Tag: Buddhism

All is not well in Paradise (Wutai Shan)

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Wutai Shan, the stunningly beautiful area of Buddhist monasteries in China’s Shanxi Province, is under going radical changes. The local authorities are attempting to evict hundreds, if not thousands, of people who have been living off the tourist trade. While Some of them recent arrivals, others have lived under the mountains for generations and helped the Communists fight the Japanese. The reason for their eviction? So that Wutai Shan can claim UNESCO World Heritage status and thus attract even more tourists.

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Government presence in Wutai Shan even in 2001

This information was published in the Guardian but the URL has been lost. A cyber attack maybe?

Keep on trying: Compulsory resettlement in Wutai Shan | World news | guardian.co.uk

A more peaceful Wutai Shan

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Dazu 1991 & 2005

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Dazu Town – 1991 When we first arrived in Dazu on a damp, cold day in January 1991, after a long but uneventful bus ride from Chongqing, we found ourselves in a small, grubby market town under a grey sky and a light drizzle. A couple of grotty, but overpriced hotels were the only evidence that Dazu might be home to something more than the abundant vegetables found in its markets….

For more go to: HolaChina: Your Gateway to China

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Dazu Town Revisited – 2005

In September 2005 we returned to Dazu and discovered the town had changed beyond recognition. These days, Dazu is another example of a Chinese boomtown: new white- tile apartment blocks springing up like mushrooms after an autumn shower, a modern, bustling pedestrian shopping street where the old market area had been and plenty of shiny hotels. The local residents had undergone a transformation too: instead of Mao-suited peasants, there were now hip and fashionably dressed youngsters, wielding mobile phones. The newly refurbished Dazu Hotel was ready to cater to the whims of any fussy and…..

For more go to: HolaChina: Your Gateway to China

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