New Photos - Central China - 3 Galleries

By Steven Shoppman in

In Central China we visited the Tarracotta Warriors, Xian, the Longmen Caves, the Shaolin Temple (birthplace of Kung Fu) and more.

Link to Gallery or click the photos below.

Shaolin and More

Another Chinese TWBR fanIf it is not one thing... getting the tire patched in ChinaThese guys really knew what they were doing for onceTire fixed and ready to rock and rollSorry, my guide says I can't give you a ride to BeijingChinese cars and scooters are always decked out with sweet stickersThis Chinese sticker was the most random and without a doubt the coolestThe entrance to the Shaolin Monastery - birthplace of Kung FuFlexing in the same gates Bruce Lee passed through at some pointNo hamstrings were pulled during the shooting of this photoRing the bell for good luck and then fork over $10Every afternoon Kung Fu students take to the practice fieldsThe Shaolin Monastery is still operational as is the prestigious Kung Fu academy Every afternoon Kung Fu students take to the practice fieldsCheap gas and service with a smile (getting someone to smile for a photo = priceless) Like a scene out of Enter the DragonLeap frog must be good for future Kung Fu mastersGroup warm-up at Shaolin

Longmen Caves

Each carving is unique and highly detailedThe Longmen Grottoes are spectacular and make up one of the famous ancient sites in ChinaBuddhist carvings and caves dot a huge area south of Luoyang One can only image how much time and energy went into carving the grottoesEither the ancient Chinese had a great imagination or some pretty bad things existed back thenLarge sculptures surrounding Buddha are the centerpoint of the grottoesPractically every square inch of the site was carvedConstruction of the caves started around 1,500 years ago and continued for another 400 yearsBuddha is the central focus of most of the carvings at LongmenOur guide Jason took some time out to help others snap off a few shotsEither the ancient Chinese had a great imagination or some pretty bad things existed back thenBouey actually found an area void of other peopleAfter getting his own pic taken, Shop tried to include himself in as many other visitor's photos as possibleThe caves rise over the Yi RiverMore human looking carvings sit to the left of BuddhaEither the ancient Chinese had a great imagination or some pretty bad things existed back thenMore human looking carvings sit to the left of BuddhaBuddha is the central focus of most of the carvings at LongmenOne of the only sculptures of a novice that we saw in ChinaAlthough they have been outside for over 1,000 years, the sculptures have weathered fairly wellI don't know what it is, but it is probably badJason and another Chinese man try to translate some of the carvings at LongmenWalking on ancient carvings can be hazardous to your healthThe Longmen Grottoes were added to the World Heritage list in 2000Bouey finds yet another section of the caves void of peopleA view of the grottoes from across the Yi River puts their size into perspectiveA view of the grottoes from across the Yi River puts their size into perspectiveNo fine, just punishmentThe fact they have to tell people not to spit in the temple reveals a lotPeople were actually trying to ring the bell 18 timesPrayers are released into the air in the form of smoke... along with a lot of other things in ChinaThe temple at Longmen was visited by the first Qin EmperorBouey getting his Zen onRecycling to the left, organisms to the right

Terracotta Army

Like many World Heritage sites in China, Terracotta is new, modern and built to accomodate most of the 1.5 billion who live hereLike most officials in China, this guy was more concerned with looking official than actually doing his jobThe Terracotta Army was found about 30 years ago by farmers digging for a wellThe Terracotta Army dates back over 2,000 years to the Qin DynastyThe Terracotta Army was complete, including horsesThe Terracotta Army was constructed to protect the tomb of the Emperor of Qin I want to be buried with an army of warriorsThe condition of some of the Terracotta warriors is nearly perfect after more than 2,000 Part of the 100 Yuan entrance fee must go to the construction of coffee kiosksYour dreams can come true but for a price2,000 years old and still intactOne of the many pits where various sections of the Terracotta Army can be foundMost of their weapons have disintegrated over time but the warriors are still ready to protect the EmperorExcavation work is still ongoing at the site of the Terracotta Army

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This entry was written by Steven Shoppman, posted on December 5, 2007 at 12:11 pm, filed under China, New Photos and tagged , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink. Follow any comments here with the RSS feed for this post. Post a comment or leave a trackback: Trackback URL.

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