Mount Emei, We Will Be Back – Sichuan Province, China

Mountain of the Eyebrows

Emei, meaning “Delicate Eyebrows” in Chinese, got its name from two peaks facing each other and looking like the delicate eyebrows of a Chinese classic beauty.
 

Ever since I was a child, I’ve known that Mount Emei was reputed as one of the four sacred Buddhist mountains of China, which have been important destinations for pilgrimage.  In fact, at 3,099 meters, Mount Emei is the highest of the four. 

In 1996, it was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site for it breathtaking scenery, mysterious natural wonders, and historical Buddhist sites.  The truth is, I was not aware of this until I was on the mountain – one of the benefits of following a tour.

After a dinner at the little town adjacent to the mountain, we checked into Hongzhushan Hotel, which is located right at the foot of Mount Emei.  Surrounded by nature, it was hard to refrain from checking out the night market and snack food streets within walking distance of the hotel.  But, we knew very well that we had “homework” to do before the group meets again the next day.

Option is Not a Good Thing

We had two alternative ways to spend the next day - either half a day visiting Wannian Temple (with the rest of the day at leisure), or a whole day at the summit of the mountain.  Not knowing either option well enough, picking one seems to turn down the other great opportunity. 

Well, for those that know me from my first post, I’m a visual person.  Undoubtedly, I resorted to the photo books in the hotel room.  After all, it’s the history and the visual appeal that I seek wherever I travel to.  

From Chinese Brush Painting to Avatar – Zhangjiajie, Hunan Province, China

When I visited Zhangjiajie in November and wrote the blog post in December of 2009, I was only in awe of the natural beauty that my eyes encountered – the unique rock formation, the mist, the forest, and the Chinese brush paintings that kept on coming to mind. 

So wait, the "South Heaven Pillar" that I saw through the viewfinder of my camera became the floating Hallelujah Mountain in the movie Avatar?  And little did I know that the government was this quick to cash in on the fame of this Hollywood 3D movie and changed the mountain’s name to “Avatar Hallelujah Mountain” in an official ceremony yesterday. 

Does this mark the milestone of Hollywood having a hand in the Chinese traditional art?  Imagine how the paintings will be having descriptions of fishing boat, willow, stream, …, and Avatar.  This truly is a manifestation of a global village that we live in.

Now, feeling having missed the history by just one step, I regret not looking hard enough for the alien Na’vis behind those misty thick woods.

Jiuzhaigou, Here We Come – Jiuzhai Valley, Sichuan Province, China

October 20, 2009, we were flying to Jiuzhaigou.  For that, we did not have a good night sleep.  Yes, we were having an early flight.  But we were also excited, with all the reasons to feel this way. 

Is it Really that Great?

We had started hearing about this place a few years earlier and remained skeptical.  You know how some places can be “beauty in the eyes of beholders”, meaning for others, they are just over-rated.

So as we were passively been on the receiving side, all we heard about Jiuzhaigou was how beautiful it was and how it was like a place from the fairy tales.  The overwhelmingly positive feedback helped us make this trip.

Jiuzhaigou and its Fairy Tale

Jiuzhaigou means "Valley of Nine Villages" in Chinese.  The valley derived its name from the fact that there are 9 ancient Tibetan villages within it.  It is part of the Aba Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous District and is located 100 km north of Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan province (or Szechuan, as put in the Western countries).  In English, Jiuzhaigou is officially known as Jiuzhai Valley. 

Walking into Chinese Brush Painting – Zhangjiajie, Hunan Province, China

First Comes First - A Confession

I have a confession to make. 

I grew up in China.  But I did not start being serious about traveling and getting to know the various regions of the country until more recent years. 

So when I came to the US at a young age, my knowledge about the country was very fragmented.  At the time, I did not realize that.

Leaving the Old and the Slow

As I mentioned in my earlier post, I could not sit and watch China’s seemingly slow modernization process and took an “expedited” approach.  I arrived in an airplane at a country that’s half a globe away from where I was born, a country that was widely considered the best country in the world.  After all, impatience seems to be the trade-mark of young people.

So, one can imagine how happy I was to leave China and everything associated with it.  Who would need to understand the  culture, history or the literature from thousands of years ago?  After all, we are moving at the speed of motor vehicles, airplanes and space rockets.  I was happy to not be bothered by anything old and slow…