I visited China again at the end of 2008, this time to the Yunnan in the Southwest. Yunnan is famous for its scenery, from snow capped mountains to massive rivers, unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately considering the number of tourist traps there are) we did not manage to see all the most well-known scenic locations.

Still,  just walking around the ancient cities and towns, photographing the empty streets (tourists tend to stay away during winter) was an experience by itself.

Starting from Kunming City we made out way westward up into the mountains passing through the Dali, Lijiang and finally to Shangri-la (Zhong Dian) where we witnessed the first snow of 2009, had our bus stall for 3 hours because the engine got frozen over and had our meals at a single stall because everything was closed for the winter. These are some of the photographs from the trip which I decided to put up for sale.

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01. Circular Doorway to Staff Quarters
You haven’t seen Kunmming if you haven’t seen Xi Shan. So we climbed up the mountain on foot, which took us the whole afternoon to do. This was taken at one of the temples along the way up.

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02. Boat at La Shi Hai
Unfortunately this was one of the tourist traps we encountered. We were told we would see the birds at the lake, no one mentioned we needed to hire a boat and/or ride a horse. We didn’t ride any horses but we did take the boat out to see the birds. Halfway through the boat ride we cut the journey short because the wind made it unbearably cold.

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03. Corn Hung to Dry at Shu He Gu Zhen
Almost every rural household had them, dried corn. Some had them laid out on their roof, others hung on racks. I never got a chance to taste any dried corn though.

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04. Overlooking Shu He Gu Zhen I
An hour’s ride out from Lijiang is Shu He Gu Zhen, which is although a designated tourist destination has still managed to retain some of it’s original flavour. This particular photograph is taken over the part of the town which is still inhabited by locals and has yet to be converted into pubs, restaurants and hotels like in Lijiang.

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05. Wang Gu Lou (Looking at the Past Pavillion)
Lit up like a beacon, this pavillion sits atop a hill overlooking Lijiang old town.

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06. View of Lijiang Old Town from Wang Gu Lou
The old town comes alive at night as the streets are lit up like a christmas tree and the music from the pubs can be heard even from way up here.

Even though the town has transformed to become a major tourist destination, the original layout of the town itself hasn’t changed much since the tourists moved in. Waterways still line the streets bringing fresh water from the mountains right through the heart of the town and no matter how hard you try, you are bound to get lost walking around the many alleys within the old town.

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07. Quarters at Song Zan Lin Si
The Song Zan Lin Si (Ganden Sumtseling Gompa) Tibetan monastery complex is an absolute “must-see” in Shangri-la. The 300-year-old complex is one of the most authentic places I visited while I was there. Sure there’s an entrance fee and people trying to sell you things you don’t need and guides who try to rip you off, but that aside, it’s well worth the trip.

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08. Lone Monk Walking Past Song Zan Lin Si
There are supposed to be some 600 monks which inhabit the monastery. Just walking around you are bound to see them going about their daily routine.

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09. Stairs Leading Up to Song Zan Lin Si
I’ve climbed more steps than this before, but because of the altitude some 4000m above sea level, its really quite a chore just getting up this flight of stairs.

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10. Monks Walking Past Song Zan Lin Si
Crows in traditional Chinese culture are usually seen as bad omens, the crows flying over the monastery however are seen as good luck because of their red coloured beaks and legs (unlike the traditional black crows we see elsewhere).

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11. Villagers Walking Past Song Zan Lin Si’s Little South Entrance
At this altitude, the sun’s rays are extremely damaging to the skin, the villages here cover themselves up to prevent themselves from getting sunburnt and to sheild themselves from the cold wind (it looks a lot warmer than it really is).

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12. Overview of Song Zan Lin Si
This is the view that greets you as you approach the monastery via bus. Bathed in sunlight the reflection from the white washed walls and golden roofs make the monastery a sight to behold.

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13. On the Bank of La Shi Hai
Mountains line the La Shi lake (Hai means sea, but it’s actually a lake). On the banks the water creates a swamp like condition which is perfect for ducks and other birds (if you look closely you can spot some).

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14. Overlooking Shu He Gu Zhen II
An hour’s ride out from Lijiang is Shu He Gu Zhen, which is although a designated tourist destination has still managed to retain some of it’s original flavour. This photograph was taken from a very small obscure temple overlooking the village.

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15. Villagers at Bai Sha Gu Zhen
Bai Sha Gu Zhen is probably the most authentic ancient town I visited when I was there. Half an hour’s walk away from where the taxi dropped us and it was just us and the villagers going about their daily routine, tending to the fields, lugging back crops in baskets strapped to their backs and so on.

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16. Tourists Riding on Horseback
I’m not sure what’s the allure to riding horseback but apparently there are tourists who enjoy it. Here they are led by the owners of the horses down the old cobbled streets of Bai Sha old town.

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17. Villager Ferrying Water
An innkeeper we stopped by for lunch told us that the tea he serves tastes different because he uses water straight from the river, which comes directly from the mountains surrounding the Bai Sha old town.

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18. Villagers Returning Home
Villagers returning home at the end of the day after tending to the fields. I smiled at them as they walked past but they didn’t seem too interested in a pesky tourist.

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19. Dog Chases Nosey Photographer
I didn’t notice that there was a dog when I stopped to raise my camera to take this photograph and the moment I did this dog charged out yapping away. Thankfully it was all bark and no bite!

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20. View of Guishan Temple from Shangri-la Old Town I
This was the first snow of 2009 in Shangri-la and it blanketed the whole town in a single night making it difficult to walk around and horribly cold to take photographs. In fact it got so cold the bus we were on to bring us back to Kunming City stalled for 3 hours before it could continue on its 12 hour journey back, making it a total arse numbing 15 hour bus ride. Cameras worked perfectly though!

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21. View of Guishan Temple from Shangri-la Old Town II
I was trying to make my way up the hill to the chorten but I got lost and ended up at the back of the hill instead. Thankfully the town wasn’t fully deserted and some villagers pointed me in the right direction.

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22. Overlooking Shangri-la Old Town I
This was taken from Guishan Temple (which sits atop a hill overlooking the old town). It was just pure luck that a few villagers were walking along the street when I took this photograph. Most of the town was deserted, hardly any locals, even less tourists and probably for a good reason considering how cold it was!

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23. Overlooking Shangri-la Old Town II
This was also taken from Guishan Temple looking across to a pavillion perched atop a hill on the far side of town. I wanted to hike there to take a look but unfortunately I was running out of time and the snow was getting heavier.

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24. View of Guishan Temple from Shangri-la Old Town III
This is my favourite photograph of the three featuring Guishan Temple. If you look closely you can see all sorts of details from rustic looking brooms to misspelt english words, best displayed when printed really big if you ask me. It’s also one of the photographs that best shows the gigantic golden prayer wheel which dominates the entire landscape of the old town.

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Pricing

Limited Edition Canvas Prints
- Printed on high quality canvas certified archival to 100 years
- Protected with a polyurethane based laminate with mould inhibitors
- Prestretched around a custom moulded kiln dried meranti hardwood frame
- Rated to last between 75 and 200 years without visible fading

36in x 36in –  $1800 (5 editions)

Matted Prints
- Printed on high quality Harman Glossy FB AI paper
- Cut to size & matted before shipping out
- Optional Framing

6in x 6in – $80
(10in x 10in inclusive of matt board)

12in x 12in – $240
(20in x 20in inclusive of matt board)

Ordering

To place an order, simply e-mail me at ervine@ervinelin.com with the following details:

Name:
Contact Number:
Address:
Name of Prints:
Quantity:

Payment

Payment can be made through interbank transfers (Singapore only), Paypal, cheque or cash-on-delivery.

A minimum deposit of 20% is required for all orders.

Delivery

Delivery within Singapore is free for orders above $200 and $10 for orders below it.

Optionally, customers can choose to pick up the prints when they are ready from 6A Lim Tua Tow Road.

Please e-mail at ervine@ervinelin.com should you wish for the print to be delivered outside of Singapore.