London: The Victoria and Albert Museum

The Victoria and Albert Museum has been in this location since 1854

The Victoria and Albert Museum has a fascinating and massive collection of all kinds of stuff -- 2.27 million of them spanning 5,000 years -- dedicated to applied decorative art and design. It is a reference area for artists, designers, fashion designers and the general public to learn more about art and design from around the world.

It was founded in 1852 and originally called by the Museum's first director Henry Cole and it was known as the Museum of Manufactures. And then in 1854 it was moved to its current location and called South Kensington Museum. 

Coral tiara, brooches and earrings from the 19th century

Queen Victoria officially opened the museum in 1857 and it was renamed the Victoria and Albert Museum. What made this museum particularly accessible to the working class was that gas lamps were introduced, so that the museum could be open later for these people to be able to enjoy it too.

We arrived just after 5pm and asked a museum staff member to point us to some must-see things there. She advised that the second floor would be closing at 5.30pm and that we would probably be interested in the jewellery section there, followed by the Raphael Cartoons.

So we followed her directions and went up the stairs to the jewellery section that happens to be near the National Art Library that has over 750,000 books, photographs, drawings, paintings and prints. It also has some of Leonardo da Vinci's notebooks, The Codex.

Meanwhile the jewellery section really hits the eyes, all these shiny stones in a dark room make them even more glittery. The entrance has a giant spiral of so many different coloured stones that they are totally mesmerizing to look at.

Taking a peek into the National Art Library before it closed

What's interesting here is that jewellery items are not placed in chronological order but coordinated with different countries and times to show contrast or similarities.

There were many royal jewellery items, including a section on coral from 1830 to 1920 that showed how it has been prized since the 19th century. While it was mostly sourced around the seas in Naples and nearby Torre del Greco, coral used in jewellery became popular because there was also a naturalistic theme that was all the rage in the 1850s. There was even a tiara made from coral that was so interesting to see, along with brooches and earrings.

Jewellery from top artisans like Bulgari and Cartier are shown here, and a highlight is Queen Victoria's sapphire and diamond coronet designed by her husband Prince Albert. He seems to have had a flair for design, particularly jewellery and his love of Victoria also helped fuel the passion to make her look beautiful.

The coronet features stones from previous pieces and it could be worn either on the crown of her head, or opened up and placed behind her head.

The Miraculous Draught of Fishes by Raphael, about 1515

We like many others were told the jewellery section was closing so we moved down to the ground floor to the Raphael Cartoons. They are called cartoons from the Italian word "cartone", which means a large sheet of paper, or a preparatory design.

These were detailed paintings that were meant to be given to weavers to make tapestries that would be hung up on the lower walls of the Sistine Chapel in the 1690s. These cartoons were made on several sheets of paper that were pasted together and then originally drawn with charcoal, then colour mixed with led-white, animal glue and water to make a gouache was applied onto the paper.

The weavers would take these cartoons and prick the contours with a needle to make a copy, and then cut vertically into sections of weavers to work on. Afterwards the strips were reassembled again and glued to a canvas backing for display. So it's actually quite amazing these cartoons still look in good condition.

Eve Tempted by the Serpent by William Blake

Canadian-born fashion designer known as Erdem, whose full name is Erdem Moraligu explains in a short video how he loves these Raphael Cartoons and was inspired to create his first collection around them and even showed the outfits in the room.

Other interesting items in the V&A include a painting by William Blake that I spotted, a beautiful keyboard where the outer case is covered in a floral pattern, and a completely intact series of blue and white tiles from Turkey in the 1600s.

There is a Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation wing that is dedicated to Buddhist items. It was opened in 2009 and marks the chronological and geographical development of Buddhist art. 

By this time it was getting late, but more people were coming into the museum because there was a DJ in the foyer playing dance music and some people actually dancing to the grooves. Apparently every Friday night it's like this and it made us wonder if the fragile art works weren't affected by the strong vibrations from the music...

Panel of 80 Tiles from Turkey, 1600-1700

But an interesting way to draw a younger audience in, even though we saw lots of students sketching items in the museum or looking up things in the library.

Victoria and Albert Museum
Cromwell Road
London
+44 (0) 20 7942 2000
vam.ac.uk

Word of the Day: Buddhist Youth

Xin Shi Xiang is a WeChat account dedicated to Buddhist youth culture

There is a term for post-90s generation in China who are described as slackers -- they aren't driven, they don't have needs or expectations.

In a way it sounds Buddhist, as they try not to let things bother them, they avoid conflict and try not to take anyone or anything too seriously.

And so these young people are called Buddhist youth or 佛系青年 fúxì qīngnián.

If you can't decide what to eat, have the same as yesterday

Here are some examples of how they apply their philosophy to everyday life:

Catching a ride: You can just stay wherever you are. I will walk over.

In a relationship: You decide. I'm fine with anything.

Ordering food: I have no idea what to eat. Maybe just order the same food I had yesterday.

Child rearing: Not man children can be successful people when they grow up, so I want my kid just to have a happy childhood.

At work: I desire nothing more than to arrive at my office safely and to leave my office quietly.

While Buddhist youth sounds like demotivational culture, some argue this kind of attitude helps young people ease their anxiety and pressure.

In a relationship, one says: you decide. I'm fine with anything

However, the Chinese government doesn't sound too pleased the next generation doesn't seem to care about anything.

The People's Daily wrote two opinion pieces last December. The first one warned: "There's nothing wrong with young people having a breezy attitude toward everything. But we have to remember, there's always some issues that we need to put our hearts into."

The second article said: "Being demotivated is pessimistic enough, but what's even worse is stopping yourself from having any sort of feelings, even it is lack of motivation. Young people by nature should be energetic, positive, passionate about life, and curious about the world."

Does anyone you know fit the term Buddhist youth?

In Too Deep

China's biggest movie flop to date, and 750 million yuan down the drain

Wow what a waste of money.

The most expensive film made in China at 750 million yuan (US112 million) was yanked from screens after it flopped spectacularly on opening weekend, making only 49.05 million yuan.

Called Asura, the fantasy film was backed by big names like Alibaba Group Holding, Zhenjian Film Studio, and Ningxia Film Group, and starred Hong Kong actors Carina Lau Kar-ling and Tony Leung Ka-fai, as well as 19-year-old teenage heartthrob Wu Lei.

Tony Leung Ka-fai (second left) and Carina Lau (third to left)

But the producers made the shock announcement on the film's Weibo account, saying they gave their "deepest apologies to viewers who did not get a chance to watch the film, as well as to all the Chinese and international participants who were involved in its production over the past six years".

Oh boy.

There were some 2,500 people involved in the making of the film, that was shot in Qinghai, Ningxia and Hebei provinces, while 15 months of post production was done in the United States.

Thank goodness the trade war wasn't happening then...

Asura was based on Buddhist mythology, but it seems the story line wasn't compelling enough to viewers, as it only got 3.1 out of 10 from 10,950 viewers on the Chinese film review website Douban, and 6.4 on ticketing provider Maoyan's website.

The film was in post production in the US for 15 months

Meanwhile, Asura's competition, Hidden Man, directed by actor and director Jiang Wen, that also opened on July 13, raked in 341 million yuan.

Another case of China's bid to throw gobs of money at something with the expectations it will succeed, but in fact the opposite is what happens. Apparently Asura was the first of a trilogy... guess the other two are canned now?

Fans Shocked as Jet Li Ages Rapidly

A picture of him from a video message for Chinese New Year this year

Fans are shocked to see martial arts star Jet Li, 55, not looking well these days.

Recent photos of him revealed how hyperthyroidism and spinal problem have taken a toll on his heath. The star of such films as Lethal Weapon 4, Romeo Must Die and Expendables 2, revealed five years ago he has been suffering from hyperthyroidism.

Recent photos of Li taken in Chengdu

A recent photo of him taken in Chengdu shows his frail appearance and he apparently needed assistance to walk.

Hyperthyroidism causes changes in a person's metabolism and heart rate, and is usually treated through medication, which Li is taking. He said last year in Beijing that his strong belief in Buddhism as well as meditation and scripture reading helped him stabilize his condition.

He also said doctors warned him in 2013 that he would wind up in a wheelchair if he didn't stop making physically demanding action films.

He is well known for portraying Wong Fei-hung

"I'm just a regular guy. I'm not Wong Fei-hung. I'm not Huo Yuanjia [kung fu heroes he has portrayed on film]. I'm just like you," he also said last year.

Li said he was also suffering from leg and spinal problems and that he was unable to stand straight for too long, his poor health the result of decades of demanding film roles, stunts and injuries. He first started making films in his teens after he was crowned a wushu champion in the late 1970s.

It is sad to see such a favourite star deteriorate so quickly in the last few years. We can only hope he is not in too much pain.

China's Aversion to Christmas

Mainland Chinese don't really understand Christmas but find it a fun party

Over a week ago when I was talking to some mainland Chinese students in a Hong Kong shopping mall, they found the concept of Christmas really weird. They didn't understand the purpose of decorating trees and putting them inside, taking pictures with an elderly man with a white beard in a red suit, and what this had to do with a baby born in a barn.

It is an honest observation coming from people who grew up in a country that does not promote any kind of religion, Christianity being one of them.

While there are many Christians in Hong Kong, Christmas is very much a commercial event in the city, and it's a holiday everyone there has grown up with.

Over 3 million Christmas decorations were bought on Tmall

But in China, the Chinese government is going to great lengths to dissuade people from celebrating Christmas -- even though the country manufactures the most goods related to the holiday, from decorations to gifts.

About a week ago, members of the Communist Party's Youth League at the University of South China in Hunan province were asked to sign a code of conduct which told them not to participate in Christmas-related celebrations, according to a statement circulating on Weibo.

"Communist Party members must be role models in abiding to the faith of communism. [Members are] not allowed to have superstitions and blindly follow the opium of Western spirits," the statement said, which was signed off by the Youth League.

The memo also said party members would face disciplinary consequences if they or their direct relatives were found to be involved in religious activities on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day.

Instead they were instructed to hold events to promote "patriotic and traditional Chinese culture".

Yawn. And what does that mean?

China supplies 60% of the world's plastic Christmas trees

That's the same sentiment a student had in Jiangsu province, whose university had also banned Christmas celebrations.

"I am not very convinced of the school's excuse. Nobody relates Christmas to Western ideologies. Now I may not party with my friends in the school's dorm because we are afraid there will be inspections," he said.

He also didn't know the relationship between Christmas and the Christian faith.

Its not just happening in Hunan and Jiangsu provinces, but also Liaoning and Shaanxi provinces, where people were banned from gathering for celebrations on December 24 and 25.

But commercially Chinese companies love Christmas. Over 600,000 Christmas trees and 3 million decorations were bought on T Mall, owned by Alibaba. China makes over 60 percent of the world's plastic Christmas trees.

What's wrong with Christmas with Chinese characteristics?

Liu Kaiming, head of the Institute of Contemporary Observation in Shenzhen, said he finds it absurd for local institutions to ban the celebration of Christmas because it is a "Western festival".

"To Chinese people, this festival is not much different to the Singles' Day on November 11, it's for shopping," he said.

"China has long been using a Western calendar. We celebrate the New Year, Labour Day, and Women's Day based on Western origins. Are we going to ban all of them?" he said.

"This is China's dilemma -- it is largely opened up to globalization now, but it also holds back from embracing full-scale globalization because of domestic politics," Liu continued.

"The recent political emphasis on the 'revitalization of Chinese culture' from officials may have prompted local units to use this season as a chance to show loyalty by following the party line."

This relates back to President Xi Jinping who expects all cadres to show unwavering loyalty to the Party.

It's not just Christianity under fire, but also Buddhism and feng shui -- there's only one thing to believe in -- the Party.

Now if only the Party had Christmas-like celebrations then maybe people would be more on board.

圣诞快乐！

Silk Road: Flaming Mountains

Panoramic view of the Flaming Mountains from the Bezeklik Buddhist caves

Next to the Bezeklik Thousand Buddha Caves is the Flaming Mountains. They are called that because the ground temperatures are so high on these mountains -- up to 50 degrees Centigrade or even higher -- that no plants or animals can live here.

The red sandstone also makes the mountains look like they are "on fire".

During ancient times, merchants and Buddhist pilgrims traveling along the Silk Road would avoid the Flaming Mountains and try to find oasis towns nearby, such as Gaochang.

The valleys are caused by erosion of the sandstone.

The Flaming Mountains have also achieved literary fame through the novel Journey to the West, when a Buddhist monk makes a pilgrimage accompanied by a Monkey King who has magical powers. At one point in the story, the monk runs through a wall of flames, a fictionalized (and embellished) account of monk Xuanzang's travels to India to learn more about Buddhism.

In Journey to the West, Monkey King creates a disturbance in the heavens, knocking over a kiln that causes the embers to fall from the sky onto the place where the Flaming Mountains are.

Alternatively in a Uyghur legend, a dragon lived in the Tianshan Mountains and liked to eat little children. As a result a Uyghur hero slayed the dragon and cut it up into eight pieces. The dragon's blood turned into a scarlet mountain of blood and the eight pieces formed the eight valleys in the Flaming Mountains.

Aren't these stories of how Flaming Mountains came about wonderful and creative?

Silk Road: Bezeklik Thousand Buddha Caves

A view of Bezeklik Thousand Buddha Caves at the foot of Flaming Mountain

Buddhism came to China through the Silk Road, and the first contact point was in what is now Xinjiang. Early on the Uyghurs were Buddhists and Turpan became the centre of the religion.

One of the lasting tributes to Buddhism is the Bezeklik Thousand Buddha Caves that are located at the bottom of the Flaming Mountains, 45 kilometres east of Turpan.

There is a range of painting styles that can be found here

These series of caves are quite amazing, in the middle of nowhere, much like the Mogao Grottoes, and whatever is left is quite impressive. The caves were built during the Southern and Northern dynasties or the 5th century through to the Tang, Song and Yuan dynasties or 14th century.

Inside the caves are beautiful murals of Buddha in the past, present and future, along with his disciples and followers painted in various styles depending on the dynasty. Some of the murals still have some vibrant colours with very intricate designs that cover every inch of space.

However around the end of the 13th century Buddhist Uyghurs were converted to Islam during a holy war when the they were conquered by the Muslim Chagatai Khanate ruler Khizr Khoja. Therefore, interest in Buddhism declined, while Islam was introduced.

The skin colour of these figures used to be pink long ago

As a result, these caves became neglected, while in subsequent centuries later robbers cut out and stole entire pieces of murals, or Muslims who were anti-Buddhist came and gouged out the eyes of and mouths of figures on the walls.

It was a pity to only see a few caves -- that are guarded nowadays by Uyghurs to ensure no one took pictures of each -- but you can see why it's so important that these caves be guarded.

Strangely these caves are not considered to be good enough to be national treasures on par with Mogao Grottoes as these ones are some of the earliest known Buddhist art work dating back to the 5th century; the Mogao Grottoes date back to the 4th century.

The intricate paintings are impressive

Some patches of murals can be seen in museums around the world, such as the Hermitage Museum in St Petersburg, Tokyo National Museum, the British Museum in London and national museums in Korea and India.

Apparently some of the best pieces were afixed to the walls of the Museum of Ethnology in Berlin, but during World War II, they could not be removed and were thus destroyed in the bombing of of the city by the Allies.

It makes you wonder how many Uyghurs today know their history with regards to Buddhism and would they consider converting back?

Silk Road: Gaochang Ruins

Well-preserved ruins still standing tall at Gaochang

Another deserted city is the Gaochang Ruins, about 30 kilometres southeast of Turpan located on the edge of the Taklamakan Desert.

A main storage building in Gaochang, 30km from Turpan

From the remaining architecture, the place looked pretty sophisticated with buttressed walls and arches, and had temples too. It was originally built as a garrison town in 100 BC and was a key point along the Silk Road because travelers could stop here for food and water.

By the 14th century, it was severely damaged from wars between Mongolians and Uyghurs, and as a result Gaochang was eventually abandoned. But some of the buildings still stand and look in pretty good condition, making one wonder what life was like back then.

Gaochang was also known as a sanctuary of culture. The Buddhist monk Xuanzhaung, came here on his way to India and taught Buddhism -- we were even shown the room where he gave his lessons. There were also residents who were Christian and Manicheans, a religion based on good and evil from Iran.

The temple where Xuanzhuang gave lectures on Buddhism

We got to not only see these ruins, but also some tombs down below. One or two had Chinese calligraphy or paintings that looked detailed, featuring portraits of people. It's quite amazing that these items are well preserved and that no one has stolen them yet.

Silk Road: Jiaohe Ruins

The tall cliffs that surrounded Jiaohe as natural defenses for the town

One of the first places we visited in Xinjiang was the Jiaohe Ruins, about 10 kilometres west of Turpan.

Established about 2,000 years ago, it was a town of about 7,000 people who were Indo-European speaking Tocharians who lived on a leaf-shaped plateau that was surrounded by two deep river valleys that acted as natural defenses. The river divides into two around the town, which is why the place is called Jiaohe, or "river junction".

What's left inside are ruins from 2,000 years ago

Jiaohe used to be an important site along the Silk Road, which later became part of the Tang Dynasty, while it also became a military post in the west.

The city was considered quite sophisticated at the time, with Buddhist temples and stupas, as well as an area for government, residents and even graveyards that were further away from the city centre, but strangely there was a small cemetery for dead babies closer to the community.

However in the 13th century it was destroyed by the Mongols during an invasion, and the people abandoned Jiaohe, leaving behind ruins that were only discovered later.

Today there are just literally ruins which people can visit, though it's impossible to see the entire site. Also after a while the areas all blur together and it's hard to know what is what.

Near the city is a small cemetery for babies

Nevertheless it is amazing to think some 2,000 years ago a community of several thousand thrived here for hundreds of years and then disappeared, leaving behind clues of their existence.

Silk Road: Mogao Grottoes

The Mogao Grottoes in Dunhuang, Gansu province

About 10 years ago when I was in Beijing, I checked out an exhibition that was a replica of the Mogao Grottoes in Dunhuang.

There are over 400 caves, but only a handful shown publicly

I didn't know anything about them but it sounded fascinating and was so glad I went. Afterwards I was thinking, I have to see the real thing... wherever Dunhuang is!

It took me a decade to finally go see the place in person and it has to be appreciated on so many levels in terms of art, history, and society. It all started in 366AD, when a Buddhist monk named Le Zun was traveling in the area and had a vision of a thousand Buddhas. He built a cave here in hopes of reaching nirvana.

Others soon followed, digging out their own caves and began decorating them with paintings. It's here in these caves or grottoes that one can see not only the artistic skill that spans over 1,000 years, making it a kind of library of art history of that time, but also how Buddhism was depicted and studied.

Some caves reveal intricate artistic detail and vivid colours

Some pilgrims paid artisans to decorate caves for them, and so it must have become a mini industry in the middle of the desert to demonstrate their devotion to Buddha. Apparently there were some 1,000 caves, but when they were abandoned, the desert sands took over them; there are 735 left, of which almost 500 are decorated.

While most of the caves feature three Buddhas -- the present, past and future, along with musicians and dancers that seem weightless in the sky, there were also more down-to-earth portraits of wealthy patrons, such as the Cao family, featuring women in long robes and make-up. Others captured daily life, such as farming and the foods they ate.

Musicians in flowing robes performing for Buddha

We only saw about seven caves and the ones we saw were not all in good condition. Some figures had black faces, but that's because the pink colour had oxidized over the decades and centuries. Some caves had glaringly empty spots where sculptures used to be and had been stolen, or the "eyes" of Buddhist disciples scratched out because they used to have gold on them.

One cave had a giant Buddha lying on his side after death, his disciples mourning in grief, while another had Buddha standing up 75 feet tall.

Black faces are from oxidation of the paint on the walls

A reminder of foreign theft was shown in one cave that had stored 7,000 manuscripts including the Diamond Sutra that was published in 868AD and were gone, now in the British Library. The caves are individually locked with padlocks which our guide has to use a key to open each one and lock afterwards.

We were lucky to come here just before the Golden Week rush, so there wasn't a massive crowd of people, and we came early in the morning too. We wished we could see more, and the prime examples of caves, but alas, our guanxi wasn't good enough.

But just to have the experience of being in these caves and seeing the majesty of the art work was enough to satisfy our curiosity. Will we come back? Not sure, but at least we saw a slice of it.

Some have large statues housed in them with disciples

No wonder artists like Zhang Daqian came here to copy many of the murals, staying here for months at a time. I managed to see some of his works from his time there in August when there was an exhibition in Macau.

Silk Road: White Pagoda Temple

A bronze statue of Tibetan Lama Sagya Pandit with a reconstructed temple

North of Lanzhou is the White Pagoda Temple, a massive white stupa set against the blue sky and roses. It was built in honour of a Tibetan Lama, Sagya Pandit Gonggar Gyamcan, who came here for talks with Mongol prince Gotan, about Tibetan submission to the Mongols.

The ruins of the original temple with an offering urn

This also led to the spread of Tibetan Buddhism to Mongolia, as Sagya Pandit taught for five years until his death in 1251. He was buried here.

The original temple was destroyed and rebuilt a few times before its current incarnation, a large white bulbous stupa. But after you walk past it, you can see the ruins of the original temple which are even more interesting.

It looks like a pile of old bricks that only amount to part of the base of the temple, but they seem to have more meaning than a shiny bronze statue of the Lama completed in 2012.

A very old gate within the Confucian Temple

Our Tibetan guide was keen to pay his respects here, circling both the new and old temple, saying prayers and bowing three times.

We also visited the Confucius Temple in Wuwei that was built during the Ming Dynasty in 1439 on instruction from the reigning emperor at the time. It took two years to build it, but various extensions were added on later.

A statue of Confucius

Wandering around here is nice -- there's hardly anyone else around and lots of architectural details to photograph. One wonders though if it still has as much significance today as it did centuries ago...

Silk Road: Labrang Monastery

Pilgrims turning prayer wheels at the entrance to Labrang Monastery

In Xiahe county, Gansu province is Labrang Monastery, home to the largest number of monks outside the Tibet Autonomous Region, about 2,700. It's a large compound that doubles as a tourist attraction, and so the monks must get used to tourists gawking at them or taking pictures or video of them.

The monastery was founded in 1709 and is Tibetan Buddhism's most important monastery town outside of the Tibet Autonomous Region. What also makes this particular place interesting is that it is the intersection of Tibetan and Mongolian cultures.

The monastery is a large compound where 2,700 monks live

It was and still is a place for education. Previously several thousand monks attended university here, now the numbers have dwindled to about 1,000. Monks can study subjects such as painting, medicine, philosophy and astrology. For medicine, they have to study for 15 years, learning about the various herbs and their medicinal benefits before they can treat patients.

As we toured the various temples, there were Tibetans, most of them women, wearing masks, hats and colourful outfits as they made their pilgrimage to the temple, praying in the hopes their loved ones would get better.

They would do this for hours, and one devout woman even wore knee pads as she kneeled on the ground, then with pads on her hands, prostrated herself on the ground, then stood up, took one step forward and again kneeled down and lay flat on the ground.

An elaborate sculpture made out of yak butter!

Many of the temples had huge Buddha statues sitting or standing serenely. One room we were taken into had air conditioning -- that's because it was filled with sculptures made of yak butter! Every new year the artistic students compete to see who has the best one and all the colourful entries are displayed all year, hence the need for air conditioning. They all seem to look very similar to each other which must make judging even harder...

Another room was filled with random objects that were given to Tibetan Lamas, from books to porcelain, to paintings, ivory carvings, robes, furniture and a globe. They didn't look nice enough to be in a museum, which is what this room was, but the monks were probably proud of receiving such gifts over the decades and centuries.

The last time there were problems with this monastery was in 2008 in response to the riots in Lhasa before the Beijing Olympics. But perhaps the Chinese government has retained its control over the monastery as our monk guide explained the Panchen Lama was the one sponsored by Beijing... one wonders if he gritted his teeth having to say this over and over again...

Another observation is that the monks here have a ruddy complexion and some look portly too -- that's because they do eat meat. However they are modestly dressed, except when they attend prayers. They all arrive at the largest temple in the compound -- which seats some 1,000 people -- and they wear a golden-coloured headdress that matches their robes.

Monks take off their boots before going in for prayer

We saw them outside the temple, taking off their black boots before going inside, and they just randomly left their footwear there, which made us wonder how they would know whose pair was whose?

But then we joked to ourselves that perhaps because of their Buddhist teaching of letting go of materialistic things that it didn't matter if they wore someone else's boots afterwards...

Silk Road: Binglingsi Grottoes

The Maitreya Buddha at 27 metres tall, makes humans feel very small

The highlight of our Silk Road trip would be visiting the Mogao Grottoes in Dunhuang, but before we got there we had a mini preview at the Binglingsi Grottoes.

Cruising along the calm Liujiaxia Reservoir

To get there was quite the ordeal which is only accessible in the summer and fall. We drove several hours to get to Xiahe, and then we reached the Liujiaxia Reservoir where we donned orange life jackets and squeezed into tiny covered speed boats that alternatively went fast and slow through the reservoir for about half an hour to to reach the grottoes.

But even after we arrived we had to walk a good 15-20 minutes down a winding path just to get to the grottoes.

Apparently these ones were a work in progress for over a millennium. The first one was started in 420AD, and work continued all the way up until the Qing Dynasty. But over the centuries, earthquakes, erosion and looters have damaged or destroyed many of the 183 caves that feature 694 stone statues and 82 clay ones.

Buddhist statues from the Northern Wei Dynasty

Only a few of the "doors" were opened for visitors to peer into them. One of them had a pair of disciples dating back from the Northern Wei Dynasty with their long faces, highly-arched eyebrows, slanted eyes, and flowing robes.

Other Buddhist statues looked like Indians from their dark skin, but it's actually skin colour on the pink side that has changed colour thanks to oxidation. We liked how one cave featured a Buddhist statue flanked by two palm trees painted on the cave.

Check out the palm trees behind Buddha!

Anchoring the area is a giant Maitreya Buddha that sits more than 27 metres high. What a sight!

Biking and Hiking at Badachu

We biked and the hiked up to see this view!

This morning my friend and I met at Dongdan subway station and took it almost all the way west on Line 1 to Bajiao Amusement Park station.

We had the option of taking a bus to Badachu, which is a park north of there at the bottom of the Fragrant Hills or Xiangshan, or bike there.

My friend looked at it on the map app she had on her phone and it said it was 7.5km to get there, so we figured we could bike it there.

Luckily last night I had a test run so today wasn't as scary. And with gorgeous blue skies, why not enjoy them with the sunshine?

We set off and our route was mostly straight or turning right so it was fine for the most part. Also the bike lanes were a good way to keep safe from the cars, though they were patient if you were in front of them.

However we must have ridden way more than 7.5km because it took almost an hour to get there!

Nevertheless after we arrived, we had to use our legs even more -- climbing up the hill! Badachu means "Eight Great Sites" in terms of Buddhist monasteries and nunneries.

Both of us don't know much about Buddhism, though we saw some monks prostrating themselves in front of Buddha statues and many lighting big sticks of incense and praying.

Here is the view of Linguang Temple in the distance, and to our right a view of Beijing from below. Apart from the fantastic weather, there weren't too many people either.

To get down, we could take the cable car but we chose to slide down on a kind of plastic sled with brakes, but sitting up. My friend opted for speed, on the metal slide, while I made it down relatively gently!

Needless to say we were quite tired after our double workout but it was definitely memorable and fun.