8. Yueyang - a pearl in the land of spicy foods


Yueyang from the tower
A view of Yueyang from the tower

Day 08

It was about 5:30 AM when we awoke. The hot water was gone by the time Virginia took her shower. We dressed and went to the lounge on the fourth deck for coffee. 

What is it about us? When we're on the bank, we are fascinated with the water ... and on the water, we're fascinated with the shore. We studied the banks and the signs of erosion as we sipped our coffee.

Tai Chi lessons began at 7:30 AM ... then breakfast at 8:00.

Last evening, a fellow passenger had taken ill and had to be treated at the hospital in Wuhan. We were late disembarking and now we were late arriving for our side tour.

At about 10:00 AM, we boarded our bus. The gravel road along the Dongting Lake had many large potholes made by large trucks hauling gravel, sand, rock, etc., which our bus driver skillfully dodged. It was very bumpy and dusty. The weather was very hot and humid and uncomfortable despite the air-conditioning.

Cheng Ling Ji port
Cheng Ling Ji, the port for Yueyang 

Yueyang borders the enormous Dongting Lake, at 3900 square kilometers, the second-largest body of fresh water in China. There are several islands in the lake; the most famous is Junshan Island, where the Chinese grow "silver needle tea".

Dongting Hu lies in the middle of Yangzi River valley, along with another large lake, Pongyang Hu. In summer these lakes increase their areas by two to three times and serve as reservoirs for excess water. 

Yueyang bridge
Yueyang Bridge crosses the Yangtze River

Our local guide Christina was a pretty young lady. She told us that Yueyang (say yway-YAHNG) is the second largest city in Hunan province, home of Mao Zedong. The population of Yueyang is 4,500,000 with a land area of 15,000 square kilometers. That figures to about 3700 acres with over 1200 people per acre. 

Yueyang - Glenda, Christina, Sug
The writer at right, cousin on left and Christina center

Hunan province is known for its spicy food ... we knew that! Christina says it is also known for its spicy girls. Bet she tells that to all the tourists.

Our destination, Yueyang Tower, is the most famous attraction on the east shore of Dongting Lake. The Chinese people are justly proud of their heritage, literature and poetry. 

The tower was originally constructed during the Tang Dynasty (716 AD) on the site of the parade ground for General Lu Shu of the Three Kingdoms Period (221-265 AD). The structure was rebuilt during the Song Dynasty (1054 AD). The current structure was rebuilt in the Qing Dynasty (1867 AD) during the reign of Tong Zhi. Two poems are inscribed in gold on the walls inside the Tower.

     The lake embraces distant hills and devours the Yangzi, 
     its mighty waves rolling endlessly. 
     From morning glow to evening light, 
     the views change a thousand then thousand times. 
     On top of the tower the mind relaxes, the heart delights. 
     All honours and disgrace are forgotten. 
     What pleasure, what joy to sit here and drink in the breeze. 
                                        Fan Zhongyan (989-1052) 

Yueyang Tower poem
One of the poems about Yueyang Tower

From the Tower, our group crossed the street to a two-story building, in which were sold fans, tea, statues and other souvenirs. Virginia bought a small figurine and a parasol, which later came to good use in the warm sunshine outside. 

On the second floor, two young girls, dressed in traditional Miao costumes, danced and played ancient instruments. They were said to be about 19 years old. A very young child, probably belonging to one of the dancers, toddled out into the dance area. With little more than basic wraps, she stole much of the attention. 

Yueyang Miao dancer

It was very entertaining ... the beautiful girls ... the colorful costumes ... the spirited music ... the exciting dance. Too bad the boys chose to skip the souvenir hunt.

One could go back to Yueyang every day and find some view worthy of capturing on film ... it was so beautiful. But we found that to be true of nearly every place we had visited so far. 

We returned to the ship with just about enough time to get refreshed before lunch.

Trivia:

Hunan (say who-NAHN) means "south of lake" and, indeed, the province is situated mainly south of Dongting Lake. Bordering on its north is a province called Hubei (say who-BAY), which means "north of lake".

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