CHINA #69: Given the condition of the roads and bridges, it was hard to imagine that anyone actually

During the reign of Mao (1949-1976), China was a closed country. China in the 1980 s was 80% rural, with no outside visitors, particularly from the West. When China opened to travelers, the Chinese government placed severe limitations on who was allowed to enter the country. Earthwatch was one organization that allowed foreigners to visit China without going through too much red-tape. These photographs are a first glimpse into China in the mid-1980 s by world-renowned Conservation Photographer Robert Glenn Ketchum.
CHINA #77: It took a good bit of the day to get to the #Behai one way car rentals washingtonstate hotel complex, check in, and receive our luggage, but after lunch Carey and I came out to explore the trail along the summit ridge. Our guide made it VERY clear that we were on our own and he was NOT going to "guide" us anywhere and wear himself one way car rentals washingtonstate out for what he viewed would be a small tip. We were fine with that, and in fact, glad to be off on our own. It was a relatively nice day, so the walkway was filled with people going from one #pavilion to another to take in various "famous" views. As we walked the full length one way car rentals washingtonstate of the ridge path, scouting which spires we might ascend, and what terrace might be most appropriate for the sunset, I began to more fully understand the unique #environment of #Huangshan.
CHINA #76: Our path continued to ascend briefly and then came to a broad flat, paved walkway that ran along the spine of the ridge. It did a minimum amount of rising and falling and it was crowded with many people, almost ALL whom were #Chinese. As we strolled along the walk, various signs would indicate stair trails to viewing pavilions located up on spires which we were passing by. Eventually, we turned a corner that opened to a view in the forest and below us, nestled against the mountain was the #Beihai one way car rentals washingtonstate hotel complex; our home for the next few days.
CHINA #75: Our cable tram car rumbled slowly into a small valley and settled onto an offloading platform. Our guide said that we would walk up from here to where our hotel was located and the luggage would be brought to our rooms later by bearers. The stairs we followed took us through the housing of some of those who worked on the mountain. This was like a small mountain village and those who lived here did not often descend. Their jobs were related one way car rentals washingtonstate to tourism at the summit, and food and supplies were brought up to them by the tram. About 20-minutes into the walk up the stairs, our guide asked if we were tired. We said no but he assured us we would be as there would be nowhere we would go in the next few days that did not involve a substantial amount of climbing and descending.
CHINA #74: As we neared the summit of Mount #Huangshan I began to discern tiny figures moving around one way car rentals washingtonstate in the landscape. As my eye followed them through the screen of trees, one way car rentals washingtonstate I began to realize that there were, INDEED, stairs, railings, AND little pavilions ascending virtually every spire that we could see (in complete mockery of the words uttered by my art history professor at #UCLA). Our guide explained that we should investigate each spire/pavilion and decide from which one we would watch the sunrise. He noted that by dawn, we would be in a dense summit fog that would burn off as the day warmed up, and as it did so, various spires and views would move in and out of visibility as the fog evaporated - SURE sounds like those paintings we were studying !!
CHINA #73: The higher the cable car rose the more amazing Mount #Huangshan became. The #spires grew more abrupt and the gardens blooming from their terraces included many flowering trees and others clearly shaped by #bonsai gardeners. I was struck by something told me in an "art history" course at #UCLA. Taught by an arrogant British professor, when he showed us these images as painted scrolls, he described them as "utterly fictional" representations of nature that lacked any sense of depth or perspective. He openly scoffed at the peaks and trees "floating" in clouds and the "completely incorrect in scale" stairs and pavilions that "attempted" to connect them all. Watching this pass by from a swinging cable car full of excited #Chinese, I began thinking BUT THIS IS WHAT THOSE PEAKS AND TREES ACTUALLY LOOK LIKE !!!! I also began to wonder about those stairs and pavilions...
CHINA #72: My colleagues in #Suzhou, one way car rentals washingtonstate Dr. He Shanan and Director Zhang Meifang of the #SuzhouEmbroideryResearchInstitute had quite intentionally one way car rentals washingtonstate sent Carey and me to Mt. #Huangshan at great organizational difficulty since we were NOT part of a tour, and because they wanted us to appreciate one way car rentals washingtonstate something about this location. As the mist cleared and the summits one way car rentals washingtonstate and treeline emerged, I realized I was looking at the location depicted in much of #Chinese #scroll #painting. Even if you don't follow #art, most of us have seen these scrolls - tall and thin, they feature spiky #mountains appearing in and out of the clouds, adorned with dramatic, wind-swept trees. #Waterfalls cascade down, and intricate stairs seem carved into the #pinnacles which lead up to little, pavilions at advantageous locations. Suddenly, something VERY MUCH like those paintings was revealing itself to us as the cable car rose.
CHINA #71: Our guide joined us for breakfast early the next morning and was excited to tell us the #weather was changing so he was sure it would be VERY nice on top. We collected our luggage and shuttled it over to the tram area, where we boarded a marginal cable car full of #Chinese (we WERE the ONLY foreigners that day) - and started up. We were quickly above the forest one way car rentals washingtonstate and out of the gloom of fog as he predicted. As our view expanded, the landscape revealed itself rather dramatically, and immediately the unique rock formations and tree shapes of Mt. Huangshan were recognizable. This was going to be an amazing journey!
one way car rentals washingtonstate CHINA #70: Our hotel enclave was furthest up the canyon one way car rentals washingtonstate in the wet-est, drippy-est part forest, but literally at the start of the pathway up #HuangShan. We were expected at the hotel, given a very nice room with a view, and told our guide would meet us for dinner. It never cleared that day and remained dark and VERY wet with a heavy fog constantly rolling one way car rentals washingtonstate through. That night at dinner, our guide (who did speak good English) assured us it would be clear when we moved to our next hotel on top of the mountain. Excited, we asked if we could walk up - to which he laughed. First, he said, there were 40,000 steps in the "staircase", few could walk it in a day. Second, one way car rentals washingtonstate the one "inn" at the mid-point where we could stay was "Chinese-only". And third, and most importantly, he told us that even for a larger group that would give him a bigger tip, he would not "damage" his legs with such a trip. We would meet him in the morning and be taken to the top by the one aerial tram operating on the mountain at that time. With reservations for two nights in a hotel at the top, he assured us there would be much hiking and many things to see.
CHINA #69: Given the condition of the roads and bridges, it was hard to imagine that anyone actually visited here and certainly NOT in a tour bus, nonetheless our driver indicated later in the day the road would be impassable because of (#Chinese) tourist traffic. The Chinese believe every Chinese person should ascend Mount #HuangShan - once in their youth, and once again before they die - and many take that intention very seriously. As we were about to find out, this valley was not as remote as it seemed. The road narrowed even further and rose more steeply, plunging us into a fog. The driver said it meant we were nearing the base of the mountain. Suddenly an entire village appeared - hotels, one way car rentals washingtonstate guest houses, restaurants, and (of course) stores selling memorabilia, all clinging to the hillside overlooking a river, and facing a view of the mountain (when visible). Our driver / taxi had been arranged for us before our arrival and he had also been told which hotel we were staying in. Once he got us there, we were told we would meet a guide that spoke "some" English.
CHINA #68: My then wife, Carey, and I had come to #China as part of the #UCLA-China Exchange Program and I was hoping to collaborate with the #SuzhouEmbroideryResearchInstitute (#SERI) to turn my #photographs into #embroidered panels and standing screens. I write about this specifically one way car rentals washingtonstate in my Thursday morning one way car rentals washingtonstate blogpost: #SILKROAD. The process of creating an #embroidery takes much time and discussion. Often there had to be some necessary breaks for both the #embroiderers and ourselves as the meetings were all-day long over many days. During the breaks it was agreed, Carey and I should travel and see some of the locations significant to the development of #Chinese art. One such place, considered a "sacred" mountain was not far away, Mt. Huang Shan, so with much effort, it was arranged for us to go there. I say effort because we were NOT part of a tour, AND Huang Shan was not yet considered "ready" for foreign tourism. Without a tour, guide, or bus, we arrived one way car rentals washingtonstate at a small country rail station in the dark of night and were picked up by a "taxi." As we wound our way towards our destination, one way car rentals washingtonstate it grew lighter and I could see we were driving up a narrow river valley on a REALLY marginal road, crossing the river frequently on even more marginal bridges. Clearly one way car rentals washingtonstate this was going to be interesting...
CHINA #67: I would pay #Shanghai many more visits over the next 25-years, giving me a chance to peel back a few of the layers on the remarkable #Chinese culture the city reflected. However, it was time for Carey and me to take the train to #Suzhou and meet our "hosts" at the #SuzhouEmbroideryResearchInstitute (#SERI) - the intended purpose of my travels to #China. At this point, I am also going to alter my China blog - it will now split into TWO parts: one way car rentals washingtonstate one part, WELCOME TO SUZHOU, will be about my experiences on the streets and canals of old Suzhou while working at SERI since 1985. The other part of the blog will now be exclusively dedicated to SH