Lushan Buddha, near Wuxi, China

Tom Scalia, a good fella (really, he's Italian) and I traveled to the Lushan Buddha outside of Wuxi, China on a warm and very humid day on September 4, 2010. The taxi ride took about 35 minutes and was not an ordinary ride. Many times I muttered "oh crap" when the driver drove on the shoulder or opposite lane to get around someone. Getting to the Buddha was a good thing.

The Buddha was visible well before we arrived. This statue stands some 80 meters on top of a hill. The Buddha is visible on the photo adjacent to the far pole on the lower left.

The ticket area was teaming with bus groups and families. I was like any other park I've been to in the US. The park initially had a feeling of a day at the park with the trinkets and incense for sale. I found later that I was mistaken. This was a seriously faithful place from many Buddhists. The photos show a group of older tour bus folks and what appeared to be a reunion of family members. 

After getting in the park, the event that we faced was the opening of the Young Buddha show.  It was quite an event.  The music played for the guests was extremely loud and I think somewhat gaudy.  Many things I saw this day were very much "over the top".  The visual aspects were interesting and enjoyable watching the young Buddha turn, get sprayed with water, and them get closed into the lotus. 

From the young Buddha, the next stopping point was the prayer area.  This among the highlights of the visit, the other being watching the monks chant after the prayer area.  I know a little about Buddhism from reading the Dhammapada and other readings about yoga and mediation.  I was not ready for what I saw today with the prayer with the incense and at each Deity.  The prayer at the incense area was real and pervasive with the smoke permeating your cloths.  Watching the faithful today was similar to watching the faithful during my visit to the Vatican. 

The funnest part of the site was the laughing Buddha.  The bronze chubby guy is covered with little kids climbing all over this laughing guy.  Apparently tickled.  I think each of the little kids had a different expression.  I had quite a few laughs with this spot.

A building between the laughing Buddha and the stairs contained many other Deities and a very interesting religious act.  We walked in at the beginning of a Buddhist prayer involving chanting, a drum, and a bell, all by monks.  It was mesmerising. 

Then the long walk up the steps to the Lushan Buddha.  The walk was long but interesting with the panels at the landing and the view from the stairs.   A museum greeted us at the base of the Lushan Buddha.  Some interesting artifacts, some misinformation (regarding the Chinese belief of the origin of the Buddha), and some interesting grotto's. 

We attended a high production show at one of the temples.  It was an interesting building and show.  Good to see once. 

We were pestered by someone who wanted to drive the westerners back but a taxi driver was gracious and we jumped into his cab for the ride back to the city.

Happenchance

A few days after I returned from China, a client asked me to visit a project in Doha, Qatar.  Sure, I was eager to face the challange and travel to a new area so I set a trip based on time of arrival.  Had a connection in Rome.  After a 45 minute delay leaving Detroit, a long wait to get on the bus to the terminal in Rome, and a longer wait at customs, I missed my connecting flight to Doha. 

Stuck in Rome.  The next flight out was at 5:30 PM the next day and about 20 hours on the ground in some nondescript but pleasant hotel in Rome.  After trying, and no fooling but really trying, to get to the project for a Saturday meeting, the airline told me there was not a chance to leave on Friday.  So I took the bus to the nondescript hotel and signed in.  No baggage because it was on the way to Doha I was told (they fibbed, but thats a later story). 

There was really only one thing I could do after I ate and that was to figure out the train schedule and run off to the Vatican for the late afternoon and evening.  Growing up Roman Cathlioc I sometimes thought how nice it would be to see St Pete's Square and the Church.  I cannot describe the feeling I had when I actually realized that I was in Rome and on the way to the Vatican.  Never in a hundred million years I thought but now I was there.  Its not that I wear my faith on my sleeve and not that the Church has really pissed me off in the past decade, but this apparently was a big deal to me.

I made my way and finally figured out where the Vatican was and entered thround the Northern gate into the Square. I just couldn't belive that I was there.  Then I saw that I could go into the Church.  I went in the line and found myself standing amoung the most fastinating historical and faithfull spot on earth. What a feeling.  I was in a hurry becase I thought it was being closed for the evening so I did not let the faith and history seep into me.  However, the chance to even be there was more than I could ever asked for. 

The one thing that I'm disapponted in is that I was unable to call by parents while I was on the Square.  They gave me the faith and I though I could share in my excitement. 

The next day I figured I'd get up at 5:30 AM and visit the Colseuem and perhaps a few other sites before the noon check out (delayed until 1:00 PM).  The alarm went off and when I awoke at 9:00 AM, a quick brush of the teeth and off I was to figure out where to go.  It did not take much and I was in the ruins of this place.  I had about on hour on the site before the train rides back.  Litterally, I was trotting up the stairs, taking pictures along the way.  Over 150 photos to share with my family.  Then off again.

Now I'm in a business lounge in Doha waiting on a 1:30 AM flight to Milan Italy for a few days.  Who would have ever thought....

China - Transportation

Walking, wagons, wheelbarrows, bikes, electric bikes, electric motor bikes, cars, trucks, boats, subways, high speed trains but not very many planes.  I've walked a bunch, ridden in cars, a minibus, subways, and high speed trains during this past week. 

I think walking is by far the most dangerous.  The person move, not the car or bike.  The only good way to move around downtown Wuxi (Wooshe) is to walk.  The city as a new subway going in and most of the streets in the downtown area are closed.  Need to walk about the barriers erected to keep people out of the construction zone.  I enjoy this the mode of transportation the most.  Have those chance glances at many people and some want to talk.  Interesting. 

Wagons are not so common here in Wuxi, non existent in the area of Shanghai I was at, prevalent in the rural area heading toward Taizhou.  I saw more than a few of these hand driven carts in the smaller city of Taizhou. 

Bikes, electric bikes and motor bikes have a ranking all their own.  The bikes and the low class while the electric motor bikes are the high class bikes.  Silent and dangerous to the walkers.  These electric bikes are all over the place and in many ways, the only way to go any distance.  I've seen whole families ride on one bike.

Cars and buses, a polite dance to avoid damage.  The cars nose in when a slight opening shows itself only to have the offending driver honk the horn and back off.  I've never seen the American bird, the middle finger, waved at anyone.

Truck and boats take many shapes.  I see very few pickup trucks and no personnel watercraft.  The trucks are large and usually full of materials while the boats are generally like barges and always low in the water. 

The subways and trains are something that I am impressed with.  The subways are clean and safe and the trains are world class.  We traveled to and from Shanghai on a new high speed train reaching speeds of up to 300 km/hr our about 180 mph.  Very smooth and comfortable.  The photo is from a view from my seat of the interior. 

 

China. Frist Impressions

On a business trip to Wuxi, China, near Shanghai.  I was expecting that I may have challenges with accessing sites and unfortunately, the concerns were real.  Finally found a workaround to post. 

The experiences here are interesting.  The city of Wuxi (Wooshe) is a modern city with more construction of apartment towers than I've ever seen.  Tower cranes are everywhere; sprouting like weeds after a summer rain.  The thing that strikes me the most is the friendliness of the people in this city.  I can walk freely around.  People stare and lots smile at you.  Some want to try out their English.  As bad as the language is, its better than my speaking theirs.

Got to Shanghai last Saturday after a grinding 14 hour flight.  Stayed at a nice hotel then took a train to Wuxi on Sunday morning.  These guys got it right with the mass transit.  We could learn something from this. 

More later.