DAY TWO: HAN DYNASTY TOMBS

http://www.cultural-china.com/chinaWH/html/en/35History218.html

I sleep well and wake up to what is unfortunately a dismal morning. It is grey, foggy and threatens rain so I'm glad I brought a light coat with me. I need to have breakfast and decide to try and find something to eat. I suppose I can always fall back on fruit if nothing else offers. I wear my coat as it does start to rain and the hotel lady dashes out and gives me some packets of tissues, presumably to wipe the rain off me. These come in handy later. Near the park there are phone shops (which are everywhere in China) and these seem to be staging rival karaoke contests outside as adverts, trying to drown one another out with genuinely ear-splitting volumes injurious to the ears: mine hurt as I cycle past. Eventually I find a roadside stall selling baozi, a Northern Chinese snack which is a steamed bun with a spicy filling, usually pork. The lady there seems bemused that I only want one: apparently it's normal to buy a basket of about 7 buns, this is because the Chinese normally eat in groups. She seems to feel it's too little to sell but eventually I buy one for RMB 1, (probably enough for 3) This is enough for me at present. I wander around a dismal market and the gloomy weather has dampened my spirits. There exists the persistent feeling that I've had enough of China for now and need to go home: I hope this is just homesickness and will pass. Finally I finish my bun and set off toward the Han Dynasty Tombs on the edge of the town.

This takes me to the west of Mancheng, and I'm not exactly sure what I'm looking for. Ahead I can see the mountains looming out of the mist and drizzle, and I feel a sense of discovery., after all this is the first time I've visited a different kind of landscape. Eventually I come to a large complex on the edge of the mountains (they are really just big hills) where there are a number of coaches, plus there is a brown sign pointing to it, and since these tend to mark heritage sites in my experience, this looks promising.

There is a kind of village of shops and restaurants which is mainly uninhabited at present, but intriguing to wander around. 

There are bridges and water-wheels near the entrance, so I explore a bit and manage to find the entrance to the tombs and visitor centre.

I can see a knot of people at the window of the ticket office which does not seem to be dispersing, I guess there is some confusion or argument taking place so I wait for a few minutes and go to the window. You always have to be on your guard at such places as the Chinese will try to push in front of you, it's their way: liberating in many ways but occasionally a nuisance. It's a game I've learned to play. Anyway I get my ticket for RMB 75 which gives access to the grounds and tombs.

There is a cable car which you can ride up the mountain and I debate with myself whether to try it as it may be better to walk. However in the end I summon up the courage to take the cable and get a return ticket for RMB 35. When a car comes along a marshal will ask you to step forward, the car doesn't stop, you have to jump on and the marshal closes the door.

I ride up the mountainside, wondering how safe I am and trying to stop my imagination from inventing tragic scenarios like being trapped or falling off.

There are only 3 towers in what must be over a mile of cable, with a huge tract hundreds of yards long up the mountainside between two them, and I must admit I do feel a little apprehensive every time the car bumps gently over the pulleys in the tower. Reaching the top I decide I'll probably walk down. And believe it or not, there is also a giant slide down the side of the mountain all the way to the bottom!

The giant Buddha you can see marks the bottom of the slide. You can see the slide, which is covered, rising from the Buddha to the top.

I need to visit the toilet as I get to the top, and feel frustrated as I know Chinese public loos have no paper: eventually I remember the tissues I have so they save me from walking around in discomfort.

The view from the top of the mountain would have been spectacular if the weather had been clear, but as it is it's foggy and dull so you cannot see much.

I go into the tombs and they are quite fascinating, large chambers hewn out of the mountain, with tunnels which are low and quite eerie to walk along. There are numerous clay pots and bronze artifacts, plus ersatz reconstructions of horses and chariots which really do not add to the experience! I don't take flash photos as I have the distinct impression it's forbidden. There is also, in one of the tombs, a casket containing a burial suit like a suit of armour or sarcophagus, which encases the entire human form and is made entirely from pieces of jade held together by some sort of wire. (see link for more information and images)

http://www.cultural-china.com/chinaWH/html/en/35History218.html

I walk back down the side of the mountain and decide to try one of the restaurants in the village at the bottom. It's quite good and has a picture menu, so I order some prawns and bean sprouts, making a mental note maybe to come back later.

That afternoon, I go back to the hotel and have a doze as I'm quite tired. Then later I try to find a different place to eat, I decide not to go all the way back out to the tombs as it's a fair distance and the place may not be open. I cycle out in search of something and explore the hutong, where I find a fascinating food market, with fish, meat, vegetables and more or less everything you can imagine, in a kind of souk-like bazaar which of course is utterly devoid of hygiene, with sludge everywhere.

Many Chinese come up to me and say “Hello” as I pass and I take a few photos but do not want to push my camera in people's faces. Following this I have a beer or two in my favoured shack and think about dinner. I try the hotel where I could not stay before, but cannot make myself understood in the restaurant which is a shame as it looks good. Finally I find a place like Jack's place in Baoding, and one of the waitresses speaks a little English. So I settle for hot-pot once more, and the selection is quite good with clams, prawns, meat and vegetables. After dinner I have one last beer and turn in for the night. I'm looking forward to going back.