Return to Yunnan Part I

Autumn Woods near Lijiang, Yunnan Province

I was born on an autumn evening in the city of Kunming, Yunnan Province in Southwest China. Within a year WWII ended, my father, my sister and I in my mother’s arms boarded a transport plane and left Kunming. I never returned until another fine autumn evening more than half a century later. The city held no memory, except for a phrase from a children’s ditty that my mother and sister used to sing to me. It said something about a temple on East Street and a temple on West Lane.  To my surprise and disappointment, the temples still exist but impossible for me to reach.  The streets and lanes in the older section of town were too narrow for the tour bus and therefore not on the itinerary.

My tour began with a visit to Da Guan Lou Park – a beautiful garden with traditional architecture.  Any adjective to describe gardens in Yunnan is superfluous.  Yunnan Province is the mother garden of the world. In the period between late 19 to early 20 century, botanists from all over the world over came to  identify and collect specimens.  Many common flowers such as the Easter lily were propagated from the Yunnan originals.

A Pavilion at Da Guan Lou Park

A lake full of lotus plants

A solitary lotus flower standing

 Accustomed to small ponds of lotus in botanical gardens, this huge lake of green leaves as far as the eye could see was breath taking! But we were too late to see the lotus flowers in bloom. Many of the leaves already turned brown, but I was thrilled to find a solitary pink flower still standing.

Chrysanthemums of all varieties were on display

The next morning we boarded a plane for Lijiang, home of the Naxi, one of the ethnic minority people in China.  The Old Town, now a UNESCO Heritage site, was on the confluence of the horse and tea trade for over 800 years.  Most of the buildings around Old Town dated to the Ming Dynasty CE 1368 - 1644. 

Small horses are more tolerant of the cold temperature

 Architecture around the Old Town was restored after an earthquake.  Michael and I were enthralled with the colorful and peaceful surroundings.  The buildings were constructed with timber and rocks, and small waterways brought running water from the nearby rivers. We came to Lijiang for a personal reason.  My father the horticulturist, was a friend of Dr. Joseph Rock (1884-1962,) the famous botanist who studied ethnic minority languages, including the Naxi.  He was a local legend and his former home is now a shrine.       

Tower in the town square    

Restored buildings were interesting and pleasing to the eye, but I was glad to see a few of the more traditional houses built with bricks.

We left the city and headed for a higher altitude.  The tour brought us to a station where we boarded a ski lift for a ride to the forests above.  The trees - autumn colors in a mist, made for a good painting study.  And moss -  growing in mounds were everywhere! I was in heaven. My fascination with moss began by watching my grandfather trying to grow moss in his miniature grotto.  He knew he could not make moss grow, but that did not deter him. If he could only be with us, he would surely collect specimens out of the moss laden fallen logs.

A moss lover's dreamscape

A glimpse of snow covered mountains   

Snow capped mountain range - Jade Dragon Snow Mountain near Lijiang, Yunnan Province 2006

 After what seemed to be a long hike, we arrived at a scenic area where we could view the snow capped mountain range of the Yuelongxue Shan - the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain.  It was a sight to behold!

(to be continued)