Pag 3
My obstinate and willful travel to China (Wuhan)
Made from 15 april 2015
Other nice places where I liked to be, were the Changchun Taoist Temple. One must now: I find the Taoist philosphy very relevant and pragmatic for real life, but I don't like rituals and the rituali-sation of knowledge. It's NOT about the worship of idols and relics, but about consciousness about what's going on in the world outside and the world inside. So in a way the real Taoism is practised not IN the temple, but merely just outside, by the men who are giving consultations based on palmistry, I Tjing, yin-yang, horoscope, ......
To the despair of my guide, I want to take such an consultation. So if a WESTERNER who want to do that, that give immediately a lot of attention: my poor guide must translate what the by me choosen man said, with around her an audience of more than 10 people.
The complex of the Guiyuan Buddhist Temple was also a strong place to be. Even when the general field is one of Buddhism, one enters in fact almost in a simular Chinese spirituality, with the same constructions, and the same application of space and harmony. And yes there was a spectacular pagoda and a spectacular high statue, but my attention went merely to the ingenious use of depth, and the separation in different locations or "chambers" that give the whole a certain rhythm and intimicy, which were far more nicer than the spectacular, big constructions. Also some very artistic details and the craftswork, made it to one unity, which made it pleasant to stay there and to forget himself. What is the purpose, I think. But I did my wish of heart.
The complex of of the Great Yu Museum was in fact the first location that I have visit first on my own, because it was just next the Holliday Inn that was my hotel. It contains also a park on the bank of the Yangtze, what is very appropriate because the Great Yu was the ruler who made work from containing the floods that were till then a serious problem for the region. There are statues, tablets and artworks in that park, where the Great Yu is pictured as a kind of Hercules with a too big torso for a Chinese.
Afterwards I went to visit it again, this time accompagnied by my guide -who want not to be mentioned by name haha-, and I even did like it more. It is cleverly constructed into a little mountain with several floors and levels. Every time one reach a new level, one enters in a new enclosed world, cleverly thought out. It's a real quest of discovery that did me even end up in the office without even noticed that haha. Like one can see on a picture, the complex is an excellent place to make photo reports. I discussed with my guide about if it was a real wedding (like she thought), or rather for a magazine (like I thought). I would not like that my bride would show me her back on our weddingday haha. Arrived on the top, one have a panoramic vieuw on Wuhan, always always shrouded in a fog. It is not for nothing that all Chinese are gurgling so much.
The last pictures are taken on two lovely places: the Botanical Garden, which I liked so much that I have gone twice. Especially the little pagoda above the water was a splendid place to be: there was always a nice breese that made it cooler, and the sights from it on the environment were just incomparable. The last 4 pictures were taken on Moshan Hill, a well known one day excursion for the local Chinese, especially in april when the thousand azalea's are blooming.
