ArcticTropic attempted this post last week, but photos would not upload properly in the People’s Republic, even with, or perhaps because of, the proxy server. The purpose of this trip was not exploration, but rather business meetings taking place in office towers in major cities. This morning hike in Huangzhou, one of China’s secondary cites – smaller – meaning New York sized at about 9 or 10 million people was one of few outdoor excursions .

WIthin the city limits are large forested expanses surrounding West Lake. In the hills above the lake is a pagoda surrounded by shrines the Buddha – which were smashed with sledgehammers by fanatical Red Guards during the Cultural Revolution in 1967.

The brick pagoda – about 200 years old. It was probably too difficult to destroy with sledgehammers.

A sloping staircase through the mountain.

A peddler’s village.

The thoughts of the Chairman are always with us !