The Zhaozhou Bridge is made of stone and crosses the Xiao River in the Zhao County. The bridge was designed and built by LiChun (605BC-616BC)during the Sui Dynasty. It is the the world's oldest single arch-stone bridge still in use today and is considered one of the "Four Treasures of North China". The others are The Iron Lion in Cangzhou, Dingzhou Tower, and the Zhengding Buddhist.
The Chinese compare the beautiful structure of this bridge to "a new moon rising above the clouds and "a long rainbow hanging on a mountain waterfall." This area is also famous for harvesting the ZhaoZhou pears, so along side of the bridge, we sat and enjoyed pear juice and dried pear chips.
Before heading to the Cypress Temple, we stopped for lunch. The main dish for today was donkey. Although I did not try the donkey, I tried a few other new things, I ate taro, which I had to look up its meaning, okra, hawthorn and had some soup made with the petals of a flower, (nobody could quite explain it to me, but it was very good). Much more palatable than what I could only imagine the donkey meat tasted like.
After lunch we ventured to the Berlin Temple or the Cypress Temple as it is sometimes referred to. It too, was located in Zhao County. The temple was built between 196BC and 220BC during the Han Dynasty. However, during the Tang Dynasty, it became a very important place for emperors to show respect to their ancestors. This is also when many Cypress tress were planted giving it the nickname Cypress Temple. Over 160 Buddhist Monks live there, and today happened to be a big event, so monks from all over the world had congregated here. See photos below. In 1988, Hebei Buddhism College began to accept students in to the Temple to study, they also started summer camps, allowing men and women ages 18-30 to take part in Buddhist activities. While we visited, we watched as many prayed for a lifetime of happiness, good fortune, healthy families and many other wishes..we even got a few photos of the monks as they passed by.
On our way home, we stopped at the supermarket. It was very different from ours, much larger, 2 floors with a flat escalator that people push their carts on from one floor to another. You also hold your receipt and are able to purchase clearance itmes depending upon how much you spent.
Tonight my hosts will be picking me up and taking me out for dumplings. I am thinking about my family, for when they wake up , it will be Easter morning back home. I will be missing them. I hope I am able to be back in time to face time with them, before they leave for Church and Easter dinner.
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