We left our seminar in Hong Kong and immediately began a tour of Southwest China including Guilin (pictured above) viewed from the Li River. The scenery was stunning and our guide said we were lucky the day was overcast and rainy because it produced the mist which shrouds the mountains in a mystic aura.
We then flew to Kunming where we visited the Stone Forest and an expansive underground cave. We were able to see some of the Sani minority group (lower right) and also the Naxi people (upper and lower left) as well as learn about the Dongbe (Shaman) pictured sitting upper right of which there are currently only 65 still living who continue to read and write the history of this people. These minority groups are all required to learn Mandarin in school but continue to communicate with each other in their own language.
We subsequently went to Lijiang where we visited the Black Dragon Pool Park (not pictured) and from there to Dali where we saw a cultural performance by the Bai people (upper left and center) and viewed the 3 Pagodas complex which was recently further developed as a Buddhist temple complex costing approximately US$30 million to finish. It was never-ending and truly amazing! From there we returned via Kunming home to Jinan where we began teaching another semester of college students.
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