The land south of clouds

So, China is a huge country, which lies on the other side of our Hemisphere. When I was a kid, I was told that if I make a hole through the earth and peek out on the other side, I would find myself in China. There a strange language was spoken... Ching Chung Cang. Then I was very fascinated and I was sure that all Chinese people carried triangular hats and walked around the paddy fields. Well, in the process of growing up, I somehow realized that the hole through the earth is not so easy to dig and that there are other ways to get to China. Through the study of Sinology I came up to the fact that the phrase "Ching Chong Cang" does not mean much if you try to translate into Chinese. The most shocking, of course, was the fact that triangular hats are not really in style anymore. Despite all these hard facts, facing me with cruel reality, China remains a magical country for me. Due to my studies and also my own wishes, I visited it twice. The world is so different there, like "on the other end of the planet". For some, dealing with this otherness is big shock and they cannot accept it, while others practically fall in love with this "Land of Smiles" and returned back again.

Kunming 

This city is at 1800 meters above sea level. It’s a home to 5.7 million people and in its metropolitan area live further 3 million. It stands apart from other Chinese cities because it is clean, which could be due to attempts of modernization in 1999, when the city hosted a horticultural Expo. We can still see many beautiful botanic gardens and several hedges along roads or green areas in roundabouts, not to mention many green sculptures in parks. In the center there’s a very small “Green lake,” where the people love to gather. It’s a great spot to unwind: playing instruments, singing, dancing, practicing tai ji quan or just sitting and chatting while playing board games and sipping tea. Outside the city there’s a large lake Dian - Dian Chi. On its shores are quite a few Buddhist temples, worth visiting, but it’s even better to get a local to take you on a boat ride along the lake, for just a handful of Yuan (local currency). Not far from Kunming is one of the natural wonders of the world – the petrified forest Shi Lin. It’s a tourist trap with an entrance and tickets to buy, but still worth a visit. The legend says that gods split the mountain and made a labyrinth of it, to make hiding spots for young lovers and thus a forest came to be.

Dali

The best mode of transport from Kunming to Dali is the night bus. Night-sleeping buses are something special in China. There are no seats in them, just beds. They are somewhat shorter than we’d prefer, yet still comfortable enough to spend a night in and wake up next morning in a new town. This line actually hoes further to the newer city of Guangxi, which grew near the old Dali. From here you can take the public bus back to Dali. This small town at the 1900m of elevation lays at the foot of the Mountain of green jade. Under the city there’s a huge lake and beautiful fields. The town itself has an ancient city wall and is full of streets with traditional Chinese restaurants and shops, which are today meant mostly for the Chinese tourists. There’s no road traffic or buses here. You can have a real relaxing vacation here and experience a different time. If you get bored, you can take a bike and cycle to the lake or to the famous pagodas, which stand near the town for centuries. If you meet any locals, you can ask them to take you to on Cormorant fishing, which is here still the usual practice. For those, who like martial arts, it would be interesting to know there’s a temple nearby, that accepts foreigners to study their ancient combat knowledge.

Li Yang and the Chinese Pamukale

Zhongdian or Shangri-La

If we continue our way towards Tibet, we reach – at 3200m above sea level – the town of Zhongdian. It is settled by various minorities, but we can see many Tibetan features on people’s faces. The town seems to be the last fortress of modern life before reaching Tibet, and despite it being full of army barracks it probably really is. It’s still well worth a visit. The houses are very colorful and we can find some native houses as well, with turned roofs. The people are very kind. You can try Yak’s milk in restaurants, which is said to be really healthy, but also that it helps overcome the altitude sickness. About an hour’s walk away (or 15min by taxi) you can reach a Tibetan Buddhist village of Songzanlin Si. It is a 300 year old temple complex on top of the hill surrounded by fairylike mountains. There are huge birds of prey circling the sky and some yak’s on the road make you feel the time stands still.

Deqin and a holy pilgrimage to the foot of the Meili shan mountain

Deqin Is the last city before the Tibetan border, from where on the bus doesn’t take you and no foreigners are allowed to Tibet. From the town, in the valley, there’s a nice view of the surrounding mountains and the Meili shan glacier. It’s one of the nine Tibetan holy mountains and it was just in time while I was there that the mountain had its birthday – it’s an event that takes place just every 60 years, when all twelve heavenly signs exchange all five elements and the entire being of Chinese cosmology makes a full circle. Nobody, naturally, may go to the mountain, which is off limits to us mortals, but on this special year, if you’re a pilgrim, you can go on a walk around the mountain that houses the gods. This pilgrimage takes you closer to immortality, for it clears your karma for the past seven years, cleaning it of wrong deeds. If you visit the mountain when it’s not its birthday, you can only clean your karma of the deeds in the previous life. Since cleaning your karma is not something bad, I’d suggest everybody goes on the pilgrimage – if not for the spirituality than for the nature alone and the endless quiet you can only feel in the high mountains. Our pilgrimage is a walk on paths without a map, even though you feel there’s only one way to get to wherever it is you’re going. We stop at temples and carry out ceremonies to let the mountain accept us, enlighten us… It’s not the end, but just the beginning of our path.. A journey through the world of neighbors some day’s walk apart, with no time pieces and where nine men share a woman…

But to really feel it all, you have to visit China for yourself and as the old Chinese wisdom says: “what you hear can be false, but what you see is true.«