Tuesday, December 27, 2016

Tianmen Mountains, Tujia Customs Park

View of Tianmen Mountains 天门山.
Taken using DSLR.
Tianmen mountain was very beautiful.
Best to come during non winter period.
It was slippery after snow and hard to walk the place.
 




















From the web
Chinese name: 天门山 (Tian Men Shan)Location: Tianmen Mountains is located 10 kilometers south to Zhangjiajie City in Hunan Province of China. 
Opening time: 08:00-18:00. The Tianmen Mountain national forest park scenic area will only be closed if it is too cold with heavy snows. Entrance fee: RMB258/p.p (including the round-way cable cars, entrance fee for the Tianmen Cave and peak areas, together with the environmental protection car ticket).
Best Season to travel to Tianmen Mountains: From May to October.Recommended time for a visit: half day or one day.How to get there:
By cable car: The most convenient and special way to get to the Tianmen Mountains is through the City Garden Cableway built in city center of Zhangjiajie. By bus: Line 5 will take you to the foot of Mount Tianzi, it is only at RMB1 yuan and the bus departs every 5 minutes.

http://www.visitourchina.com/zhangjiajie/attraction/tianmen-mountains.html



Below taken by Sony RX100III
Lunch at somewhere...
 
 
Longest cable car ride up to Tianmen Mountain.
Nice view.
Believe me, I felt like I was going to heaven.
With the rays of sun and cloud...
Views from the cable car.







 
Heard from tour guide that it snowed yesterday.

 
天门山玻璃栈道
This glass route was scary as it was slippery.
We managed to walk through.
Some Korean lady was very funny. She really cling to the wall and walk.
 









 
Cable car down.








张家界土司城 Tujia Customs Park
 
 
We first heard the name of this park in Chinese, it was so funny.
Direct translate, Toast city?
Actually I saw written somewhere it was really "Toast" city.
 
















 
Performance....knife throwing...










 

 





 
From the photographer at the park. Quite nice and we bought the photo.



 Our dinner..

 
蓝湾博格酒店
This hotel, the outlook was very nice. Look new too.
 
 
Some interesting cultural below copied from internet.

湘西趕屍、放蠱與哭嫁
趕屍,是至今未解的「湘西三大古迷(趕屍、放蠱與辰州符)」之一。湘西人戀土愛家,若客死他鄉,均不忍做孤魂野鬼。於是巫師施以法術,讓屍體「復活」並將之驅趕回鄉。趕屍匠是一個身穿道袍的高大童男法師,稻草綁在腰間。無論屍體數量有多少,都由他一人趕。巫師在屍前帶路,不打燈籠,手中搖著一攝魂鈴,邊走邊敲鑼,使夜行人與狗避開。屍體在一個以上時,則用草繩把他們聯繫起來,每隔六七尺一個。夜行時,屍體都帶著高筒氈帽,額上壓著幾張黃符紙,垂在臉上。路上有只住死屍和趕屍匠的「死屍客棧」,大門一年到頭敞開。巫師趕著屍體天亮前就到達客棧,夜晚悄然離去。屍體都在門板後面整齊地倚牆而立。遇上大雨,就在店裡多停幾夜。遇上較陡之高坡,屍體爬不上去,巫師就得一個個往高坡上背和扛。

放蠱是苗家女子原始防範本領,它分愛蠱、怕蠱與恨蠱。歷來傳女不傳子,以懲治拈花惹草的阿哥們。蠱毒,都是有期限的。如果這些阿哥們不按期回來的話就會中毒。中了愛蠱與怕蠱蠱毒後,必須回來拿解藥。恨蠱則沒有解藥。

哭嫁,是土家人婚禮的序曲,他們認為「不哭不熱鬧,不哭不好看」。親朋好友前來送別,哭表示友好,也是一種禮貌。土家姑娘從十二三歲開始學習哭嫁。過去,不哭的姑娘不准出嫁。新娘在婚前一個月或在出嫁前二三天或前一天開始哭的。娘家人邊為她置辦嫁妝,邊傾訴離之情。會哭的姑娘一個月內,不重複哭,要哭祖先、爹媽、兄嫂、姐妹、媒人、自己。哭的形式是以歌代哭,以哭伴歌。《哭嫁歌》歌詞有傳統模式的,也有聰明姑娘觸景生情的即興創作。哭嫁的高潮是在新娘出嫁的日子。在出嫁的前一天,親朋鄉鄰都前來祝賀和哭別。