Hiking Into Chinese History - Jeremy Goldkorn

Jeremy Goldkorn
by Fons1 via FlickrJeremy Goldkorn hits the road around Beijing for the New York Times and explains some of its past by exploring the surrounds of China's capital.

Fanzipai — which means foreign writing sign — also has a Yuan Dynasty relic: some large rocks engraved with Sanskrit and Tibetan Buddhist verses. The carvings were probably made by traveling monks — Tibetans, Mongolians and other central Asians. The rocks are behind a gate, which is usually locked, but you can walk around the back to view them. There are signs in Chinese and English with a brief note about the rocks. No ticket is necessary.
Such relics are neglected by China's tourism authorities. Perhaps this is because Communist Party-sanctioned history downplays the fact that during the Yuan (1271-1368) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties, the area was ruled by Mongolians and Manchurians, respectively, who were at the time considered foreigners by the Han Chinese.

More at the New York Times.

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