Migrant Worker

Mr. OuYang, Shaxi
Originally uploaded by Even Rogers Pay.

One of my favorite places I’ve ever travelled in Yunnan province is a village called Shaxi — pronounced shah-she, deposed leader of Iran, followed by the female counterpart to he. I was there during Fall 2004 with a student group on my first trip to Yunnan. We stayed with local families, and I lucked out, living with a grandmother and grandfather whose children were grown and hosting some of my classmates.

I have often encouraged friends to travel to Shaxi, but to be frank, it took me a while to find it on a map, and there aren’t very regular or convenient forms of transportation to get there. Looking for more information, I happened across a website on Shaxi that may help independent travellers make it there knowing there is somewhere to stay at the end of their trip.

What is so great about this place that I am talking about it even though I haven’t been for two years? Well, first off, today is my last day at work (as you can tell I finally have a bit of free time) and I’m going to try to get out there during my mid-December unemployed period.

Additionally:

Shibaoshan Temples: Having lived and traveled in China for a couple years now, I have seen my fair share of temples. Shibaoshan, however, stands out in my memory as a host of some of the coolest temples I’ve ever seen. The mountain is covered with Taoist and Buddhist temples, connected by a network of paths. If you make it all the way to the top, you can get to some near-deserted and windblown places of worship that are obviously not targeted towards tourists.

Jianchuan (Shiling) grottos: If you continue to follow Shibaoshan along the ridge range, you can visit the most historically significant (coolest) grottos in southern China. These suckers were built during the Nanzhao Kingdom period in Yunnan’s history (Tang Dynasty), or between 700 and 1000 AD. So basically they are old. They include historical figures and depict some of the first transmission of Buddhism into China, with strikingly South Asian looking carvings. There is also an incredibly old carving of female genitalia that local women still pour oil on to pray for pregnancy. Local rumor has it (although I can’t cite this, can anyone help?) that premier Zhou Enlai deployed the military to protect the grottos from the red guard during the cultural revolution. At any rate, the military did show up, and only minimal damage was done.

Southern Silk Road: Also referred to as the Tea-Horse caravan, this trade route linked Burma with Yunnan and crossed the Tibetan plateau to reach the Western Silk Road. One of the largest and most well-preserved markets on this route is in Shaxi village, currently being preserved by an international project. In 2004, the project was just beginning, by this point, I’m sure the preserved areas are very interesting and accessible to travellers.