China XII - China National Art Gallery, Elephant Hill and the Tea Gardens and Factory

China National Art Gallery

Mom/Grandma was fascinated by the gold fish pond at the entrance of the Gallery.

Inside we went to the second floor. There were lots of beautiful paintings in several styles. Mom took the following photos of women in traditional dress of various ethnic minorities.

They had a gentleman there that would write your English name in Chinese characters. Raylene requested that he paint for her 'Families Are Forever'. It took a little effort to convey the the meaning of the phrase to be translated but at long last the calligraphy translation was completed.

After the Gallery we had lunch at a local restaurant. Mom was impressed by the huge vase by the cashiers counter. Raylene took pictures of the restful formal gardens outside the restaurant window. The Chinese have a knack for landscaping and gardening.

Elephant Hill Scenic Area

Elephant Trunk Hill, the city's symbol, is so named because of its resemblance to an elephant sipping water from the Lijiang River with its trunk.

At the entrance of the scenic area there is a wall with the history of how the Chinese character for elephant has evolved over time from its beginning to the current modern simplified character.

The Elephant Hill scenic area lies at the confluence of the Lijang and Peach Blossom rivers. The hill towers 179 feet above the Li River, measuring 351 feet in length and 325 feet in width and has an elevation of 650 feet above sea level.

We walked through the gardens on a path along the Peach Blossom River until we reached a bridge an crossed over the river.

Continuing on that path we reached the Li River where the Elephant came into view.

There were paper decorations everywhere, like this large sphere, commemorating the 60 years since the founding of the Peoples Republic of China. It was reported as the largest celebration in China's history, dwarfing that of the Beijing Olympics.

Then the fabled elephant came into view.
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According to the Legend:

On the top of Elephant Trunk Hill sits a pagoda named Puxian Pagoda. It is 14-meter-high, and was built during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). The pagoda looks like the hilt of a sword sticking out of the back of the elephant. There is a ancient legend surrounding it. In the ancient past, the Emperor of Heaven set out to conquer Earth commanding his troops from the back of the elephant. The elephant worked so hard to provide transportation for the Emperor of Heaven, that it became seriously ill. The local farmers nursed it back to health. The elephant being extremely grateful, decided to desert the emperor and stay on earth to help the farmers plow their fields during a time of famine. The Emperor of Heaven was so angry, that he thrust his sword into the elephant's back and turned the elephant into the rocky hill. The pagoda erected on top of the hill stands for the hilt of the sword. Now this kindly elephant can forever stay with the friendly people of Guilin, guarding the city and welcoming guests from all over the world to this beautiful city.

The cylinder shaped Puxian Pagoda on the top of the hill resembling the handle of a sword which was used by the emperor of heaven is also know as the Precious Bottle Pagoda because its rounded shape.

Puxian Pagoda

On top of the hill the two-storey Puxian Pagoda is surrounded by ferns and green trees. There are many legends about the pagoda that the local people say brings good fortune. The north seat of the second floor is inlaid with an image of Bodhisattva Puxian.

We arrived at a large terraced viewing area on the riverbank where there were the ever present souvenir mongers. They were very persistent and they followed you everywhere. Saying something sort of like this...

"Hello, OK, you like? Five dolla' OK.
Hello OK, quality #1. OK, OK.
OK three dolla' OK, good price. You like, yes?
OK. OK, hand made Mister, very nice.
OK, two for five dolla', come on come on.
OK, OK. Two dolla' very beautiful.
You killa me, OK, Ok for you, one dolla'."

When looking down the Li River past beyond Elephant Hill you can see in the distance (above Mom's head) on the opposite side of the river another elephant drinking from the river.

It was on this terraced area where Raylene snapped her first photo of the Chinese crotchless pants that infants and toddlers wear. (Click on the link for more details, it does have its andvantages.) I don't think the mom was that happy about being photographed. Hope it didn't spur and international incident.

Our two guides Henry and Steve discuss what's up next on the agenda.

But first we snagged them for a group photo.

Further down the promenade were more gardens, foot bridges and commemorative decorations.

Once we had finished taking our pictures and eating our Magnum Bars (Raylene's favorite since she had first discovered them in Denmark, but that's another story for another time) it was time to head back to the bus for our next destination. We would be busing to a tea plantation, perported to be one of the world's largest. It was a relatively short ride not far from the base of Yao Mount. Yao Mount is located in the northeast of Guilin with an elevation of 2955 feet, the highest mountain in the city and different from most of other hills, it is covered with fertile soil and luxuriant vegetation. At the tea farm about 2 km from Yao Mount, we were scheduled to learn about tea, see how tea is harvested and to experience a traditional tea ceremony.

Up next:
The Tea Plantation and Factory