Statues of demons and other spirits adorn Fengdu's temples |
8:21pm
Have you ever seen a dying city? I have now. Fengdu, current day Fengdu that is, is on its last legs. The gray skeletons that rise on the north side of the river are mirrored by the stark white relocation complexes being built to the south. As our bus drives to the base of the small mountains (which are home to the temples we're supposed to tour), you can't help but notice that Fengdu lies on a sea of rubble. There is no greenery… the gray buildings blend with the gray carpet of broken concrete, which is in turn blanketed by gray fog. The residents of Fengdu don't tend to their crops or work in the fields. They are helping take their city apart. Men and women are everywhere with hammers and chisels, breaking down buildings and taking apart stone minarets. Why they do it is anyone's guess. I assume they're paid, but why anyone wants to break down a city that will be underwater in two years, unless it's for the raw materials, is beyond me.
Unfortunately, I decided to visit the temples for a bit. They were somewhat interesting, but we had so little time (1:30), that it would have been better spent exploring the city. To get to the temples, one can either hike or take a chairlift. I chose to save time by taking the lift. A quick 7 minute ride through bamboo shoots and over laborers gets one to the top. The temples themselves didn't thrill me a great deal. I was more interested in photographing the locals at work. There were some interesting statues though. Demons, monsters and succubi keeping with the haunted theme of this place.
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