Day 5 (27/6) - Hangzhou: Yue Fei Mausoleum, Lei Feng Ta (Part 2)
There was no daypass for the Hangzhou buses, so this encouraged people to visit fewer attractions. How dumb.
Entrance to the mausoleum
Child Abuse
Da Man
I had an overpriced lunch (15 yuan) at the mausoleum which was some mixed rice. I suspect this was what gave me diarrhea the next day.
Cemetery
The only place in China where you're *supposed* to spit - but can't.
Upon leaving the mausoleum, I had to run the gauntlet again. The Chinese fans with the words "精忠报国" written on them were cute though.
Entrance to the bamboo garden opposite the mausoleum. There wasn't that much bamboo though.
Water lillies on the lake
West Lake
I considered taking a cruise on it, but there was no point doing it alone.
I waited at the bus stop for the bus to go to Lei Feng Ta, but this lady kept psychoing me to go and drink Longjing Tea despite my protestations that I was not a tea person. Doubtless she'd get a commission if she did so.
This cleaning truck sped down the street playing the tune to "世上只有妈妈好" (in this world, only mother is good). Wth.
The way to Lei Feng Ta took a long time, and I realised I'd not planned my trip very wisely. I should have visited the attractions by taking a large clockwise loop. Instead I was jumping around.
I noticed that in China they used a very strange sort of broom. Instead of making one properly, they just glued old branches or grass to a stick.
At Lei Feng Ta, I found that entrance was quite expensive by Chinese standards. In fact, lots of things in Hangzhou were expensive by Chinese standards. This is what you get for being a top tourist destination.
Pond in Lei Feng Ta complex
Lei Feng Ta
This is not exactly the famous pagoda of myth congealed with reality. The original was decrepit and collapsed in 1924, not least because people kept taking bricks from it to ward off illness. This version dates from 2002. You can read more about it on a new article on Wikipedia, which I have just laboriously translated from the Chinese version.
The escalator was an unexpected luxury.
Foundations of the old tower. Instead of taking the bricks for good luck people now throw money in. The sign reads "protect the foundations, do not throw stuff in" but I guess money is fine.
First floor of the pagoda (you enter through the basement)
The lift was another unexpected luxury.
View from 4th level
Assorted views
The closeness of urbanity is interesting, since from the other side of the lake you'd have no clue what was immediately behind you
Story of the Buddha
Ceiling
Umbrella borrowing and flooding the temple, from the White Snake story
Miao Yin Tai (?)
Silver pagoda of Asoka with Buddha hair.
This beats Jesus' nappies.
