Best of China, Tibet and Nepal

Inside the park we visited the The Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests, The Red Throne Steps Bridge, aka the Danbi bridge, the Imperial Vault of Heaven, and the Circular Mound Altar. The Hall of Prayer for Good Harvest was stunning and features 28 pillars symbolizing the 28 constellations used in ancient Chinese agriculture. The 4 central pillars represent the four seasons, the 12 inner pillars symbolize the months of the year and the 12 outer pillars represent the traditional Chinese hours, collectively embodying the 24 solar terms. This hall was used for ceremonies praying for good harvests during the first lunar month. the Danbi Bridge is higher on the north side than the south,, symbolizing that the sky is higher than the earth. The Imperial Vault of Heaven is where signs of the Gods are placed on regular days . During ceremonies, these signs are moved to the Circular Mound Altar. The Circular Mound Altar consists of 3 levels, each with 9 steps. In the center of the top most level is the Heavenly Heart Stone, surrounded by fan-shaped stones representing the God of Heaven living in the line levels of heaven.Read more

There is a lot happening at the People’s Park in Chengdu on any given day. The park features an artificial lake, gardens, tea houses where you will find the locals playing mahjong, people dancing, and we got invited to join in, people gathering to socialize on a park bench, people picnicking and an old fashioned dating corner where there is a section for eligible girls and another for eligible boys. Our guide translated one of the dating profiles and we all giggled about how old fashioned the process seemed but it must work as there is reportedly a high turnover of contact sheets!Read more