top of page

Journey to the West

Silk was developed in the region of Zhejiang near Shanghai, and in the first millenium is major produce use for barter trading, and payment as money. The capital was Chang An todays Xian. West of Xian is the Gansu corridor to XinJiang. The western area population is a mix of Han Chinese, Sogdian ( descents from Iran ) and Uighurs.

Monk FaXian ( 350 - 414 CE ) travelled from China to India via south of the Taklamakan desert , Khotan (Ho Tian ), but return to China via sea route bringing back buddhist text.

Ca. 596-664 a Chinese monk named XuanZang travelled (629 CE) to India to study buddhism in the original Sanskrit text. The journey from LuoYang his birthplace to Xian (Capital during the Tang ), WuWei, GuaZhou, DunHuang, Hami, Turfan, Aksu, Tashkent, Sogdiana, Peshawar, Taxila ( Pakistan ) and Srinigar

Near Turfan, was a buddhist kingdom GaoChang, the ruins of which visitors could still visit. The king of Gaochang tried retaining XuanZang, but he stayed only for 10 days. From this background the classic story of Journey to The West was written.

There is also a chinese Garrison town from 450 CE " JiaoHe" ruins near Turfan that make an interesting visit.

Starting out of Shanghai on Highway G318

Starting off from Shanghai on the highway G318

Power generation from coal, the air stinks

500 km on the G 318

500 km done on the G318

Crossing the Dabie Mountain range for 3 days

2 days crossing the DaBie mountain range

2nd Day on the mountain range

Valley within the mountains

Getting Out of the mountains

Foothill are always pleasant

Going into Wuhan, crossing the Yangtze river bridge

YangTze river at Wuhan , drought, very low water level.

Glorious food

Glorious food

Chinese hamburgers

Chinese hamburgers - Close Up

Breakfast

Breakfast chinese doughs stick and Soya milk

Dinner at Anhui

Whipping up noddles

Winter -10C in Henan province

It's a Gas station

Charging battery at a tyres service .

5 wheels truck, what would you call it ?

In China , watch out for the trucks.

Henan - Coal country

Climbing up the Loass highland

Cave dwellings in the Loass highland

Keep climbing , wet and cold, and large coal trucks wizzing by, the bridge vibrates badly,

surprise it did not collapse.

In LanZhou , Gansu province, park beside the yellow river ( Huang He )

Sculptures of the characters from the novel ' Journey to the West '

WuWei, one of the oldest city in China. What was the main gate of the city from Ancient time.

Jujube fruit in Gansu

To the desert in XinJiang

Mausoleum of past muslim kingdom Uighur Khanganate in Hami

Palace from the Uighur Khanganate Era in Hami, largely reconstructed.

Gobi Desert , Batrian Camels ( 2 humbs )

ON the highway G312 in XinJiang Province

One row of mountain after another.

Mountains and deserts

Jia Yu Guan Pass mark the Chinese frontier from the Han Dynasty

Jia Yu Guan Pass

Alongside is the great wall of China

Inside the Jia Yu Guan Pass

On the right towards north is the Tian Shan ( Sky Mountains )

15 km of dirt road out of ShanShan

Traffic on the other side of the fence

On the way to Turfan.

Vineyards at the foot of the flaming mountain, building seen here houses the grapes for drying into raisins.

Lowest area in Turfan is 154 m ( 505 ft ) below sea level. Summer temp reaches 60 C

Starting out at 7:55 am at Bai Yang He hotel at Tou Ke Xun

What's for lunch ? Boiled mutton, bread and mutton wash.

Mountains

More Mountains

And more mountains, row after row

Slept by the road side, concrete wind breaker on the right, woke up with scorpions crawling all over.

Snow white

Tian Shan mountains to the right ( north )

50 km of dirt road to cross to get back on the G314 from uncompleted expressway

Poplar forest

What is left of the guard post along part of the ancient great wall, sections here are made from ram earth.

Preparing my lunch " Big Plate Chicken "

Tailwind , blow me away, 80 watts for 35 kmph

Always give way to the mighty 20 wheels run runners with 50 tons load

Melon vendor by the road side

Hot in the desert, best melon in the world

More mountains towards Kashgar, long but rather gentle grades.

Finally arrived in Kashgar on 12 Dec 2010 at 21:06 hrs !

Kasghar hotel

At the Kashgar Grand Bazaar

Store selling walnuts, dried resins, figs, etc at the Bazaar

Apak Hoja Hazar Tomb 1640 CE

Ancient Russian interest

Need no introduction

Kashgar old town

Building with bricks, mud and straws mix

Working on making the 'V' for the photo op.

Batrian camel for the tourist


bottom of page