-- From Xian to Datong

From Xian and until Beijing we took the highways and often used the service areas as bivouac. They are composed of a great fuel station, a restaurant, a supermarket, a correct toilets, an immense carpark and a hotel for our guide.

Service area on highway
Pingyao 
26/07/2006 

Service area on highway 
Pingyao 
26/072006 

The highway tracklog 
from Xian to Pingyao 
from the 25/07/2006 to the 26/07/2006 

The 25/07, we left Xian to Pingyao. On the way we visited the buried Army of the burial of the First Emperor of China, Qin Shi Huang put at the tomb into 210 BC. In 1982 and 1988 only the pit n°1 was accessible to the public. Since the buildings covering the pits n°2 and n°3 were built as well as a museum recalling the discovery of the site. On the left of the pit n°1 a room with a circular screen projecting a film of the conquests of Emperor Qin Shi Huang as well as the construction of his mausoleum. The whole of the site is installed in an immense park raised with a carpark to accommodate many the bus of Chinese tourists. Of course nothing of all that existed at the time of our preceding journeys.
The museum exhibits weapons whose arrows are plated of chromium. This technique was under control only in 1937 by American!

The buried Army
Emperor Qin Shihuangdi
25/07/2006 

Pingyao was under Ming and Qing a very prosperous city, it was the financial center of China under Qing. The architecture of the city is an example of organization at the time of Han. Museum city, it is very visited by the Chinese tourists.

Wall of the city 
Pingyao 
26/07/2006 

Tower of the Bell  
Pingyao
26/07/2006 

the highway tracklog  
from Pingyao to Datong 
from the 27/07/2006 to the 29/07/2006 

Taiyuan, before arriving at the provincial capital we visited two sites.
The Gaio Residence was built under Ming by a commercial rich person who was an important banker. Composed of more than 300 parts, they exhibit scenes of the life under Ming and Qing. It was used as decoration by the film “Raise the red lantern”.

A courtyard 
Gaio residence 
27/07/2006

The Temple of Jinci was built on a site known since Vth century BC. The temple of the Goddess Mother dates back from XIth century. The terracotta statues are one of the wonders of China. They put in situation the courtesan of the mother of Wuwang the first emperor of the Zhou dynasty.

Temple of the Holy Mother 
Jinci 
27/07/2006 

The 28/07 on the way to Datong, we made a detour to visit two monuments.
Yingxian, the Pagoda of octagonal plan built entirely out of wood under the dynasty of Liao in 1056. On each even floor, there are statues of Buddha and Bodhisattva.  Unfortunately, only two storeys are opened to the tourists in spite of the high price of the entry.

The Pagoda out of wooden 
Yingxian 
28/07/2006 

Honyuan, Xuangongsi, the hanging monastery, are fixed on cliff at 50 meters over a torrent. It dates back from the VIth century BC. The rooms are connected by corridors and exhibit statues of the three beliefs of China, Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism.

Xuangongsi 
Honyuan 
28/072006 

After these visits we went towards the Caves of Yungang with the intention to bivouac there to make the visit of it the following day. The crossing of the periphery of Datong was a true nightmare of slaloms in work. We were blocked by a bridge with the height limited to 3,4 meters. Our guide then decided to take a taxi to put to us on the right road. We arrived at Yungang around 9 p.m.!
The 28/07 we visited the Caves of Yungang. With the difference of the Caves of Mogaoin Dunhuang, they were dug by the emperors of the Wei of North dynasty. The 51.000 statues of Buddha, Bodhisattva, Apsara etc were influenced by Indian art.

The Cave n° 11
Yungang 
29/07/2006 

The Cave n°18 
Yungang 
29/07/2006 

Datong is very polluted, a fog stagnates over the city. Among the three or four curiosities, most outstanding are the Monastery of Huayan with its extraordinary library and its statuary of the Liao time and the Nine Dragon Screen, Jiulongbi, monumental earthenware of the Ming time.

Huayan monastery
Datong 
29/07/2006 

The Nne Dragon Sfreen 
Datong 
29/07/2006 

The following week was marked by the visit of Beijing.