Liberation Monument | Chongqing | Jun 27, 2007 09:40 GMT-6
YZ 01 Walking Tour of the Walled City

Liberation Monument, the centerpiece of Liberation Square in Jiefengbei, was originally built by the Guo Min Government during the war. In those days it resembled a gun turret with a flagpole on top and stood almost three stories tall.

After the war it was remodeled to celebrate China’s victory against the Japanese in World War Two and later named Liberation Monument. The octagonal tower with four clock faces has internal stairs, stands 27.5 meters high and today is dwarfed by the buildings surrounding it on all sides.

Temples | Chongqing | Jun 27, 2007 09:42 GMT-6
YZ 02 Walking Tour of the Walled City

Just a short distance from the Liberation Monument are two small but active Temples. To the east is the Ar Hat or Luo Han Temple, just opposite the Carrefour. The other small Temple has been well hidden away on Zhong Hua Lu near the corner of Min Quan Lu.

Guangzhou | March 11, 2008 - March 12, 2008
Kaiping, home to thousands of Diaoluo or castles is a fascinating blend of east and west in the midst of the rice paddies Pearl River Delta between Guangzhou and Zhuhai

Sichuan | September 30, 2007 - October 3, 2007
Zhuokeji a is small village with a beauty and simplicity that captured my heart. More important is the beauty of the people. A small minority group called the Zang, of the Jiarong Tibetans they have remained quietly isolated in their steep mountain valleys until the 1930's when Mao's Red Army shattered the serenity of the stunningly beautiful Suomo valley.

Chengdu | September 29, 2007 - October 5, 2007
Overnight in Chengdu while revisiting Zhuokeji near Maerkang.

Leshan | May 6, 2007 - May 6, 2007
Leshan with her red bluffs, home to DaFo - the Big Buddha, is our last stop followed by an interesting seven hour bus trip back to Chongqing.

Sichuan | May 4, 2007 - May 5, 2007
We slowly descend into the beautiful Suomo valley to Zuokeji just outside Maerkang. Here we discover the stone blockhouses and their defensive towers and homestay with a local family. Our next stop is Taoping, another stone block village with defensive towers in a similarly rugged but drier river valley.