Will tourism in Shaoguan be affected by the flood?

★★★If my travel experience can give you a travel reference, please respect Oudi’s hard work in coding, thank you!

I went there on June 10, and the road conditions were not bad. I encountered the problem mentioned by the poster. This is a little mood diary written in the blog. Haha, I hope it can be a reference for the poster’s travel.

★★★Here we go...

I have been clamoring to travel, and this time I finally got the chance. Even though there was light rain on the weekend, I still set off.

It takes 4-5 hours to drive from Shenzhen to Shaoguan, passing through Dongguan, Guangzhou, Qingyuan... all cities I have never been to. The boys started playing cards out of boredom, while I listened to MP3 out of boredom. It had been a long time since I calmed down to listen to a song. I walked through the green and listened carefully to the lyrics. I was surprised that I didn’t know the taste of such a familiar melody before. Emotional friends should not read the lyrics, especially when I am alone. I was taken far away by these lyrics and thought of many old friends, which made me feel a little sad...

I entered Qujiang around one o'clock in the afternoon. The tour guide picked us up and took us to have lunch. People were so hungry that even the peanuts they had eaten in Xiaozhen were divided up. The food is very ordinary and more expensive than in Shenzhen. But the problem of food and clothing was finally solved. The tour guide reminded those who want to buy incense to buy it outside the temple. The price will increase several times after entering the temple. When I left the restaurant, I was surrounded by women selling incense. I bought 2 packs for 6 yuan. I thought it was very cheap. After walking a few steps, the stall actually sold a pack for 1 yuan. I remembered that I bought a pack for 10 yuan in Macau. I still think it’s cheap, it’s really a big deal. But it’s better not to worry about mortal matters with Buddha.

I have seen some temples. Beijing, Hong Kong, and Macau are places where incense is very popular. What you can see is the lingering smoke, devout believers, and graceful buildings. And this place makes me, a non-believer in Buddhism, feel spiritual.

Thousand-year-old Temple

Nanhua Temple is located on the bank of Cao River in Qujiang District, Shaoguan. It is the birthplace of Huineng, the sixth ancestor of Zen Buddhism, who promoted the "Southern Zen Method". Therefore, Nanhua Temple has It is called "ancestral court". The Sixth Patriarch Huineng is the one who "originally has nothing, so where can he cause dust".

Nanhua Temple was built in the first year of Tianjian (AD 502) of Emperor Liang Wu of the Southern and Northern Dynasties. It has a history of 1,500 years and has been built for generations. The existing building area is 12,000 square meters. There is a well-known story about this building area. It’s just that I was in a hurry to take pictures and missed this wonderful story.

In front of Nanhua Temple, there are Caoxi Gate, Free Life Pond, Baolin Gate, and Heavenly King Hall; in the middle, there are Bell Tower, Drum Tower, Main Hall, Zhaitang, Sutra Pavilion, Lingzhao Pagoda, Ancestral Hall, Abbot's Room, etc. Behind the temple is Zhuoxi Spring (commonly known as Jiulong Spring). The temple is surrounded by luxuriant ancient trees and the environment is quiet. Behind the temple are several century-old water pines that are 40 meters high. They are rare trees in the world. It is said that there are only about 40 trees in the world.

Morning bells and evening drums

The tour guide said that monks ring bells in the morning and beat drums in the evening. From this, we understand why it is said "morning bells and evening drums". Monks can be seen everywhere in the temple, and I also saw their residences. I just don’t know where the abbot lives and where he practices and works:) When I saw them, I thought of the monk recruitment notices circulating on the Internet, which stated that a bachelor’s degree or above was preferred, and a monthly salary of 4,000 …I don’t know if they really believe in Buddhism and what kind of life they live. It seems that some monks do have an elegance that transcends ordinary people, but some of the young monks I meet are still timid.

500 Arhats

What shocked me most about Nanhua Temple were the 500 lifelike Arhat statues in the Main Hall. I don’t know if you remember the episode of "Journey to the West" - "Walking into Xiaoleiyin Temple by mistake". At that time, the hall was surrounded by arhats, that's what it felt like. I didn’t expect such a scene. There are 500 Arhats with different expressions. In fact, there are 501 Arhats. The extra one is Monk Jigong. You can see his three different expressions from three angles. I sincerely admire those craftsmen for being so lifelike. So ingenious. In addition to the Arhats all over the walls, the hall also enshrines three gilded Buddhas over 8 meters high and a 4-meter-tall Guanyin statue. After seeing the main hall, I felt a deep respect for it, and also realized that Nanhua Temple has an unusual position among Chinese temples and should not be underestimated.

Buddhist Holy Land

Behind the temple is Jiulong Spring. The tour guide said that you must not throw away the spring water after washing your hands, but put it in your pocket with the water, so as to bring luck in. A friend greedily took some water and put it in his trouser pocket, making his clothes wet and laughing. It was a bit cloudy and rainy that day, and it stopped falling from time to time. After the misty rain, the temple seemed even more refreshing and lingering. Looking up at the towering ancient trees, I sigh at the overwhelming aura. It is indeed a good place to practice.

When we returned, we started to burn incense and worship Buddha. I had never burned incense when I was in Beijing. I didn’t know who I was worshiping, and I didn’t believe that worshiping could bring protection. When I came here, I went to Hong Kong and Macau and burned them, but I didn’t pray because I didn’t have the piety in my heart. Before entering this temple, I just wanted to join in the fun. I really didn’t believe in this kind of pure consciousness. But after being baptized in this temple, I developed respect for the life of Buddha and ancestors, so I didn't dare to make any mistakes in the temple, and I became cautious about what I said. I saw everyone praying for incense devoutly, and my first reaction in front of the Buddha was to pray for world peace... It really came to my mind naturally, and I wasn't singing a high note. Then he secretly said to Buddha: Buddha, you are so fat and cute, you must keep it that way. This is really not blasphemy, is it? If you offend the Buddha, please forgive me for my ignorance, Amen.

Pictographic symbols

After traveling around the temples, I found that in addition to dragons and lions commonly used in traditional Chinese architecture, Nanhua Temple also frequently uses elephant and snake patterns, which also appear on the archway of the temple gate. symbolic graphics. I don’t know what the symbolic meaning of snakes is in Buddhism, but I vaguely saw that it is regarded as a sacred object in some countries. In fact, in China, snakes also turn into little dragons. We always say: March 3rd, the dragon raises its head. In fact, it is not the dragon we think of, but the snake, because March is the time when snakes end their hibernation and come out of their holes.

The elephants in Nanhua Temple have many patterns. They are very cute little elephants. They are sacred objects in Thailand. So what is its connection with Buddhism? Buddhist thought is broad and profound, and temple architecture is also a manifestation of it.

(2) Danxia Mountain

Sexual Culture Museum

Leaving Nanhua Temple, passing through Shaoguan City, and walking for nearly an hour, we arrived at the Danxia Mountain Scenic Area. We planned to climb the mountain the next day and checked into a hotel in the scenic area. I forgot the name, but the facilities are quite good and the room is very spacious. When I opened the curtains, I saw the "Museum of Chinese Sexual Culture". I was shocked. How could a place like Shaoguan, which is not economically developed, have a sexual culture museum? During the dinner gathering, I ran over to take a look. It was indeed the Museum of Sexual Culture, and it was inscribed by Mr. Fei Xiaotong, the most respected scholar in our sociology. I really don’t understand the Sexual Culture Museum here. Due to time constraints, I couldn't visit the museum. When I saw Danxia Mountain on the second day, I gradually understood why the Sexual Culture Museum was located in Shaoguan.

Shaoguan Specialties

It was still early before dinner time, and a comrade suggested picking strawberries. The strawberries nearby have been picked, and I drove further afield to buy cantaloupes. There were many stalls selling fruit on the roadside. We tasted them all the way, and finally collected all the cantaloupes from one family, which weighed about 50 kilograms. I bought some fruit and had a very satisfying meal. Back at the hotel, they went to play cards and we went for a walk.

There is a small shop not far away, selling Shaoguan specialties as well as fossil specimens, stone carvings and the like. I picked some beautiful stones that would look beautiful in a glass bottle. The shopkeeper made us champagne rose tea. I liked the color and rose color very much, so I bought these two teas. The sandpit fish I had for dinner was very delicious, and I bought dried fish and vegetables... I took advantage of it and got a postcard from the shop owner. I saw the poker cards in the Museum of Sexual Culture and thought about visiting it. I might as well look at the pictures. You can take it back and give it away. Of course, you can't give it to conservative people, it's always okay to give it to classmates or teachers.

The specialties of Shaoguan are far more than what I have mentioned. There are many such shops at the foot of Danxia Mountain. The next day, when we came down from the mountain, everyone else went to buy souvenirs, but I bought an apron made of colorful threads. It had ethnic characteristics and the price was as low as 10 yuan. The driver couldn't help but praise me for buying something good. :P

Danxia Landform

I was woken up by the morning call at 7:30, went to the hotel restaurant for breakfast, and didn’t start climbing until almost 9 o’clock. Adult tickets on holidays cost 120RMB, which really shocked me.

We have all learned about Danxia landform in junior high school geography, and this place, Danxia Mountain, is the place where the Danxia landform is named. It is said to be "as bright as the rosy clouds and as bright as the bright clouds." Unfortunately, it rained on the day we went, and the Danxia Mountain in front of us lost its original color.

The most prominent feature of Danxia landform is the widespread development of "Red Cliff Danxia", forming strange and dangerous landforms such as square mountains, stone walls, stone peaks, and stone pillars with flat tops, steep bodies, and gentle slopes. . Looking at the Danxia landforms at home and abroad, Danxia Mountain has the largest area, the most typical development, the most complete types, the richest forms, and the most beautiful scenery. It is named "No. 1 in the world" by experts.

Danxia Mountain has a long culture. The earliest legend is that Nuwa created humans and mended the sky here. It is said that the current Kunyuan Mountain (also known as Dimu Ridge and Sleeping Beauty) is where Nuwa rested. The shape of the body. The river at the foot of the mountain produces colorful brocade stones, which were called Jinjiang during the Han Dynasty. These colorful stones are said to have been scattered by Nuwa to mend the sky. Perhaps because I took a tour guide on this trip, I heard some interesting stories.

Majestic, dangerous, strange, beautiful and secluded

The highest peak of Danxia Mountain is only 618 meters above sea level. If we talk about majesty in terms of height, Danxia Mountain is definitely not "majestic". But its peaks are composed of cliffs, many of which are hundreds of meters high. They are majestic, straight and powerful. No wonder some magazines call Danxia Mountain the "masculine mountain".

Although Danxia Mountain is not high, it is "steep". Some sections are almost 90 degrees perpendicular to the ground. In addition, it is raining, so you need to be extra careful. Climb the railing with both hands and climb with your feet staggered. It’s indeed “risky” enough.

The most shocking thing is its "miraculousness". To this day, I still marvel at the miraculous and "miraculous craftsmanship" of the Creator. That's it. It actually created the "Yang Yuan Stone" and the "Yin Yuan Stone". Yangyuan Stone is called "the most amazing stone in the world" and everyone who sees it will be shocked. As the name suggests, these two stones resemble male and female genitals, which explains why the "Museum of Chinese Sexual Culture" was opened in Shaoguan. It is said that the locals have discovered these two strange stones a long time ago, but due to conservative ideas, they have only been developed in recent years.

No need to mention its beauty and tranquility. We felt this deeply when we took the boat back from Yangyuanshi. Before boarding the boat, the tour guide reminded us to prepare our cameras. The scenery on both sides of the Taiwan Strait is indeed very beautiful. Someone once said in a poem that "Guilin's scenery is the best in the world, but it is not as good as Guangdong's Danxia".

Such a tall and steep mountain has such beautiful scenery.

The Creator not only created Yang Yuan Stone and Yin Yuan Stone in Danxia Mountain, but also gave Danxia Mountain both masculinity and femininity. Just as God created man and then woman, everything in the world has the law of cause and effect, which is amazing!

This trip has added a lot of respect, respect for nature, respect for human beings, respect for culture...