— More from Wanshi Garden, Xiamen —
see previous installment

June 12, 2010 – I was so taken by the Wanshi Botanical Garden that I returned the next day to engage in some brutal climbing with rewarding views. (No pain, no gain... right?)

Huge boulders punctuated the trail as I headed up Shi Mountain.

The trail was often paved with rough-hewn stone.

Gentle risers were sometimes added to soften the incline.

The effect was still quite natural.

Coarse stone steps were embedded in the steeper sections.

Carved inscriptions could be seen on the surface of many boulders.

Calligraphic works of art

Here's another

An unexpected resting spot — with panoramic views

Stone benches around a stone table

Another resting spot on the trail

I loved the natural staining on the rocks...

I was intrigued by the deliberate placement of thin vertical sticks beneath certain boulders,
left there (I think) by other hikers as they passed by.

Such treatment appeared again and again.

This was as high as I climbed.
Xiamen's skyline appears in the distance behind the Wanshilian Temple complex.

Nearby I spotted a small Buddhist shrine nestled in a crevasse.

It contained incense and statuary.

Off we go, towards the temple.

A feral cat; it didn't stay long.

An old weathered alter?

One of the gates to the temple

Sculptures flanked the main arch.

Above the gate, looking down

Roof detail, with my husband peeking out behind the hedge below

Tourists

A view from high above the gate

Now seen from the other side

Colorful rag mops, propped against the wall of an elaborate stone stairway within the complex

This shallow cave is the site of the original temple; it has been in constant use for centuries.