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Show 704 The National Geographic Magazine The Great Stone Road of 6,700 Steps Begins Here Gilbert Grusvenor Temples, shrines, pailou, tablets, and inscribed rocks exist in hundreds along the Pilgrim Way. The sentiments of great men are cut in rock, but the humble visitor adds his scrawl in chalk. One often sees students copying in their notebooks the choicest inscriptions, many of which are of historic importance, while others are poetic sentiments aptly phrased. The Red Gate Palace, named from a natural gate of ruddy rock, is the first regular resting place. There is a pailou and a group of teahouses besides the Raiment Changing Pavilion, where pilgrims prepare for stiffer climbing ahead. From this point one has a view of the upper mountain, soaring above intervening ridges. A Temple Teahouse Profitable The second resting place, where chair bearers set their patrons down unceremoniously, is the Tou Mu Kung (Temple of the Mother of the Peck Measure), or Temple of the Mother of the Great Bear (page 703). This temple is in the charge of nuns, short-haired, fresh-faced young women, who see to it that their temple is successful as a teahouse. Since the temple and neighborhood were particularly paintable, we felt the place was worth a prolonged visit. To get permission, we paid a ceremonious call on the abbess, who lived at headquarters near the Tai Temple. Our servant saw that we performed the proper courtesies; and the shriveled old woman, seated cross-legged on her kang (brick bed), proved gracious, agreeing to a nominal rental for a two weeks' stay. We were soon installed and keeping house in the temple teahouse, which was built on high foundations above a quaint garden. Ours was an airy view of Peach Orchard Glen and the foursquare walls of Taian, set in checkered fields. Our first necessity was paper to cover the windows, for all our neighbors gathered on the veranda to watch us set up housekeeping. We provided everything but tables, chairs, and kitchen stove. The nuns took no responsibility for our privacy, but our tactful servant used laughing persuasion on our visitors. |
