Wudang Taoist Mountain – Hubei, China

In the 2000 martial arts/fantasy epic “Crouching Tiger/Hidden Dragon” Jen is standing atop Wudang Mountain. She recalls the legend she heard in the desert from that “Anyone who dares to jump from the mountain, God will grant his wish. Long ago, a young man’s parents were ill, so he jumped. He didn’t die. He floated away, far away, never to return. He knew his wish had come true. If you believe, it will happen. The elders say, a faithful heart makes wishes come true.” So there I was, standing on top the mountain–but I didn’t jump. However, I could see why Jen thought she could fly for we were so high up…

Pingyao Ancient City – Shaanxi, China

It had been a very intensive week undertaking the Identification Mission for the Taiyuan Urban Transport Project. The goal of the mission was to identify the likely components for a new World Bank financed project so this meant many meetings, site visits and technical discussions. By Friday night we had completed our work and were ready for a recovery day. Our client very kindly arranged for us to visit Pingyao City–one of the top tourist sites not only in Shaanxi, but in all China. Located about 130 km from Taiyuan, not only was it one of only four walled cities remaining in China, but it was also the location of the ‘central bank’ for the Silk Road.