China > The Old Center of Weishan

This morning, breakfast is in the hotel room: a cup of coffee and yogurt. It’s almost becoming routine. At half past eight, I bring my luggage to the bus. Today we leave Xizhou and drive about two hours to Weishan. Weishan is a historic town and the base of the Nanzhao kingdom. The town was founded during the Tang dynasty (618–907) and transformed into a stone city during the Ming dynasty (1368–1644). The Nanzhou kingdom existed between the seventh and tenth centuries. Together with the Tibetans, they managed to repel attacks from Tang dynasty warriors. The street scene of the old town of Weishan is clear and orderly. The heart of the town is formed by the Gongcheng Tower. Around it, the streets lie like a checkerboard. A large part of the town consists of well-restored white houses with wooden inlaid doors and stone streets. The hotel is also located in the old town. The bus driver struggles to take the turn to the hotel because a wrongly parked car blocks the way. The owner quickly arrives. The rooms are not yet available, but we can put our luggage in the rooms. Then we walk toward the central tower. The Gongcheng Tower, dating from 1390, was one of the oldest and best-preserved city towers in Yunnan province until it was destroyed in a fire in 2015. Fortunately, it could be reconstructed to its original state. From the tower, we walk north along the shops in historic buildings. In one of the little shops, we order coffee. The waitress speaks surprisingly good English and wants to know where we come from. Outside, it starts to drizzle a little. The wet stones make the street slippery. We walk carefully. When the rain picks up a bit, we decide to eat first. Frank has recommended a nice small restaurant. I order Wonton soup, a soup with meatballs wrapped in dough.

China - The original tower from 1390 completely burned down in 2015

I enjoyed this earlier in Beijing as well. After lunch, we buy some items for tomorrow’s hike and return to the hotel. In the afternoon, when we visit the south side of Weishan, the weather is dry. The sun even breaks through the clouds a bit. We look at the shops and greet the people kindly, who stare at us. Everyone laughs when we say “Ni hao.” In Mengyang Park, we visit the Confucius Temple. At the entrance, I pay five yuan admission, about 60 cents. Like the temples I have visited in recent days, this is a Taoist temple. The main temple is beautiful but less impressive than the temples we have seen earlier during the trip. On a terrace, we order a beer. On the menu, beer costs 88 yuan, almost eleven euros. That can’t be right. Soon we understand that a beer only costs 9 yuan, and the price on the menu is for a box of 12 bottles. At six o’clock, we gather at the hotel to celebrate the birthday of fellow traveler Frank. There is cake and everyone has brought a drink.

China - Many people join the dance on the square

We bought a liter can of Panda beer for Frank as a gift. The cake, the wine, and the beer taste great. In the evening, we look for a nice restaurant. We pass several local restaurants, but they are often either too quiet or too busy. When we think we are walking into some kind of food court, it turns out to be a nice local restaurant. There is a brief hesitation whether a table for four is available, but sharing a large round table with another group is fine. We have to walk to the menu. The menu hangs on the wall and is entirely in Chinese. We order something with beef, pork, and eggplant. Although not everything is exactly what we expected, this meal also tastes great. I can’t remember a single meal during the trip that wasn’t delicious.