoes yet the attention to detail awed me.
Anonymousgreat pics Manny!!
AnonymousThe Hanging Temple or Hanging Monastery 懸空寺 Xuánkong SìText
During my extended stay in HK, I watched a program on The Hanging Temple. This show was produced by a Singaporean station and aired on what could be the equivalent of our PBS/Discovery stations here in the US. The program was fascinating.
Here are a few facts on the Hanging Temple.
- made out of Chinese Hemlock, a very dense wood which isn't affected by mositure
- The holes, in the cliff, are smaller on the outside. This engineering feat ensures that the cross beams can't be easily pulled out. When the cross beams were wedged into the holes, it was an engineering marvel.
- the wood was treated to last forever with raw tung oil (google Tung oil along with ancient Chinese)
- Temple was declared a National Monument in 1982 (why did it take so long?)
- there are holes beneath the monastery, they are over 1,000 year old and are the remnants of ancient cliff roads
- the religious statues had their eyeballs/heads removed - evidence of the Cultural Revolution. Eyeballs and heads were replaced. You can still see the cracks from when the heads were severed.
CCTV produced documentary
clay dubeHi Folks --
Some of you who completed the pre-modern version of the seminar know that I like to have participants engage in a four sided debate over the advantages and disadvantages of particular philosophies from early China. We provided those teachers with a curriculum unit I wrote 19 years ago for UCLA's National Center for History in the Schools. I don't have a pdf of the finished guide, but have attached a pdf of the draft version.
Why am I attaching it here? In addition to being a remarkable bit of engineering, Xuankongsi 悬空寺 , the "Hanging Temple," celebrates three Chinese philosophical/religious traditions: Buddhism, Daoism, and Confucianism. Hopefully you noticed the icons honoring each during your visit. Manny's post highlights this aspect of the temple.
The attached unit discusses four schools of thought: Confucianism, Mohism, Daoism, and Legalism. The culminating activity is the debate. Buddhism isn't covered because the debate is set in the 3rd century BCE and Buddhism hadn't yet made it's way to China. [Edit by="Clay Dube on Sep 7, 2:02:36 AM"][/Edit]
