walk all over China

Chapter 19 Chongqing·Hot and Passionate
Xiaozhai Tiankeng
When people mention Chongqing, what people can think of is the fiery hot pot, hot Chongqing girls, shrewd Chongqing men, and the mountains shrouded in mist all year round.However, this is not all about Chongqing. It turns out that there are also quiet scenery and a touch of emotion here.

Nature is magical. During the evolution of the four seasons of spring, summer, autumn and winter, many magical geographical phenomena have been unknowingly shaped, among which is the Tiankeng in Xiaozhai Village, Fengjie, Chongqing.

Xiaozhai Tiankeng is located in Xiaozhai Village, Jingzhu Township, Fengjie County. It is an authentic geographical "karst funnel landform".There are many theories about the formation of Xiaozhai Tiankeng. Some people say that it used to be the base of aliens, while others say that it is just a manifestation of geology. As for how Xiaozhai Tiankeng was formed, even experts cannot know. It can be seen.I only know that this big pit with an altitude of 1331 meters, a depth of 666.2 meters, a diameter of 622 meters at the mouth of the pit, and a diameter of 522 meters at the bottom of the pit is like a miracle, presented in front of people.

Bypassing the stone tablet that says "The No. [-] Pit in the World" and actually arriving at the Tiankeng, you will find that the walls here are steep, and only on the northeast cliff, there is a narrow path that circles around the vertical stone wall until it reaches the center of the earth. deep.Standing on the cliff at the top of the tiankeng, you can see two thatched huts on the obliquely opposite cliff, which are "Erdun", which is half the depth of the tiankeng.Legend has it that this place used to be the residence of a hermit. It is hard to imagine that the small path on the cliff was the only way for the hermit to communicate with the outside world.

At a depth of 400 meters from the cliff wall, there is a sloping platform. Standing here and looking towards the bottom of the pit, you can see the steep cliff plunged into the ground, which is so deep that it is dizzying. There is also the roar of running water, that is the underground river under the pit.Walking along the path on the cliff to the bottom of the pit, you can see green grass and bright wild flowers everywhere, accompanied by the fragrance of moist soil, which makes people feel refreshed.

The huge underground river water at the bottom of the pit comes from a place called "ground fissure" by the locals.This ground fissure is 37 kilometers long, but the narrowest point is only 2 meters. It contrasts with the canyons with a height of about 900 meters on both sides, forming a magnificent "line of sky".There is a line of sky in many landscapes in China, but the thrilling line of sky in Fengjie's land is enough to eclipse other scenery.Looking down from above, you can see a cloud-shrouded gap among the mountains and a piece of green. Standing at the bottom of the pit and looking up, it is like a skylight opened by the earth. Perhaps this is why Xiaozhai Tiankeng is called The reason for the "window of the earth".

There are not only many underground rivers in the tiankeng, but also dense caves extending in all directions.These caves are extremely steep. Although explorers from various countries have conducted many expeditions in recent years, the conditions of many caves in the Tiankeng are still not fully understood.Walk into a cave at will, and you will find clear water, even the swimming fish in it can be seen clearly!

When you come to Xiaozhai’s Tiankeng, you will never be disappointed, because it always brings people strange feelings and surprises.

Dazu Rock Carvings
If the grottoes in the north are bold and rough, then the stone carvings in Dazu are delicate and plain, recording students studying, girls herding chickens...

Dazu Rock Carvings is the general term for the art of cliff statues in Dazu County, Chongqing City. It is a representative work of late grotto art and has distinct national and life characteristics.The Dazu Rock Carvings were first excavated in the Yonghui period of the early Tang Dynasty. After the late Tang Dynasty and the Five Dynasties, they flourished in the Song Dynasty and increased in the Ming and Qing Dynasties. Finally, a large-scale and exquisite cliff stone carving was formed.

Dazu is the hometown of stone carvings. There are more than 40 stone carvings in the county, among which Baodingshan and Beishan are the most famous and largest.The stone carvings on Baoding Mountain are mainly concentrated in Dafo Bay, a horseshoe-shaped bay on the left side of Shengshou Temple. It is a cliff carving mainly featuring Buddhist and Taoist stories.This cliff face is about 500 meters long and 8-25 meters high. On the east, south and north cliffs, there are engraved stories of Buddha's biography, six reincarnations, and statues of Dharma guardians in sequence, most of which are carved with a group of statues. To continuously express one or several Buddhist scripture stories with different contents, and with rich pictures and texts, no statue is repeated.

The most wonderful stone carving on the top of Baoshan Mountain is an pastoral-style stone carving full of rural life - a picture of cattle herding.It is like a comic strip, telling the story of the shepherd boy taming the old cow.The mountain trails are rugged and the forest springs are quiet. The shepherd boy walks the ox slowly, or tames the ox with a whip, or sits on the back of the old ox and plays the piccolo, or takes a nap. Roaring, or surrendering safely, the stubborn expression is like a real cow.

The statue of the shepherd girl is also a prominent one among the stone carvings on the top of Baoshan Mountain. I saw a girl in a skirt with a sweet smile, and a quiet reed chicken beside her. The real expression of farm life is vividly shown in the picture , the whole statue is full of poetic country style.

There are also some interesting phenomena in the stone carvings on the top of Baoshan. For example, in the carvings, Shakyamuni Buddha sits in the same niche with the Taoist Taishang Laojun and Confucian Confucius, and the legendary Yama and Dianmu also sit in the same niche. Mixed among them, an interesting picture was formed, fully showing the background of the integration of the three religions of "Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism" at that time.

Beishan Cliff Carvings is another site of Dazu Rock Carvings. It was built in the late Tang Dynasty and is said to have been excavated by Wei Junjing, who was the governor of Changzhou at that time.However, due to the long history and more damage to the stone carvings, the cliff carvings in Beishan are not as famous as the cliff carvings in Baoding Mountain.Perhaps it is for this reason that the sparsely populated Beishan Yake reveals a sense of desolation and history.

When you come to Beishan Yake, you must go to Grotto No. 136.The four statues of Avalokitesvara carved in this grotto are Shuzhushou, Sun and Moon, Yuyin and Ruyizhu.

And here, you can deeply feel the historical and cultural atmosphere precipitated in it.

Three Gorges of the Yangtze River
The Three Gorges of the Yangtze River, a name so familiar to Chinese people that they can no longer be familiar with, bears the dream of China for thousands of years.From the gestation of the mother Yangtze River, to the thrilling Three Gorges rapids, and then to the misty and mirror-like Three Gorges Reservoir, the Three Gorges of the Yangtze River carries not only dreams, but also a long history of thousands of years.

There is nothing more dangerous than the Three Gorges of the Yangtze River, and the name of the Three Gorges has already been deeply rooted in people's hearts. The Three Gorges is the most magnificent canyon in the Yangtze River. The city is composed of Qutang Gorge, Wu Gorge and Xiling Gorge, with a total length of 193 kilometers.

Standing on the Gezhouba, the river wind is blowing on the face, and among the green hills and banks, I can see a torrential river flowing down from the distant mountains.In the distance, there is a flat river, and in a mist, the misty Yangtze River melts into the end of the sky.At this time and this scene, everyone will have a dream—the dream that one day they can go west along this school of mountains and rivers to see the scenery that is absolutely different from here.

Wushan may be the most romantic place on the Yangtze River. The song "It used to be difficult for water, but Wushan is not a cloud" has fascinated many lovers.Walking here, you can clearly feel the quaint beauty of the Yangtze River, as if you were in the barbaric era thousands of years ago, with an indescribable atmosphere.

If Wu Gorge is beautiful and colorful, with a strong breath of life, then Qutang Gorge is majestic and majestic, which will bring you a thrilling stimulation.This section of the Yangtze River is particularly narrow. Ships that have passed here can only sail left and right to avoid the hidden reefs at the bottom of the river.Now that the dam is completed, those thrilling days are gone forever, but the rising river water has gradually submerged the scenery on both sides of the strait.It is said that on the now submerged cliff, there used to be a stone crevice embedded in the rock mass, and there was a stone bridge between the mountains and the mountains. That was once the dream of countless travelers.

Kuimen is the most precipitous place in Qutang Gorge, known as "Kuimen is the hero of the world".The cliffs on both sides of the river stand upright and plunge into the water like knives and axes. The river surface is narrower and the water flow is more turbulent. There is an indescribable shock when parading here.Coming out of Kuimen, looking back, it stands there like a guard guarding the land of Bashu, and it will not fall down for thousands of years.

As the sun sets, looking at the majestic peaks on both sides of the strait, the lights reveal the warmth of home, and I can't help but miss my family. They must be having dinner too.

(End of this chapter)