Before I return to the serene Buddha pictures and UNESCO heritage site adventures, I thought I'd share some photos from a week we spent in the Orthopedics department. Back in Canada, we learn that in the field of Orthopedics, TCM has a long history of bone setting (without surgery), healing injuries with poultices made from various animal parts, and adjusting joints with intensely aggressive manipulations (somewhat reminiscent of the heading rotations from the 'Exorcist'). While this may be true, we didn't see much of it. What we did see were strange and slightly archaic looking equipment used for traction, lots of injection therapy of Western pharmaceuticals and some TCM herbs into various joints, and some herbal patches applied to injuries.
A couple of weeks ago I decided to fly solo on a trip to a mountain near Chengdu, called Emei Shan. It has been revered as a pilgrimage site for Buddhists since the 3rd century (but some sources say was inhabited by Taoists up to 10,000 years ago). It was everything I'd hoped it would be and the perfect respite from my busy life in the city. Clean air pumping through my lungs that were working overtime climbing scores of stairs (like 500metres vertical in an hour or so!), and quiet time for my mind. Not unlike other sites of pilgrimage or remotely located communities accessible only by foot (human or mule), I saw many locals heaving huge loads of supplies to the monasteries and food stalls spotting the trail. There is a road that is used by the countless bus tours taking eager seekers to the summit and a couple of stops in between, but to experience anything off this beaten track, walking (or being carried) is the only option. As you can see below, some of the visitors choose not to break a sweat, but prefer to let others do it for them!
Some pics along the way....
(What would a pilgrimage be without some Red Bull?)
It's one of the most highly rated destinations on the tourist circuit, and with luck, I chose a route that kept me pretty much alone the whole time except for when I encountered the famously 'aggressive monkeys'. In those moments I was thankful to have had some company. Although mostly harmless, with fangs greater than their bite, I do know a woman that had to get a series of rabies shots from her not so harmless encounter with them.
The mountain is spotted with monasteries, that serve as places of worship and accommodation for the pilgrims that come from far and wide to give offerings. The photos below are from the monastery that I slept at, in a room shared with 3 other Chinese women. Because there is no insulation (and even gaping slits between the window and wooden walls), and the altitude was nearly 3000 metres, every bed is fit with its own electric blanket and comforter. Though I was glad for the heat at the end of a long day's hike, it quickly turned into a warm but very damp cocoon to try and sleep until before sunrise in...yuck.
I got up and left the next morning in the dark, and heard the monks banging the gongs for their morning practice as I ascended the next part of the trail. It was an amazing way to start the day...one step after the other as I entered a beautiful rhododendron grove in full bloom. Lots of old craggy trees replaced the dense forest I had hiked through the day before as I moved toward the summit.
The next monastery I arrived at was a mere 10 minutes from the gargantuan parking lot that services the thousands of tourists that visit Emei every day.
The typical circuit tour includes visiting a couple of huge monasteries a 20 minute drive from town and then a bus ride 9/10ths (or more) of the way up the mountain where passengers are dropped, rent a warm parka, walk 15 minutes to the gondola, ride another 10 minutes to the final destination...The Golden Summit. So, why do people come here?...read the clips below to find out about the the summit and the 4 wonders of Emei Shan.
Though there was no sunrise, or even view to be seen the morning I arrived, I'd received exactly what I'd come for in every step along the way.
Shantih om.
Check out our school blog for some other recent stories from China.... www.ccaominchina.blogspot.com
