|
Despite the ravages of last night, The Old
Codger decided to make a trip to Wolf Mountain
today. On a clear day, which is fairly
rare in Nantong, he can see the Buddhist Temple
- Guangjiao Temple of Langshan - from is
kitchen window, about 4 km away. The
temple was built in 669, when the mountain was
surrounded by the Yangtze River. The
temple actually consists of 6 buildings with the
one at the top officially known as the Monastery
of Zhiyuan Pagoda, which was built in the latter
part of the Ming Dynasty.
(To
enlarge any of the pictures, click on the
picture.)
The area around the base of the mountain is well
landscaped, and a small tributary of the Yangtze
River. The picture at the right depicts a
bridge which apparently has been designed to be
handicapped accessible. Notice the ramp in
between the stairs. A very nice and
considerate touch, until one remembers that they
are in China.
Note the stairs that are clearly not handicapped
accessible in the next picture. These
stairs are immediately after the handicapped
accessible bridge.
Admission to the grounds this time of year is 20
RMB, except for students. The Old Codger
tried to use his University ID for a discount,
which was not acceptable. At least, unlike
in Thailand, they don't charge foreigners more
than the natives.
The building after the non-handicapped
accessible stairs is a scholar's pagoda, where
there are bass relief images of old scholars
from the Nantong area. Very well done and
quite realistic. Surprisingly, The Old
Codger is not depicted in these scenes - yet.
Since the name of the mountain is "Wolf
Mountain" it is only appropriate that there is a
statue of a wolf. No one really seems to
be able to agree on how the wolf relates to the
mountain. One story is that the mountain
was inhabited by wolves when it was surrounded
by the Yangtze River. One thing is clear
today though: There aren't any wolves in
the area anymore, no doubt having made their
last appearances on various dinner tables.
As
with all tourist attractions, there is a nicely
detailed map on the grounds to help visitors
find their way around. A photo of the map
depicts that it says in English that it is the
"Langshan Tour Guide." Once again, please
be gently reminded that this is China. The
title may be in English, but everything else on
the map is written in Chinese.
Fortunately, The Old Codger had a former student
with him, Lin, who had never been to the
mountain before, so it was a learning experience
for both of them.
Progressing on, the next item is Luo
Binwang's Tomb. Luo is called one of
the "four wits" of the early Tang Dynasty.
In 684 he was one of the leaders of a uprising
against Empress Wu Zetian. He was defeated
in the uprising, and fled to Nantong. Most
of his poems were "indignant," but even the
Empress praised his writings. His tomb was
moved to the current location on the south side
of Langshan during the Quing Dynasty.
As
we moved on, we encountered the stairs leading
to the top of the mountain. It is a tough
walk up the stairs - about 2,000 feet or more,
and someone did have a sense of humor. At
the first or second landing they installed a
scale so one can check their weight on the way
up, and again on the way down. The further
one gets to the top of the mountain, there are
vendors selling everything from water to live
turtles (signs of good luck) to fireworks and
incense. Incense is a vital necessity for
Buddhists.
About a quarter of the way up, one can get a
glimpse of the Yangtze River in the distance.
The buildings at the bottom of the picture all
comprise a 5 Star Hotel. With the
temperature about 30 degrees (86 F) and the sun
beating down, it was a nice place to rest a bit
and enjoy a bit of a breeze.
The next stop, for another rest, was the Sha Gan
Pavillion which honors another revolutionary in
recent Chinese history. He was involved
almost exclusively in revolutionary actions from
1911 until his murder in 1913. He is best
known for organizing an attack on the Shanghai
Manufacturers Bureau, and establishing the
"Socialist Party" in Shanghai. In 1985,
the Nantong Municipality commissioned the
"tablet" to the right to commemorate the
"martyr's" 100th birthday.
Finally we reached the top of the mountain.
Just prior to the very top of the mountain was a
ticket booth which was selling tickets for 12
Yuan to enter the Temple. Once again, a
subtle reminder that one is living in
China. Only in China will a person be
asked to pay 20 Yuan to walk up a thousand steps
or so to see a temple, and then be hit up again
for more money to actually go into the temple.
When it comes to making money, the Chinese have
a monopoly on the game.
The views from the top of the mountain were
good, but there was a bit of haze, so no really
good pictures. It was at the top though,
that The Old Codger remembered that someone had
told him previously that there was a cable car
to take people to the top of the mountain and
back down. The illusive cable car was
found. Cost for a one way ticket is 30
Yuan. (USD $4.37) For a round trip ticket,
it is 35 Yuan. (USD $5.10) Once again, the
Chinese know how to make money.
|
