Taking one's breath away

By Alexis Hooi (China Daily)
Updated: 2008-09-11 09:33

Even so, Xiao Zhi, a 23-year-old monk outside the Damo grotto, says not everyone gets to see the mystical imprint for what it is. "It's a matter of fate and being in the right frame of mind," he says.

To enjoy these sights at leisure and escape the crowds by wandering the grounds in the early morning or late evening, consider putting up at Wang Zhi Gou, a hamlet of about 30 quaint lodgings south of Shaolin Temple just behind its Arhat Hall. Staying within the 2.18-sq-km Shaolin compound this way also means you save paying for the 100 yuan ($15) entrance ticket again.

The Shaolin Tourism Hotel offers one of the more comfortable options in Wang Zhi Gou, with its refurbished annexes, glass-walled attached toilets and second-floor dining rooms that look out to the hills. Hotel employee Yuan Yanan says there are occasional groups of foreign tourists who stay for up to a year as they take kungfu lessons down the slope.

Still, the town of Dengfeng, about 20 minutes by minibus from Shaolin Temple, ends up as the choice of lodging for most first-time visitors. After an hour-long bus ride from the Zhengzhou train station, the attractions of this sleepy town at the foot of Songshan are worth a brief stop.

Slurp up a hearty bowl of Henan's huimian noodles - proof of why the province is the country's breadbasket - with raw garlic on the side in roadside stalls and fuel up for a visit to Zhongyue Temple, a Qing Dynasty complex modeled after Beijing's Forbidden City that was built to worship the god of Songshan.

Unlike the welcome you receive on your mobile, Dengfeng residents can be typically nonchalant about the area's fame.

"We're all aware of the heritage and history here, being in central China," says Zheng Nanyue, who runs a huimian stall in western Dengfeng.

"But locals don't brag about the attractions, because it becomes obvious once you're at the center of it all."

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