Lijiang
(which I'm writing as "Li-jiang" for the sake of foreigners) is about
six hours from Kunming by bus, but Vivian and Michael are frequently on a tight schedule so we
normally fly from Kunming (in
less than an hour). I believe there is also a train available now, and
that is probably a pretty trip. |
As this photo
shows, Li-jiang is a UN World
Heritage Site. Yu-long
Jade Mountain is behind Michael and Vivian during our first trip, in 2006. |
Vivian snapped
this gorgeous shot of Yu-long Jade Mountain in a beautiful park in
Li-jiang. Click here to see this and other free
wallpaper! |
(Above) This
2006 montage shows part of the old town (World Heritage Site). There are lots of tourists (like
Vivian and our friends, but mostly from China), and the shops are stocked accordingly
with handicrafts, scarves, jewelry and similar things. The small
photo shows some locals showing off their beautiful falcons. The city is
lovely, and well worth a visit. Unfortunately, the most beautiful
attraction (the Yu-long Jade Mountain) is rarely visible. We have only
seen it a few times in our many trips to Li-jiang. |
This is one of
the few remaining statues of Chairman Mao that I know of (there were
everywhere back in the 1980s). I like this
photo--he was always reaching for the moon, and I often wonder what he
would think of modern China.
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The signs
above are outside a school in Li-jiang--I believe they were one of Mao's
most famous sayings, roughly translated: "If you study well, you will make
daily progress."
(Below) These
statues commemorate the hardy merchants who brought tea, salt and other
precious goods along the "Tea-Horse Road" (sometimes called the "Southern
Silk Road").
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But when we went
to Li-jiang, we didn't
really go as tourists--our main purpose centered on the needs of the
Rainbow Homes of Hope--orphanages run by the
Hong-Kong based Jian Hua Foundation
in close cooperation with Yunnan's Civil Affairs Department. On our first trip
(in October 2006, shown in the photos below) we attended a celebration
honoring a retiring couple who had served as house parents for many years
at one of the home-style orphanages. We enjoyed a banquet, then the kids
did a wonderful job singing and dancing for all the guests. Below you can
also see Vivian and some of the kids around the lunch table in one of the
homes. We were so impressed by everything we saw that we accepted an
invitation to serve on the Board of Trustees for the JHF orphanages while
we lived in Yunnan (in Li-jiang and Ning-lang). We enjoyed annual trips to beautiful Li-jiang, and we
were glad to be playing a
small part in helping these special children grow up in a loving
environment. |
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If you would
like to know more about these kids and how you can help them, please visit
the Jian Hua website, or write
to us!
Our email address is on the
Home page.
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