Chairman Fu Zuoyi (right), who commanded the resistance war. The home of Zhao Chengshou, Cavalry Commander of Datong

With General Zhao Chengshou (left), 1936. The villa was built near the Yungang Grottoes.

Trip to Datong

June 23rd, Sunny, 1935

　　It was decided to take the evening train to Datong today, but Ambassador Mo (柳忱) had insomnia and was afraid he couldn't sleep, so he took an earlier train. We visited Lanshui Spring, thirty li west of the city in the morning. The spring is in the middle of the road west of the village. The pool is only a few zhang in circumference, about five or six feet deep, and flowers spring up from the spring. The pool overflows to the west, forming a stream that irrigates the fields. Near the spring, the willows cast a shade, and the scenery is very beautiful. We lingered for a while before returning.

　　After lunch, we took the 3 p.m. train east to Datong. The train followed the southern foot of the Yin Mountains. From Maidazhao to Taoshihao Station, the mountain scenery was exquisite, with undulating slopes and ridges. Where the setting sun shone, the contrast between light and shadow was striking. If this mountain were located inland, it would likely rival the Five Great Mountains and the Four Famous Mountains. However, due to its high altitude and remoteness, it remains largely unknown. I plan to revisit Northwest China and climb this mountain to explore its beauty and introduce it to the world. East of Taoshihao Station, the land is fertile, with lush crops, and the opium poppies are still strikingly vibrant. These fields are irrigated, and this type of field is common near Suiyuan City. Water can be found just three or four feet below the surface, making them drought-resistant, but unfortunately, they are relatively few. We passed Pingdiquan at night, a vast plain of grassland. This is the highest point of the Ping-Sui Railway. The night air was bitterly cold, penetrating to the bone, even though it was midsummer; without a cotton-padded coat, one would freeze. From here, the terrain gradually slopes downward. Several miles on either side of the railway, there are lakes and ponds. Legend has it that Su Wu, the Han Dynasty official, herded sheep on an island in the sea north of Datong. This could be the place, perhaps near these lakes and ponds. If we consider the Yellow River south of Baotou, locally known as Nanhaizi (South Lake), then it is understandable that these lakes could also be called seas. After passing Fengzhen, we entered the Outer Great Wall. The site of the city is still vaguely visible. It is said that this city was indeed built during the Qin Dynasty, but the walls are made of earth and are quite low.

　　We arrived in Datong at 7 p.m., where we were greeted by Commander Zhao, a cavalry officer, the Datong County magistrate, representatives, and Liang, the head of the gendarmerie. We stayed at the Shanxi Provincial Bank, and later, Commander Zhang and his adjutant, Xu, came to entertain us. After dinner, we took a car to visit the Yungang Grottoes.

　　Leaving from the west gate and traveling thirty li into the mountains, we saw yellow and green cliffs towering into the sky, layer upon layer. On the steep rock faces, Buddhist caves lined up, stretching about three li from east to west. The south side of the mountain is entirely covered with these caves. We got off the car at Commander Zhao's newly built villa at Yungang, a hall and a pavilion, quite charming in the mountain setting. After tea, we visited the Buddhist caves. From the villa westward, we entered the Shiku Temple, also known as the Great Buddha Temple. The temple is built into the rock face, and the Buddha statues are carved directly into the rock, sitting over fifty feet tall, with feet over ten feet long. We climbed four stories to see the Buddha's head and face; this is the Great Buddha Hall. West of this is the Tathagata Hall, a square cave about twenty zhang in circumference, with a square stone pillar about ten zhang in circumference in the center. The pillar is two stories high, with Buddha statues carved around it. The four walls have countless niches, each with a carved Buddha statue. The exquisite craftsmanship and ingenious design are unparalleled. Further west of the temple, there are only walls and no temples, such as the First Mountain from the West, the Buddha's Sound Cave, and the Five Buddhas Cave. Their scale is smaller than the Great Buddha and Tathagata Halls, but their solemn beauty and dynamic imagery largely retain their original appearance and have not been repaired. It is a pity that there is so much damage.

　　There was no way further west, so we returned and exited through the temple gate. Passing through Yungang Lower Fort, we saw a large cave, now collapsed. A large Buddha statue sits in the open air, about fifteen to twenty-five feet tall, still in its original form. Many tourists take pictures here because of its bright and open space. Further west, there are more caves that people can enter. However, there are countless small Buddha caves halfway up the mountain that are visible but inaccessible; it is truly a magnificent sight. At the end of the caves, we climbed the ridge from the west slope and saw a fort, no more than two li in circumference, with cultivated fields inside and no houses, only a gate on the south side. It is said that this is Yungang Upper Fort. In the past, Yungang was an important town in Yunzhong, and forts were built and troops stationed here; this is the origin of Yungang Fort. After climbing the ramparts for a view, we descended and walked down the southeast side of the ridge. Further east, we saw the Cold Spring Cave of the Grottoes. The cave is sealed with mud and cannot be entered. Water flows out from under the cave, very fine, almost dry. There are many more caves to the east, all damaged and incomplete. However, there are many inscriptions on this section of the rock wall. Because the stone is not strong, most of it has peeled off, and it is difficult to decipher them.

　　Yungang is known as Wuzhou Mountain and belongs to Zuoyun County. Originally, there were ten temples in the grottoes: Tongsheng, Lingguang, Zhen Guo, Huguo, Chongfu, Tongzi, Nengren, Huayan, Tiangong, and Doushu. They were built during the Northern Wei Dynasty under Emperor Tuoba, when Datong was the capital. It took over a hundred years to complete, and its exquisite artistry has been praised by people both inside and outside China. Unfortunately, only one or two temples remain today, and many caves are buried. The stone Buddha statues are either eroded by wind and rain or stolen and sold by antique dealers. Many are incomplete. Recently, under Commander Zhao's initiative, the county government has established a preservation committee to protect them. The area around the Shifo Temple has been encroached upon by residents, obstructing the caves, which is unsightly. It is planned to build a new village to relocate the residents to facilitate the restoration. They also plan to build a levee on the Wuzhou River to prevent flooding. However, complete repairs will require a huge amount of money, which may be difficult to obtain. After my visit, I wanted to leave a souvenir, so I asked Mr. Zhang Qian, a member of the preservation committee, for permission to inscribe the three characters "Xiaoxitian" (Little Western Paradise) on a blank stone in the first cave west of the temple.

　　Then we returned to the city and visited the Upper Huayan Temple. Built during the Tang Dynasty, its Great Hero Hall has eighty-one rooms, making it a grand scale and the largest Buddhist hall in the world. The wooden frame is still the original one, unshaken, showing its strength. The exquisite statue of Weituo is also unparalleled. We then visited the Lower Huayan Temple, also built during the Tang Dynasty. Originally, it was one temple with the Upper Huayan Temple, but later it was divided into two. This temple is famous for its exquisite and beautiful statues. Due to the hot weather, we hurried back to our lodgings.

　　In the evening, we attended a banquet hosted by Commander Zhao. As he was away in Taiyuan, Commander Zhang and Adjutant Xu hosted in his place. During the dinner, we discussed the customs of Datong. Although foot-binding is officially banned, women still participate in "showing-off-feet" gatherings. Women, regardless of their wealth, are generally neat and clean in their appearance, while men remain dirty. People's lives are very simple; each person can live for a year on three or four gold (editor's note: referring to three or four taels of silver). I was skeptical, but Mr. Zhang said that potatoes and oil wheat (editor's note: referring to Tartary buckwheat) are the cheapest foods, and people mainly eat these. This shows the frugality and hardship of the people of Shanxi, which is unmatched by people from other provinces, and is also a characteristic of the people. There is coal everywhere, and everyone can mine it. There are many small factories, and few imported goods are purchased. This is another advantage, as it prevents the outflow of profits. However, there is a great deal of laziness, and progress is slow. This requires those in power to provide appropriate education. I am unsure if my observations are accurate.

　　Today is still the Guan Yu Temple fair, so we went to observe the customs. However, the crowd was immense, and we could not get off the car, which shows the depth of their superstition. We then returned and prepared for our trip to Hunyuan tomorrow.

June 24th

　　At 8 am, departing from Datong, I rode a camel sedan chair out of the south gate. I went around to the east gate and took a view of the Cao Fu Temple. The temple is located on Guo Hua Mountain, where it is said that Cao Fu froze to death. The temple worships Guan Di and Sakyamuni. There is a side hall with a statue of Cao, made by a certain Datong magistrate during the Qing dynasty. After a short stay, I left and headed straight for the Hunyuan road.

　　Five li to Sha Ling, six li to Twelve Villages, three li to Xiao Nan Tou, seven li to Ai Zhuang, two li to Tan Er Cun, eight li to Shang Quan, I had tea here. Ten li to Zhou Jia Bao, five li to Luo Zhen Ying, five li to Li Ren Zao, eight li to cross the Sanggan River, entering Ji Jia Zhuang, I stayed overnight here. The village shop was cramped and dirty, making it inconvenient to eat and sleep; however, my enthusiasm for mountain touring was strong, and I am used to staying in small shops, so I did not feel any hardship and found it quite interesting.

June 28th, Morning Cloudy, Afternoon Sunny

　　I wrote the four characters "Round, Full, and Majestic" and the public inscriptions. Liu Chen initially wanted to leave an inscription and had drafted the four characters "Great Heng, Ensuring Peace." I had already selected a stone for him, but then he changed his mind about leaving his name and asked his son Songsen to write it instead.

　　After breakfast, I visited the hermit Wang Yiying (字渭生) at the Ten Kings Temple. Mr. Wang was from Puxian County, Xuzhou. He came here to live in seclusion two years ago with a servant. He was sixty-three years old, his hair and beard were white, but his spirit was still strong. He claimed to have long admired the peace and tranquility of Shanxi Province and had come here to avoid the chaos. He claimed to be a farmer, but his speech and manner suggested otherwise. I suspect he had seen through the world and had become a great hermit. From there, we passed by the Pure Yang Palace, the Nine Heavens Palace, the ruins of Cui Xue Pavilion, and Kui Xing Tower, and descended the mountain by the mountain path. Although this path was shorter, it was steep and covered with loose rocks, making it easy to slip. Many of my companions found it difficult, and Liu Chen said that even the Huashan Mountain path, known for its danger, was not as difficult as this. He was right. However, Song Tao, Song Sen, and I descended quickly, not daring to stop, but I don't know how many times we almost fell.

　　Upon reaching the foot of the mountain, since the horses had not yet arrived, we walked into the city. I went to bathe, and when I finished, the other travelers returned. After dinner, I climbed the drum tower to view the entire city. The houses were closely packed together, the streets and alleys were neat and orderly, there was no sign of corruption, but life was simple and extremely difficult. Going out of the east gate, I visited the tomb of Su Gongqin. Its scale was as grand as that of a king or prince. Su Gongqin was a governor who made outstanding contributions to river control. He died when the Yellow River burst its banks, and the so-called "Four Great Kings of the Golden Dragon" is his spirit. The locals confirmed this, and his descendants' homes are still within the south gate, their family's status remaining high to this day.

　　On the way back, I paid a return visit to Commander Gao and County Magistrate Wang (Han's note: should be County Magistrate Li). In the evening, I packed my luggage, preparing to go to Mount Tai tomorrow, see Yanmen Pass, and then go to Qingliang Mountain.

June 29th Sunny

　　We left Hunyuan in the morning and went to Daiyue Town. The military and government officials lined up to see us off again, making me feel very grateful and ashamed.

　　Fifteen li to Shuimo Village, ten li to Jiazhuang, two li to Tiancun, five li to Guguang, five li to Xifangcheng, five li to Yijiazhai, seven li to Xin Qulian Village, where we had lunch. I chatted with the villagers and learned about the local social conditions and the extremely simple lives of the residents. The richest people spend less than three yuan a month, while the poorest spend only one yuan and five cents; the daily wages for farmers and workers are ten cents during the busy spring and autumn seasons, and five cents otherwise; school teachers earn only seventy or eighty yuan a year, which is considered average, with the lowest earning thirty or forty yuan; the burden of national and local taxes is one yuan per person on average; their daily diet consists mainly of millet and sorghum, made into cakes and flour, not rice. The sorghum is ground with the skin on, indicating its coarseness. They only eat white flour once a year on New Year's Day, and meat is unheard of; each mu of land yields only two dou of grain, even less in bad years. This shows the poverty of the land and people in northern Shanxi. As for foot-binding, it has not completely disappeared, and schools are few and far between. Their tools, carriages, clothes, and shoes are still the same as they were decades ago, which shows the conservative nature of the Shanxi people, and their progress is naturally slower. However, few foreign goods are imported, and most goods are locally produced, which also helps alleviate poverty, in line with economic principles.

　　After lunch, we continued on, eight li to Luojiacun, twelve li to Tianjiafang, ten li to Zhenziliang, and fifteen li to Yingxian County.

　　We arrived in the city at dusk. County Magistrate Wang Huangge and Public Security Bureau Director Li Youtang, along with others, welcomed us at the east suburbs. We got off the car at the Guoheng Pawnshop, the place prepared by the county magistrate. Sun, a member of the Chamber of Commerce and the manager of the pawnshop, greeted us warmly. After dinner, we took a walk in the courtyard and saw many farm tools, all pawned items. Each item was only worth one or two cents of silver, which shows the poverty of the farmers. I asked the county magistrate and others about the transportation conditions to Mount Tai, Yanmen Pass, and Wutai Mountain, and then went to bed.

June 30th Sunny

　　I got up in the morning, paid a return visit to the county magistrate, and then climbed the Yingzhou Pagoda, also known as the Jin City Pagoda, because Yingzhou was called Jin City during the Liao Dynasty. It is also called the Sakyamuni Pagoda. There is an inscription from the second year of Qingning in the Liao Dynasty, indicating that the pagoda was built before the Liao Dynasty. The pagoda has four levels, like a four-story building, each with Buddha statues. The pagoda is about 360 feet (or 180 feet) high and is made of wood, except for the base, which is made of bricks and stones. It has stood for more than 900 years since the Liao Dynasty without any damage, still standing tall in the sky. It is not only strong, but its exquisite craftsmanship is also a masterpiece of art.

　　After descending the pagoda, we left the west gate with the local officials seeing us off. Ten li to Kouzhai, ten li to Qinzhuang, ten li to Nanjiazhai, five li to Mizhai, three li to Dongba, five li to Kangzhuang, eight li to Lijiahuayuan, two li to Gaosuantuan, five li to Wangzhuang, five li to Daiyue, and stayed at the Liuhe Inn.

　　That evening, Zhao Mingxuan, the county magistrate of Shanyin County, came to visit and left after a short conversation.

　　Because I was worried that there would be no seats on the long-distance bus to Yanmen Pass, I sent a telegram to Commander Zhao in Datong to borrow a car, and he agreed, so the journey tomorrow will be more convenient.

　　…

July 16th Cloudy

　　At 8 am, I took the Zhengtai train east from Taiyuan and got off at the foot of Niangziguan to take a look. It was raining lightly, but I didn't mind.

　　The gate is about a mile east of the station. The outer gate has the words "Niangziguan" inscribed on it, named after Princess Pingyang of the Tang Dynasty, who once guarded this pass. Inside the pass is a village called Dakou, and outside the pass is a village called Xiaokou. North of the pass is a stream, with the sound of flowing water. The railway and iron bridge cross it. The situation is not very dangerous, but the mountain gorge is long, about 400 li inside and outside the pass, which is unmatched by Juyongguan and Yanmenguan. In the past, it was easy to defend and difficult to attack, but now, with airplanes and bombs, it is difficult to defend and easy to attack. However, this is a new pass. Fifteen li south of this pass is Gu Guan, the old pass, which is considered more dangerous. Looking from the new pass, I saw a high mountain to the south, called Mian Mountain. Is this the Mian Mountain where Jie Zitui was burned to death? No, the mountain where Jie Zitui died is in Jiexiu, hundreds of miles from here. However, whether it is the real Mian Mountain or not, I must climb it to feel satisfied. So I invited my companions to climb it, but they were afraid of missing the train, so no one responded, and I went alone. The road was very steep. There is a watchtower on the mountaintop, commonly known as Princess Pingyang's Summer Resort. The tower is mostly dilapidated. I rested there for a while and then climbed to the highest peak. According to the guide, you can see Jingxing from here. However, due to the overcast rain, the mountains were hazy, and the distant view was obstructed. I wanted to take some stones back, but I couldn't find any good ones on the peak. Then I suddenly found a stone with some characters on it. Upon closer inspection, it was a stele of Jie Zitui, erected by a Ming Dynasty person. Jie Zitui was a meritorious minister of the Jin Dynasty. He did not seek personal gain after his achievements, and he is admired by people throughout history, especially the people of Jin, who revered him like a god. There are many steles erected on the mountains to pray for rain and ward off disasters, hence the stele of Jie Zitui. Therefore, the mountain is named Mian Mountain, but it is not the real Mian Mountain.

　　He picked up the remaining stone tablet fragments and went down the mountain, resting for a while at the swimming pool by the train station. The pool, newly built using water diverted from the mountain, was not yet complete, but the water was vast and pleasingly clear. A fellow villager, Mr. Wen, happened to be there investigating places of historical interest. He mentioned that there were many famous historical sites inside and outside this pass, and that Director Zhu was planning to build a scenic area here, which was also part of the railway's plans.

　　After 5 pm, a car arrived, and I took it to Shijiazhuang, staying at the Zhengtai Hotel. Mr. Gao and his second brother came to chat and treated me to dinner. From here, we entered the tropics, no longer the cool climate of Shanxi.

July 18th: Sunny

　　We left at 5 am and arrived at Dingxian train station after 9 am. The train arrived at 10:30 am, and we took it back north, arriving in Ping at 6 pm in the evening. Our northwest journey ended here, lasting only one month.

　　The purpose of this trip was Hengshan Mountain, to complete my goal of visiting the Five Great Mountains; to visit Wutai Mountain as the beginning of visiting the Four Great Famous Mountains; and to see the Yungang Grottoes to appreciate the exquisite art of the Northern Wei Dynasty. In the provinces of Shanxi, Chahar, and Suiyuan, I also gained some knowledge of political construction, rural conditions, customs and people, soil fertility, and dangerous mountain passes in the development of the Northwest. The travel expenses were very low because we were travelling as a group for a short period. Train tickets were free, and we received hospitality for food and lodging everywhere. Each person only spent a little over 100 yuan, which was very economical.