China > Wandering through Shaxi

I slept well last night. I really needed it. This morning I can take it easy. We don’t leave until nine o’clock. In the room, we make coffee with the kettle. I also have some yogurt I bought yesterday for breakfast. At nine, the bus is waiting in front of the hotel. We drive about two hours to Shaxi. Along the way, Frank explains the program for the coming days. May 1st is Labor Day in China. This comes with a five-day holiday period. During these days, many Chinese people travel. Everywhere gets crowded. Very crowded. Frank says it’s better to visit Dali on April 30th, before the holiday rush begins, and to visit the Karst mountains in Yangshou on May 6th, after the holiday period. He also mentions that during the May holiday, he will book restaurants for the group because it can get busy otherwise.

China - The old pavilion from the 17th century in Shaxi

We’ll see how that goes. Before eleven o’clock, we arrive at the hotel in Shaxi. The rooms are not ready yet. We walk into the center. Shaxi is a historic town of the Bai civilization. Here in the center, there are many traditional wooden houses and plenty of tourist shops. Still, it’s not very crowded with tourists yet. At ‘Peter’s Kitchen’, I order coffee. The restaurant is Western-oriented. The menu looks delicious, but it’s still too early for lunch. On the central square lies the Old Theater Stage, a pavilion with three-layered roofs built during the Qing dynasty (1644–1912). Operas were performed here in the past. Opposite the building is the Xingjiao Temple, a well-preserved Buddhist temple from the Ming dynasty. The temple was built in the 13th century. In front of the temple stand two huge statues of Buddhist guardians who protect the temple. Inside the temple are five relatively simple Buddha statues. This is different from the Tibetan temples we have seen earlier. We continue wandering through the streets. At a restaurant, we order some dishes for lunch. One chicken dish is a traditional Bai dish. The waitress warns us that Bai dishes tend to be a bit sour. We decide to try it anyway.

China - The old arch bridge over the Heihui river

It tastes great. After lunch, we walk to the old historic arch bridge over the Heihui River. The bridge played an important role in trade with Tibet. The Tibetans mainly wanted tea from Shaxi, and in Shaxi, people wanted strong Tibetan horses. This led to the tea and horse trade. All trade to and from Shaxi passed over the arch bridge across the river. In the afternoon, we have a beer by the river, then I retreat to my room for a while. Just some rest. In the evening, we eat again at Peter’s Kitchen. All in all, a quiet day. Tomorrow we will go hiking in the mountains around Shaxi.