Photo Galleries – wadventures https://wfamilyadventure.com Just a fancy way to share our experiences in China Sat, 18 Feb 2023 01:19:30 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wfamilyadventure.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/cropped-wfamilysquare-32x32.jpg Photo Galleries – wadventures https://wfamilyadventure.com 32 32 Hanging Temple of Hengshan https://wfamilyadventure.com/hanging-temple-of-hengshan/ Fri, 08 Feb 2019 12:14:08 +0000 https://wfamilyadventure.com/?p=1009350

Hunyuan County, Datong City, Shanxi Province, China

The Hanging Temple, also Hanging Monastery or Xuankong Temple is a temple built into a cliff (75-metre (246 ft) above the ground) near Mount Heng in Hunyuan County, Datong City, Shanxi Province, China. Built more than 1,500 years ago, this temple is notable not only for its location on a sheer precipice but also because it is the only existing temple with the combination of three Chinese traditional religions: Buddhism, Taoism, and Confucianism. It was VERY cold up on this mountain, so the grandparents and grandkids decided to stay in the visitor center.  Matt and I ventured on with our guide to endure the long lines and bracing cold winds.  The temple was absolutely stunning, in spite of the cold.  (Click any photo for a larger view.)

]]> Yungang Grottoes https://wfamilyadventure.com/yungang-grottoes/ Fri, 08 Feb 2019 12:07:01 +0000 https://wfamilyadventure.com/?p=1009415

Datong, Shanxi Province, China

The Yungang Grottoes, formerly the Wuzhoushan Grottoes, are ancient Chinese Buddhist temple grottoes near the city of Datong in the province of Shanxi. They are excellent examples of rock-cut architecture and one of the three most famous ancient Buddhist sculptural sites of China. They are an outstanding example of the Chinese stone carvings from the 5th and 6th centuries. There are 53 major caves, along with 51,000 niches housing the same number of Buddha statues. Additionally, there are around 1,100 minor caves. A Ming Dynasty-era fort is still located on top of the cliff housing the Yungang Grottoes. In 2001, the Yungang Grottoes were made a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  Words can not capture the stunning experience of standing in these grottoes, some of which were carved in 450 AD.  (Click any photo for a larger view.)

]]> Xi’an Photos https://wfamilyadventure.com/xian-photos/ Fri, 08 Feb 2019 05:56:32 +0000 http://wfamilyadventure.com/?p=1009097

Xi’an, Shaanxi Province, China

Here are some of our favorite pictures from our time in Xi’an.  The Terracotta Army is an amazing site and Xi’an has years of history that are almost incomprehensible.  We are so thankful for our time there, especially experiencing it with Grandma and Grandpa. (Click any photo for a larger view.)

]]> Frozen Summer Palace https://wfamilyadventure.com/frozen-summer-palace/ Mon, 04 Feb 2019 19:57:51 +0000 http://wfamilyadventure.com/?p=1009001

Haidian District, Beijing, China

My parents, Kathy and Tony Durand were set to arrive in Beijing on Friday February 1st.  They left their home in southern MN on Jan. 31st and 18 hours later, arrived right back home.  Extremely cold weather and snow forced some delays and airport closures.  They made the same journey a few days later and arrived here late at night on Sunday Feb. 3rd.  We were all VERY excited to see each other.
Not even 9 hours after they arrived, we were taking them on a tour of the Summer Palace.  The Summer Palace is a vast ensemble of lakes, gardens and palaces in Beijing. It was first built in 1750, largely destroyed in the war of 1860 and restored on its original foundations in 1886 and became a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1998.  It was a very cold day for a tour of these vast grounds, even for us Minnesotans. Here’s a small gallery of the best photos from the day. Click any photo for a larger view.
]]> Phuket Photos https://wfamilyadventure.com/phuket-photos/ Tue, 15 Jan 2019 05:10:35 +0000 http://wfamilyadventure.com/?p=1008869

Phuket, Thailand

The 2 weeks we spent in Phuket, Thailand were exactly what we needed during our first year of living abroad. Since our arrival in Beijing in August, we have been nonstop busy, and it felt like we didn’t even have a moment to pause and breathe.  Phuket finally provided us the time to appreciate what we were experiencing.  We saw animals, people, food, landscapes, ocean, islands, and so much more beauty. Click any photo for a larger view.

]]> Photos from Pingyao https://wfamilyadventure.com/photos-from-pingyao/ https://wfamilyadventure.com/photos-from-pingyao/#respond Tue, 13 Nov 2018 13:44:22 +0000 http://wfamilyadventure.com/?p=1007984

Pingyao, Shanxi Province, China

For me, Pingyao was my first excursion in China outside of Beijing. The older style architecture prominent within in the walled city center was definitely was a contrast to what we are used to in Beijing. My hope for photos here was to show some the ancient buildings and some of the everyday life among them. Click any photo for a larger view.

]]> https://wfamilyadventure.com/photos-from-pingyao/feed/ 0 BUGS! https://wfamilyadventure.com/bugs/ https://wfamilyadventure.com/bugs/#respond Sat, 03 Nov 2018 11:45:43 +0000 http://wfamilyadventure.com/?p=5668

Various Districts, Beijing, China

I haven’t seen a whole lot of wildlife since arriving in Beijing a few months ago. I’ve seen some birds, but really have not been able to get a good photo of them. It really is odd being in a land with no squirrels! Neighbors say hedgehogs live in the bushes in our compound, but I haven’t seen one yet. Still, we all have seen some pretty extraordinary bugs: spiders as a big as a maple leafs and oddly charismatic praying mantises. Click any photo for a larger view.

]]> https://wfamilyadventure.com/bugs/feed/ 0 Photos: Golden Week 2018 https://wfamilyadventure.com/photos-golden-week-2018/ https://wfamilyadventure.com/photos-golden-week-2018/#respond Thu, 11 Oct 2018 08:46:20 +0000 http://wfamilyadventure.com/?p=1008357

Various Districts, Beijing, China

The Golden Week vacation was a much needed week off at a perfect time. We are starting to settle into Beijing, and it gave us time to explore a little.  After a very busy summer and then directly going to work after flying into Beijing, it was nice to catch our breath for a bit. It was also refreshing to meet some fellow MN transplants, and I know the girls really had fun playing with their new friends!

Here’s a few photos that summarize the week. Click any photo for a larger view.

]]> https://wfamilyadventure.com/photos-golden-week-2018/feed/ 0 Lama Temple https://wfamilyadventure.com/lama-temple/ https://wfamilyadventure.com/lama-temple/#respond Sat, 15 Sep 2018 06:07:42 +0000 http://wfamilyadventure.com/?p=6167

Dongcheng District, Beijing, China

The Yonghe Temple, or Lama Temple, is a temple and monastery that is still a functioning temple today.  The building and artwork are a combination of Han Chinese and Tibetan styles.  We took the metro in to the Dongcheng District to explore this temple on a beautiful Saturday afternoon.  The buildings were gorgeous  and it was interesting to see the worship that still occurs all over the temple.  The girls enjoyed exploring, but struggled a bit with the intense smell of the incense.  Outside the walls of Lama Temple are Hutongs, which are narrow alleys formed by traditional courtyards.  We spent some time exploring the narrow streets of Hutongs after we left Lama Temple.  It was an amazing day getting to experience real Chinese history close up.
Click any photo below for a larger view.
]]> https://wfamilyadventure.com/lama-temple/feed/ 0 The View from the 14th Floor https://wfamilyadventure.com/the-view-from-the-14th-floor/ https://wfamilyadventure.com/the-view-from-the-14th-floor/#respond Mon, 10 Sep 2018 02:49:34 +0000 http://wfamilyadventure.com/?p=5596

Chaoyang District, Beijing, China

One of the perks of our temporary housing was a grand view of Beijing. The shear vastness of a city with population of 21.5 million is really mind-bending. It really looks like the city goes forever. I tried my best to capture the view in as many kinds of lighting and atmospherics as I could during our month stay. Click any photo for a larger view.

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