Labrang, Mountain Valley
Originally uploaded by paulbrockmann.

I wanted to end my essay on Labrang with this shot. It’s unusual, but

I’m proud of it. Enjoy.

Xiahe Mosque
Originally uploaded by paulbrockmann.

In that big long monologue I subjected you to at the beginning of this

piece, I mentioned all the mosques. As I noted then , I did manage the

get just enough juice into my batteries to take a few photos in Xiahe

and of Labrang. This is the Xiahe Mosque – the only workable shot I

have, from all the lovely Mosques I saw throughout the regions I

traveled in. Note both Arabic and Chinese writing on the front, and

the crescent at the top of a very Chinese styled minaret.

Shapotou Dunes & Mountains
Originally uploaded by paulbrockmann.

Essentially, what was Shapotou desert research center – founded to

figure out how to prevent the desert from its continued growth into

previously productive regions – has grown with the addition of what

amounts to a desert amusement park. You can rent slides and slide down

the dunes (reminding me of riding the dunes at White Sands outside

Alamogordo with my nephew and niece), you can hook yourself into a

harness and fly down a high wire from the top of the dunes to a

platform across the river, and so on. Or you can ride these rafts,

that attach a wooden infrastructure to sheepskins. And when I say

sheepskin, I mean it literally: these wooden platforms are lashed on

top of what look nine dead, hairless sheep. Rather an odd feeling, but

yes – never one to shy away from new experiences, I can now say that

I’ve both ridden the high wire high above the Yellow River, and rafted

on dead sheepskins down it. And, as you’ll see, ridden horses through

its dunes with some friends from my guesthouse.

By the Yellow River
Originally uploaded by paulbrockmann.

This is an irrigation canal, hooked up further upstream to a pump that

may or may not still work to bring water directly from the river up

the this level, about 100 feet above river level or so. After this

you’ll see two shots that show the contrast: a downright Disney-esque

castle that serves no function I could see: it was empty. In the

foreground there you will see some agricultural workers walking the

road in front of it, but the castle itself appeared utterly empty.

I’ve a feeling it was built in anticipation of a glut of tourism that

has yet to fully materialize here. You’ll also see some weeds piled

next the bicycle their picker rode to work and will load them onto for

the return home. As you’ll see in later shots taken from the train,

and you may have seen in other shots from Guangxi, the vast majority

of farm work here in China is still done individually or by families,

by hand.