On Sunday 16 April, we visited the forest reserve south of Ningwu.  I'll post the name when I find out what it is.  

Paths climb through fragrant pine forests to the foot of shear limestone cliffs.  Ascent of the cliff is by hundreds of stone stairs, followed by a haul up embedded chains.  The view from the top is breathtaking.  The peace as we sat with the Buddhist monk at the summit temple was awesome. The seventy two year old descends from the mountain only once a year for provisions.  He gladly offered us fresh ice cold water to quench our thirst following the strenuous climb.  He had relatively recently transferred from the nearby holy mountains of Wu Tai Shan.  

"I looked upon a presence

Spanning forty centuries...

I stood at the top of the mountain

And China sang to me" - Neil Peart

A frozen waterfall on the ascent of the Sacred Mountain

The temple close to the summit

Temples cling to the shear rock face

The temples are connected by a series of tunnels.  The view is majestic.  

A lone Buddhist monk cares for the summit temple.  Blame Xiao Ping for the missing part of my head!

More pictures of the park area are at: Family Visit

The Elmers in China Photo Gallery produced by Richard Elmer.   If you have any comments or want to use any photos, drop me a line!  Revised: 16 Jul 2007 09:42:23 +0100.