In China, it has become increasingly hard to find ancient villages that remain relatively untouched by the ugly rush of modern development or the sticky lure of tourism. Few get the balance right. And, you have to drive through a lot of faceless towns to find the real gems. Xigubao isn’t devoid of tourists but…
Yuxian Old Town . 蔚县古城
On our way back from Xigubao 西古堡, we stopped by Yuxian Old Town 蔚县古城. We only had time to see two ancient monuments yet both are quite splendid. Yuhuangge Temple 玉皇阁 is a magnificent wooden structure that has been oiled rather than lacquered to survive more than 600 years. I loved the weathered wood’s earthy…
Mythical Xanadu – 元上都
“In Xanadu did Kubla Khan A stately pleasure-dome decree: Where Alph, the sacred river, ran Through caverns measureless to man Down to a sunless sea.” If mention of Xanadu evokes these opening lines of Coleridge’s poem “Kubla Khan,” our photos may fall short of mythical expectations. Samuel Taylor Coleridge 柯勒律治 penned the poem in 1797,…