The drive to Chengdu was uneventful. A big city of 8 million, or 18 million including its satellite towns. People live in massive tower blocks and the motorways cross each other in a tangle of flyovers. Chengdu is a rich high-tech city and there were a lot of expensive cars on the road. We checked in at the Buddha Zen hotel which was probably a Buddhist temple originally, part of the Wenshu Monastery complex, and it retains a lot of its original furniture and carvings including a magnificent four-headed Buddha statue in the central courtyard. The old street outside which we enjoyed so much six years ago has been swept away: the little shops and fast-food stalls have been replaced by glass and concrete monstrosities selling ridiculously expensive “antiques” (upper-class tourist tat). The little hotpot restaurant which consisted of a canvas roof and no walls with the cooks conjuring up delicious meals in a corner has been swept away and no doubt a posh bistro for rich tourists will be built in its place.
Bing Liang bought us a traditional Chinese meal in the evening with an endless succession of plates being put on a “lazy Susan”. A very pleasant evening.
