There were a few hundred of these lovely doors (each painted a different way on top). The middle class and nicer neighborhoods in town are still in the old kinda #Traditional style with a big front Door to the courtyard and small rooms for the Family off the center. Very Awesome! And Beautiful artwork!
Happy Dragon Boat Festival! Today in #China we are celebrating the Duanwu #端午 festival! It’s been a Holiday here for more than 2000 years!
It celebrates the Famous #poet #quyuan. Devoted to #China 🇨🇳, he wrote beautiful poems about its history, nature, and people. When the invading Qin armies approached, he chose to drown himself rather than see his beloved country fall. Although they sent out many #dragon boats to look for him, they could not save him in time.
So to commemorate his memory, every year they eat #粽子 (aka Zongzi), a sticky #rice #treat wrapped in banana leaves. And the big cities send out Dragon #boats for big battles and races on the lakes and rivers! Cool!
Gongyi is home to the Kang Family Mansion – a Ming Dynasty mansion still preserved centuries later. Also called the KangBaiWan Mansion 河南巩义康百万庄园. It is #10 on China’s list of famous mansions! A truly beautiful place filled with all sorts of ancient buildings and gardens. At one time, he was apparently the wealthiest businessman in China. The family was famous be being good and virtuous, so much so that the emperor wrote them a poem just for them after 8 generations of wise and honorable leaders in a row. Wish I could have met them!
Holy tigger, I love this – Our university art students are encouraged to paint the man holes aroind campus as projects. This one showed up today! ❤
Gongyi Grottos – one of 4 Famous grottos in China. These are places where loyal monks have carefully carved out thousands and millions of buddhas and religious statues into the walls of nearby caves over CENTURIES! An amazing, awe-inspiring sight! Well worth the trip! Thanks to the #Henan Provincial Government Tourism Bureau for sponsoring us. It was a great day!
The Cultured Muse 