A Fork And A Suitcase

   The rain continued as we ventured out to Qing He Feng Food Street in Hongzhou.  Qing He Feng is unique because it is the only part of the old imperial city that has been almost completely preserved.  It served as the Southern Song's political, cultural and commercial hub.  Today, one can find century-old storefronts selling anything from tea, medicine, food, souvenirs and such.    The street is very interesting and picturesque, there are colorful decorations hanging from many old wooden structures and some sculptures are in the middle of the pedestrian only road.  On our way to the Lingyin Temple we passed many fields where the Longjing tea is grown.  This very high quality tea is one of the most famous teas from China and it can be purchased at many locations in Hangzhou.  There are individual shops or stands that sell food or larger shops with many different vendors. The choices are ple...

According to a legend, Hui Li, an Indian monk, arrived in the valley 1,600 years ago and was surprised to see a peak unlike any other in the area.  The shape of the peak was a common one in India, so Hui Li believed that it had flown from there to China.  Hence the name: Fei Lai Feng - A Peak Flown From Afar.  The peak is about 700 feet high and the large stones scattered around it are said to resemble animals like a flying dragon, a fleeing monkey and a crouching tiger.  This is a natural limestone mountain with over 300 Buddhist stone statues, carvings and reliefs dating back from the Five Dynasties (907-960) to the Yuan Dynasty  A serene park with caves, lush greenery, a stream, stone steps and pathways.  In 1681, Emperor Kangzi of the Qing Dynasty wrote the three characters "Fei Lai Feng" inscribed on the stone cliff. The larger carvings are mostly from the Yuan Dynasty (1206-1368) and the smaller reliefs are from the Song ...