Last weekend we spent a couple of nights on Moganshan mountain with some of our church small group friends. It's a lovely wooded area, and we enjoyed several hikes through the bamboo forest.Heading up into the bamboo!
It was a bit of a rainy weekend... I love this misty shot Scott got of Madelyn.
Part of our crew of kids!
We had never seen tea growing before. I was intrigued by how it seems to be so neatly trimmed into hedges. The ladies you see out in the fields are picking the tea, just the new growth off the top.
I am reading a book about the Moganshan area right now, it's quite fascinating. It was a retreat from the summer heat and disease of Shanghai about a hundred years ago, for both foreigners, including missionaries, and wealthy Chinese. The area came to be a thriving summer resort. When the Communist party took over in 1949, of course all the foreigners were forced to leave and many of the homes fell into disrepair. We saw some of these places as we hiked, and also came across several church buildings like this one below. This one was completely stripped inside, just the shell of the once lovely building remains. I am anxious to learn more about what happened in Moganshan. Why has this church been left in this state? I know things are not always what they seem here...
There seems to be an aura of mystery about this place... I hope we can return and discover more about it. If nothing else, it's a beautiful retreat from the city... just like it was a century ago.
7 comments:
Wow its breathtaking! Moganshan sounds like a Lord of the Rings place..and it sort of looks like one too!
What an amazing place! I can see why you would want to read about it and possibly return! Mom
Seriously! The things that you and your family do and see are so amazing!
It's the nature of the beast, living here, Kristen. Our lives are really pretty ordinary most of the time, but when we go away for the weekend, it ends up seeming so unusual because it's such a different part of the world. We are grateful, definitely, for this opportunity to see and experience things that are so different from the western experience. Scott and I often say, that despite the fact that we are doing all the normal things like going to work and school and cooking meals and feeding the cats, etc, etc, this is still the adventure of our lives so far! And seriously, the more we've seen of the world the more we realize how little of it we've seen. What a vast and varied planet God created! Thanks for your comments. One of these days we'll get to sit down and talk together face to face! :-)
your children are so blessed to have all of the opportunities this journey has taken you. what great parent you are, you can see the happiness in everyone's eyes!
Beautiful photos! The bamboo forest is almost magical looking and that old church is eerie. Abandoned buildings are one of my favorite places to explore.
Donna
Our Blog: Double Happiness!
Take me there, would you, when I come?
Post a Comment