Shanghai Far East added in two other visits to replace the aborted and snowed out Wutai Shan. We rolled our suitcases through Pingyao’s busy streets, even this early in the day, to Mr. Wong waiting with the car, and headed south a short distance (only 5km/3.1mi away) to Shuanglin Si Temple…View image… This temple was originally built in the Northern Wei and all the buildings were arranged around three courtyards, Ming and Qing.

It is the collection of Buddhist sculptures that people come to see. There are horsemen, depictions of Buddha, sainas and guardians, Guanyin (the Goddess of Mercy) and monsters. We basically were underwhelmed but there was one interesting fact. The only reason this temple was spared during the Cultural Revolution was because the surrounding farmers used it to store their crops and intelligently pointed out to the Guards that they would have no place to put them if the Shuanglin Si was burnt to the ground.

scary-looking Guardian at Shuanglin Si Temple, China 

roof decoration on Shanglin Si Temple, China
From Shuanglin, it was another 60km/37mi to Lingshi to visit the Wang Family Compound…View image…. This compound is much bigger than the Qiao Family Compound (almost impossible to believe) and over 600 years old. Twelve generations lived here – they just kept adding on – and there are at least 500 rooms with a great wall around the entire compound. They were definitely the billionaires of their day.

Hordes of other visitors besides us but the complex was so immense it was easy to go off by yourself or just stand for a few minutes and wait until the group moved quickly on to another section. …View image…

old sundial in one courtyard of Wang Family Compound, China 

one of the many Wang rooms, China
During this period, girls were considered women at age 13 and expected to marry early. If you turned 20 and weren’t married, it was too late (shame…shame…). The women, and girls, were relegated to the second floor their entire lives. One of the reasons, bound feet. It was very difficult and painful to walk on three- inch long feet so upstairs they stayed. (We visited a museum in Shanghai on a previous trip dedicated to collecting these ancient shoes.) If married, it was common to live with your husband’s family and the women were only allowed to visit their family once a year.

little 3 inch shoes for bound feet at Wang Family Compound, China 

women’s section on the second floor of Wang Family Compound, China
On one of the outside courtyard steps were stone carvings of “lucky peach blossoms” which in my warped mind resembled something totally different. You decide…

Wang lucky peach blossoms, China
The Wang family made their fortunes in Tofu, tea and silk. Judging by this compound with sumptous furniture, intricate woodwork and stonework…View image…a very profitable fortune it was.

There was even a schoolroom for the Wang children and a tutor was hired to teach. A few of the other interesting sights in the family compound: men doing roof repairs…View image…; corn drying on a neighbor’s roof…View image…; walking around the wall perimeter surrounding the entire complex that very much resembled the Great Wall; and

Sheila on the “Wang Wall of China”
…my favorite sign on this China trip….