So it's been a pretty busy week back in the office, and I'm off to Germany tomorrow night for the next couple weeks (with a bit of vacation, but more on that tomorrow). But now we're going back into the archives a few weeks to talk about Dunhuang, in western China.
My sister and I went a few weeks ago. I had a business trip to western China, to Lanzhou, which just so happens to be the capital of Gansu province. Which just so happens to be in the same province as Dunhuang. Which just so happens to be the #1 place I've wanted to visit in China for over 10 years now but hadn't gone. But now I did! The main reason to go is the Mogao caves. They're Buddhist temple cave grottoes which are covered in colorful frescoes, dating back over 1000 years. They're just outside the very small city of Dunhuang, which used to be a Silk Road garrison town, right near the borders of China at the time. Buddhism passed through, and for whatever reason they loved it in Dunhuang. So then they set up a huge temple complex and it just kept growing cave by cave, finally with over 400, all elaborately decorated. It's one of the 3 major Buddhist cave grotto sites in China, and is said to be the best. When you visit, you get to see like 9 or 10 caves with a guide, and no photos are allowed, but you should definitely google it, cause they are pretty amazing. Most of the caves are quite small, just a little room with a statue of the Buddha and maybe some disciples, but then every inch of the walls and ceiling are covered in paintings. The same is true of the few larger caves that exist, some of which are massive. The biggest actually holds a giant Buddha statue that's like 9 stories tall and you can climb up. Well, you can't, but it is possible to do. Maybe you can do it if you register in advance, cause they told us that there are special caves they don't take tourists to, unless you call ahead, then they will. So call ahead and ask if you go. But anyway, even this giant cave, and the other huge ones which are like 3 stories tall, are also covered completely in frescoes. It's insane. And it's even more insane how well the quality has been maintained for over 1000 years. I'm sure it has to do with the dry desert area (this area is a huge desert, it's right in the middle of the Gobi) and the fact that they are hidden inside caves, but still. Super impressive.
Other than the caves, I also wanted to go out into the middle of the desert where you can see the far end of the Great Wall. Although, this is not the Great Wall everyone thinks of. Everyone things of the Ming wall. But well before that there was the Han Great Wall, which was really just a wall of straw and mud, built as a border, not as a defensive tool. So you can go see that along with some of the watchtowers and border forts. They all sit alone in the middle of the desert, and when you visit you're often the only one there, which is pretty amazing. At least that was the case for us since we visited during low season. And then we also went to see the Yardang land formations, which are these nutty rocks that are out in the middle of the desert. And there's a really famous oasis pavilion from some rich family right on the edge of the Crescent Lake. It's right in the middle of the sand dunes, and makes for some good photos. They've turned the sand dunes into a huge amusement park though, so it's swarmed with people. But it's also swarmed with fun activities, so that's good.
Anyway, I highly recommend Dunhuang. Honestly, a day is enough to just go see the caves. The town itself is super boring. And the other sites are fun, but not worth traveling all the way across China to get to. But the caves are worth it. Totally. And there's this delicious beer duck in Dunhuang. Look it up. Cause if you don't find it, you'll end up just eating a ton of donkey. That and dried fruit seem to be all they've got. It's good, no complaints, but definitely look for beer duck.
Ok and on to the music. Today we have Jonathan Wilson. This guy has apparently been around for quite some time, but I never heard about him until very recently, when I heard the song Loving You. He's a producer based in north LA, like Laurel Canyon and Silver Lake. Which makes total sense when you listen to him. He would be that kind of guy. Loving You is a really cool song, mixing chilled out rock (a la The War On Drugs) with tribal chanting. For like 7 minutes. I love it.
So this is off of Jonathan Wilson's newest album, Rare Birds, which came out last month. And it is nothing like the rest of the album. The rest of the album is much dirtier. For some reason it reminds me of a mix between Miike Snow and Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeroes. At least Trafalgar Square has something a bit Miike Snowy to it. But like later Miike Snow, not early Miike Snow, when they got less electronic. It's also a great song.
Normally I'd only share two tracks, but there is one more stand-out track which I really like on an album that I otherwise find good but not great. That song is Me. But anyway you know I must like this guy if I shared 3 songs and gave him his own post without adding something else in.
My sister and I went a few weeks ago. I had a business trip to western China, to Lanzhou, which just so happens to be the capital of Gansu province. Which just so happens to be in the same province as Dunhuang. Which just so happens to be the #1 place I've wanted to visit in China for over 10 years now but hadn't gone. But now I did! The main reason to go is the Mogao caves. They're Buddhist temple cave grottoes which are covered in colorful frescoes, dating back over 1000 years. They're just outside the very small city of Dunhuang, which used to be a Silk Road garrison town, right near the borders of China at the time. Buddhism passed through, and for whatever reason they loved it in Dunhuang. So then they set up a huge temple complex and it just kept growing cave by cave, finally with over 400, all elaborately decorated. It's one of the 3 major Buddhist cave grotto sites in China, and is said to be the best. When you visit, you get to see like 9 or 10 caves with a guide, and no photos are allowed, but you should definitely google it, cause they are pretty amazing. Most of the caves are quite small, just a little room with a statue of the Buddha and maybe some disciples, but then every inch of the walls and ceiling are covered in paintings. The same is true of the few larger caves that exist, some of which are massive. The biggest actually holds a giant Buddha statue that's like 9 stories tall and you can climb up. Well, you can't, but it is possible to do. Maybe you can do it if you register in advance, cause they told us that there are special caves they don't take tourists to, unless you call ahead, then they will. So call ahead and ask if you go. But anyway, even this giant cave, and the other huge ones which are like 3 stories tall, are also covered completely in frescoes. It's insane. And it's even more insane how well the quality has been maintained for over 1000 years. I'm sure it has to do with the dry desert area (this area is a huge desert, it's right in the middle of the Gobi) and the fact that they are hidden inside caves, but still. Super impressive.
Other than the caves, I also wanted to go out into the middle of the desert where you can see the far end of the Great Wall. Although, this is not the Great Wall everyone thinks of. Everyone things of the Ming wall. But well before that there was the Han Great Wall, which was really just a wall of straw and mud, built as a border, not as a defensive tool. So you can go see that along with some of the watchtowers and border forts. They all sit alone in the middle of the desert, and when you visit you're often the only one there, which is pretty amazing. At least that was the case for us since we visited during low season. And then we also went to see the Yardang land formations, which are these nutty rocks that are out in the middle of the desert. And there's a really famous oasis pavilion from some rich family right on the edge of the Crescent Lake. It's right in the middle of the sand dunes, and makes for some good photos. They've turned the sand dunes into a huge amusement park though, so it's swarmed with people. But it's also swarmed with fun activities, so that's good.
Anyway, I highly recommend Dunhuang. Honestly, a day is enough to just go see the caves. The town itself is super boring. And the other sites are fun, but not worth traveling all the way across China to get to. But the caves are worth it. Totally. And there's this delicious beer duck in Dunhuang. Look it up. Cause if you don't find it, you'll end up just eating a ton of donkey. That and dried fruit seem to be all they've got. It's good, no complaints, but definitely look for beer duck.
Ok and on to the music. Today we have Jonathan Wilson. This guy has apparently been around for quite some time, but I never heard about him until very recently, when I heard the song Loving You. He's a producer based in north LA, like Laurel Canyon and Silver Lake. Which makes total sense when you listen to him. He would be that kind of guy. Loving You is a really cool song, mixing chilled out rock (a la The War On Drugs) with tribal chanting. For like 7 minutes. I love it.
So this is off of Jonathan Wilson's newest album, Rare Birds, which came out last month. And it is nothing like the rest of the album. The rest of the album is much dirtier. For some reason it reminds me of a mix between Miike Snow and Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeroes. At least Trafalgar Square has something a bit Miike Snowy to it. But like later Miike Snow, not early Miike Snow, when they got less electronic. It's also a great song.
Normally I'd only share two tracks, but there is one more stand-out track which I really like on an album that I otherwise find good but not great. That song is Me. But anyway you know I must like this guy if I shared 3 songs and gave him his own post without adding something else in.
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