Out of interest, we explored yet another path from the north of the mountain. It’s along the very same lane that brings you to the Air Force Memorial. At the entrance you’re welcomed by a NO SMOKING sign…
It’s mainly dirt track. The path is rough and can get pretty steep at some places. Just remember [...]
Take bus number 68 up to the Cherry Blossom Garden 樱花公园 [ying1hua1gong1yuan2] stop. From here, you can do at least two things. (1) Visit the not-very-centrally-located Airforce Memorial; (2) Climb the Purple Gold Mountain via a couple of trails.
This time round, we tried a trail that led us up not the mountain, but up a [...]
The cable car station 索道 [suo3dao4] descends from its peak at Tou Tuo Ling to mid-levels at the observatory 天文台 [tian1wen2tai] down to the bottom close by Taiping Gate 太平门 [tai4ping2men2].
At the time of writing, it cost 35rmb per ticket. I took it all the way down. From this place in the sky, you can [...]
It’s an area that’s neatly brickwalled and clean. Looks like a tourist spot. You have a good view of the southern side of the mountain here, and will be able to see the Purple Cloud Lake as well as the Tomb of Zhu Yuanzhang. You can buy tickets here to enter the park (which houses [...]
Before anything, pay the fella for the tix (70rmb for entry into the Ming Xiao Ling Tourist Zone) or else…
The first thing you do upon passing the gate is to marvel at the beautiful scenery in front of you. On a good day, you should be able to get a great view of the city [...]
We’ve made it! You’ll know you’ve arrived at Purple Cloud Lake after the steep descent from the mountain when you see the red structure sitting behind these blokes…
Take the steps down, under the pavillion and you see the lake in its majestic glory. You can choose to go around from the left (clockwise) or right [...]
We recently explored the Western Trail for scaling Purple Gold Mountain.
We took a cab to the Taiping Gate Entrance of the Mountain. It’s also where the White Horse Park sits.
You’ll be walking up a road with vehicles running up and down. There’s also the option of walking on a wooden boardwalk that runs parallel on [...]
Well, it’s hard to appreciate this place if you don’t get the history behind the entire design. Most of what people see when they visit Ming Xiao Ling is what lies inside the Outer Wall, the Inner Wall, the Ming Tower and the Treasure Mound.
Now, what comes before it is also a quaint curiosity. It’s [...]
If you were earlier at the dead end, just walk a little closer and you’ll notice that there’s a very small path on the left side that you can descend into. This path is narrow and allows you to walk the circumference of the huge compound. Take your time, and be careful…
This is a huge [...]
Don’t be fooled because what you see below isn’t all there is to Ming Xiao Ling. There’s an entire Sacred Way leading up to the Outer Wall you see below. If you want to know more about why this place is a gem, check out it’s background here. Otherwise, read on…
The picture above is the [...]