Having taken part in previous Academy tours of China, the main highlight on this trip for me would have to be our visit to Tibet (followed by a close encounter with a Giant Panda at Wolong Nature Reserve). 

On the flight from Chengdu to Lhasa across the mountains, the scenery was awe inspiring with clear skies, enabling us to have wonderful views. We took great photos of rugged snow-capped peaks and deep valleys – seemingly just below the wings of the plane.  Monasteries and small village settlements with carefully tended fields appeared occasionally below. We wondered how and if the inhabitants managed to travel into and out of these very isolated places and how much contact they had with the outside world.

Lhasa is 62 km from Gonggar Airport and the bus journey afforded us time to take in some of the sights on the way to the hotel.  We crossed the mighty Yarlung Tsangpo River (Brahmaputra River once it flows into India) and passed through the recently completed Galashan Tunnel, which, at nearly 2,500m long, has cut 30 minutes of the original journey.  Then, we stopped to see and photograph Tibet’s largest rock sculpture of a seated Buddha.

The next day saw many of the group suffering, though not badly, from the effects of high altitude.  However, we left the hotel early to visit Norbulingkha, the summer palace of mainly the 13th and 14th Dalai Lamas.  Following our local guide Lhadar, we made our way slowly through the very colourful restored gardens (displaying marigolds, dahlias and chrysanthemums amongst others), to the interior of the main building.  The many rooms are very ornate – the walls covered with floor to ceiling murals depicting Tibetan Buddhist history.  A guide from another group pointed out bullet holes in beams near the ceiling, dating from the time of the 1959 uprising.

The day had warmed considerably by the time we’d had lunch at a very elegant restaurant and embarked on our exploration of the Potala Palace – the White and Red Palaces combined.  It was hard, slow work in the heat, climbing the 300 steps, interspersed with ramps, to the entrance of the White Palace.  However, we all made it and it was certainly worth the climb.  The views over Lhasa from some of the courtyards are magnificent. The Palace architecture is astounding when considering the original construction dates from the 7th century, and the Red and White Palaces weren’t completed until the 17th century.

Once inside, we passed through the many halls, rooms and corridors. We climbed up stairs that sometimes were little more than steep, sturdy ladders until we finally reached the roof of the White Palace. We then descended through the Red Palace, passing the many statues of past Dalai Lamas and Buddhist deities, draped in silk brocade cloth and coloured scarves.  The huge gold and jewelled stupa tombs of the former were truly amazing.  The tops of the stupas, some up to 14m high, almost disappeared from sight in the heights of the darkened halls.  There were rooms containing many precious books and scrolls, embroidered thangkas and large intricate three-dimensional jewelled mandalas.  Yak butter lamps burned throughout the Palace, adding light and atmosphere to the spectacle as we mingled with Chinese, Tibetan and western tourists and pilgrims.

A short bus trip later, we were at the Jokhang Temple – the most revered religious structure in Tibet.  Inside the main building, Lhadar led us past the Inner Sanctum, side chapels and shrines.  Each shrine is devoted to a particular deity, king or Dalai Lama and contains fabulous statues adorned with jewels and bright fabrics.  Tibet’s most important shrine is housed here.  The Chapel of Jowo Sakyamuni contains an image of 12 year old Sakyamuni, which was brought to Tibet by Princess Wencheng, the Chinese wife of King Songtsen Gampo, in the 7th century A.D.  Yak butter lamps burned here as well and the crowds and the air were equally thick.

In one spot outside the Temple entrance, we saw numbers of pilgrims prostrating. We dodged one in particular prostrating (at speed) in a clockwise direction round the Barkhor Circuit (surrounding the Jokhang).  He appeared to be oblivious to the crowds who seemed to take no notice – I guess quite a common occurrence!  The Barkhor area is a fascinating glimpse of old Tibet.  The streets around the Jokhang are filled with market stalls, small temples and older style Tibetan buildings.  I wish we’d had more time to explore further.

Early next morning, we left Lhasa for Shigatse, via Lake Yamdrok Tso.  We crossed the Tsangpo Bridge and passed through small towns along the Yarlung Tsangpo River, southwest of Lhasa.  Here, we began our steep, winding climb into the mountains to Khamba La pass and the lake, at nearly 5,000m above sea level.  The scenery on this trip was stunning.  The mountains, though very steep, were mostly brown and barren, but for the very low growing vegetation.  Small settlements on the lower slopes made use of any available flat land, or made terraces, for crops of barley and canola. Higher up, yaks were grazing on the distant slopes.  Looking back down the valley as the bus climbed, we had very clear views of our starting point way below, and the steep winding ascent we’d travelled.  We were amazed to come across cyclists pedalling determinedly upwards near the top of the pass. I marvelled at their ability to perform such a feat at an altitude where any more than walking would have had me needing a Bex and a good lie down!!

Coming over the top of the pass, we were confronted by an enormous expanse of beautiful blue, surrounded by brown mountains.  Yamdrok Tso, one of Tibet’s holy lakes, provided a stark yet compelling landscape, with the added bonus of huge snow covered peaks in the distance on the border of Bhutan.  Following a 20 minute stay at the top (use of smart, newish toilet block and photo ops on Yaks included), Vincent, our national tour guide, took a photo of the group with Lhadar and we once again boarded the bus on our way to Shigatse.  We weren’t able to travel via Gyantse due to new road works on that route, so we re-traced our journey down from the pass and back to the Friendship Highway.  From there, we followed the Yarlung Tsangpo River all the way to Shigatse, passing the snow capped Mount Nyimukari. We stopped for lunch at a small roadside restaurant, where the food was good (though bland compared to Sichuan cuisine), and the toilet was memorable for all the wrong reasons (the worst I think since Tian Shi Temple on Mount Qing Cheng)!!

Travelling along by the river, we passed many small settlements. They were often surrounded by bright splashes of green and gold, the colours of the crops grown in narrow, terraced fields, some literally hewn into the steep slopes above the river.  We stopped for a break at Tadruka, a small town by the river, and took photos of the surroundings, including the distant Bonpo Monastery, Yungdrungling, once home to 700 monks.  Some of the local people had spread cloths on the ground by the river to display jewellery and souvenirs etc. for sale to passing tourists.  Just before we reached Shigatse, Lhadar pointed out to us a very large hill, which he said was used for Tibetan sky burials.  We could just make out the shrines on the very top as we passed.

It was late afternoon when we arrived in Shigatse and, after checking in to our hotel, a few of us decided to go for a walk before dinner.  The traffic and crowds were far less than we’d encountered elsewhere and despite the spitting rain, we enjoyed the chance to stretch our legs again.  The Chinese influence is still very much in evidence in Shigatse, with signs on shops and businesses mainly in Chinese – sometimes with Tibetan script underneath.  Not far from the hotel, we found ourselves in a very extensive market covering many blocks and selling absolutely everything from clothes, jewellery and souvenirs to food and homewares.  Although not as clean an area as previous markets, we’d strolled through and noticed that there seemed to be more of a Tibetan/Muslim influence here.  Our dinner at one of the hotel restaurants was a buffet of both Chinese and Western food, and quite a number of our fellow diners were also Western tour groups.  During the meal we were treated to a floor show performed by dancers in Tibetan costume – firstly young women and finally the men, who wore fabulous masks.

Tashilhunpo Monastery, seat of the Panchen Lamas, was our destination next morning after breakfast.  We were shown the tombs of the 10th and 4th Panchen Lamas, with their magnificent funerary chortens of silver, gold and jewels.  We also saw a tomb for the 5th to 9th Panchen Lamas, built to replace tombs destroyed during the Cultural Revolution and dedicated in 1989 by the 10th Panchen Lama.  Throughout the monastery are many treasures – Buddhist sculptures, symbols and carvings – but the most impressive sight was the 26 metre high golden statue of the seated Maitreya in the Chapel of Jampo.  Each of his fingers is at least a metre long and 300 kilograms of gold went into the statue’s coating, which is also studded with gemstones.  The oldest building is the richly decorated and furnished Assembly Hall, which contains the Panchen Lama’s throne and rows of raised padded cushions for the monks.  Nearby, in the balconies around the Kelsang Courtyard, we saw many monks and pilgrims engaged in conversation.  The flagstones paving the courtyard and many of the laneways we walked through are actually jade!  In places, millions of pairs of feet over time have polished them to a soft green sheen.  Lhadar told us that the Tibetans do not prize jade as much as the Chinese, and instead prefer coral and turquoise.

Of all the grand buildings we visited in Tibet, this monastery is the one that appealed to me most.  Walking through the various rooms, I gained the impression that despite its long history (from 1477), it was less like a museum than others.  It was a calm and peaceful home to an active ongoing community.  Treasures notwithstanding, I loved the cobbled laneways and intriguing architecture, with each gateway and opening between buildings revealing a new scene or hidden courtyard.

Our group had made a decision that on the way back to Lhasa, we would rather have snacks and fruit for lunch than a heavier meal.  We pulled off the highway and Lhadar and Vincent produced many different packets of biscuits and nibblies, plus apples and bananas and spread them out by the side of the road.  Although we satisfied our appetites, there was still food uneaten. At the next small village, Lhadar distributed what was left to a group of very excited school children, who seemed to appear from all directions.  They were bright, happy youngsters, all wanting to have their photos taken so they could see their images on the camera LCD screens, producing gales of laughter all round.

Following one more brief stop to take pictures of the snow on Mount Nyimukari, we continued back to Lhasa.  We left Tibet the next morning and flew back over the mountains to Chengdu, taking wonderful memories with us.

We arrived back in Chengdu on National Day in the middle of celebrations, and the crowds were absolutely incredible – a complete contrast to Tibet.  So many of the roads had been closed and the traffic and pedestrians were so thick that our bus driver had difficulty in finding a route to our hotel.  It took hours to accomplish, but gave us time to observe and photograph the chaotic scene.  A very entertaining and colourful Sichuan Opera show was a fun ending to the day.

Early the next morning, we were off to the Wolong Panda Reserve.  On a previous visit here, we’d entered the park in the late afternoon, well past feeding time and all but a couple of pandas had retired for the remainder of the day.  We saw the Red Pandas close up and two of the group were able to hold one, but it was a little disappointing not to see more of the giant variety.  This time the weather was damp and misty, though not cold, when we arrived and this seemed to add to the experience.  Best of all, it was feeding time and we had much better views of the pandas!  The bigger ones, in sitting positions, were chewing on bamboo non-stop and covering their round tummies with stems while the ones of kindergarten age were playing games with each other on climbing equipment.

Glen, Polly and I took the opportunity to pat one of the Giant Pandas while she was feeding.  A female, Xiu Yuan, of I guess about 4 years, was delightful and seemed quite oblivious to our attentions, as long as she had plenty of bamboo to chew.  While she ate contentedly, we donned disposable plastic gloves and shoe covers and stroked and patted her large head.  One of the attendants took photos of our experience with our own cameras – we couldn’t wipe the smiles from our faces for ages!  After walking round the park, including photographing the red pandas, we found a quiet and peaceful spot to practise some Tai Chi – a great ending to our visit with these gentle giants.

I always look forward to going back to China and have experienced wonderful sights and journeys each time.  The opportunity to meet Grandmaster Feng and Chen Xiang again, practise Tai Chi with them, and listen to their teachings was enjoyable and insightful.  The differences in Beijing and Shanghai on each visit are amazing as each city, while trying to protect more of its history, embraces modernisation with gusto.  Beijing – in preparation for the Olympic Games – is striving to finalise buildings and infrastructure on time, and Shanghai is soaring ever skyward.  Each visit sees more new skyscrapers, particularly in the Pudong Area across the Huang Pu River from the Bund.  Here, the nearly completed Shanghai World Financial Centre, at 101 storeys, dwarfs the previous tallest Jin Mao Tower.

China is a land of such contrasts.  Away from the bright lights and hustle and bustle of the cities, one can still find places where time seems to have stood still and life goes on at a calmer, more peaceful pace.

Thanks to my fellow travellers for the fun and companionship, our guides and Brett and Fontane for another unforgettable journey. 

– Andrea

Tibet
● its people and temples
● our guide, Lhadar, who has the faith and devotion of a practising Buddhist, and who was energetic in sharing the teachings with us
● the deep devotion of the traditional Tibetans visiting the holy Jokhang Temple in Lhasa
● the monks going about their business in the temples, from sweeping floors with 'foot brooms' to debating points of doctrine
● the long trip to Shigatse by road, with the opportunity to observe how the rural people live and work

Chengdu
● the tranquillity and timelessness of the Qing Yang Taoist Temple, contrasted with the happy teaming crowds and traffic jams on the National Day holiday in Chengdu

Tai Chi
● meeting and practising with Master Chen Xiang and Grandmaster Feng Zhi Qiang
● practising as a group in hotel courtyards and public parks
● experiencing the physical benefits of Qigong on that first morning at high altitude in Lhasa

Chinese people
My last visit to China was in 1978, and it was wonderful to see the Chinese people looking happier and enjoying more personal freedom than 30 years ago.

– Julia

Top part of the Statue of the future Maitreya Buddha in Tashilunpo Monastery – 26.2 metres tall Each finger is at least a metre long

– Highlights of the 2003 Trip - Shanghai, Wuhan, Mount Wudang and Beijing
– Highlights of the 2004 Trip - Shanghai, Mount Wudang, Xian, Hua Shan, Luoyang,
                                                          Shaolin Temple and Beijing
– Highlights of the 2005 Trip - Chengdu, Jiu Zhai Gou, Huang Long, Mount Qing Cheng,
                                                          Le Shan, Emei Shan, Beijing and Shanghai
– Highlights of the 2006 Trip - Shanghai, Mount Wudang, Xian, Louguan Terrace,
                                                          Hua Shan and Beijing
– Highlights of the 2009 Trip - Guilin, Xian, Hua Shan, Mount Wudang and Beijing

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