day 42: 东阳 (dongyang) - 太谷 (taigu) = 23,7km

I saw A LOT of sheep today. They are everywhere around here - right when I walked out the door, a flock:

The sheep looks funny, eh? Now I have a pet theory as to why they often appear so ridiculous:

I think it’s because to the human eye they seem to look irritatingly happy.

They might be in utter distress over something (who knows, maybe over their offspring being transformed into lamb-sticks), but still they look joyful and elated.

Silly thought?

Whatever. Guess what this is:

No, it’s not the Forbidden City. It’s 常家庄园 (Chang Family Mansion) - the private estate of a wealthy merchant clan from a couple of centuries ago.

A massive place:

Seems like a small town all by itself.

A town with a park:

One of the private gardens.

Truly de luxe.

The 常-family, following the Confucian tradition of paying respect to their elders, at some point made their founding father the subject of this shrine:

Now all of this is pretty nice, eh? Here’s what you don’t know though:

What is left of the 常-estate today is only about one fourth (!) of its original size. An unimaginable 75 percent got either destroyed during the anti-Japanese resistance, or shattered by the collective state of madness dubbed “Cultural Revolution”. The wrecking ball finished off the rest during the eighties, and so yet another cultural relic has almost crumbled to dust.

Today the ticket to the remaining 25 percent sells for 60rmb.

The sheep outside are for free to look at though:

They don’t care about anything except eating:

Sometimes they will bleat though, for no obvious reason. The shepherd told me that they’re calling for their lambs (which in turn are locked up somewhere else, fattening up only to be butchered and turned into food).

Folks around here often ask me whether or not I like Chinese cuisine.

And I do like it, even though at times it can be just a tad too much on the spicy side:

I look at this, thinking: scary!

They look at this, thinking: yummy!

Simple difference.

Here’s some more “Cultural Revolution” for ya:

This used to be a small village’s temple. When I asked what had happened the local farmers just said “60s, 70s”, and I understood.

There is literally nothing left on the inside:

They told me the tiny shrine in the back had been put there just this year.

Imagine the hurt and neglect that these people’s faith must have suffered if it takes them 30 years to come up with this tiny bit.

Devastating.

Maybe there are other things to believe in today though:

the future…

…wealth (BBML)…

…or TV.

Who knows what other people believe in?

I am in a hotel room with attached bathroom and I have just washed all my dirty socks again.

I believe they won’t dry until tomorrow.

Soundtrack: Helga Maria Schneider - “Eiersalat”

—total: 656km