Tian Ma Shan
Tian ma is a Taoist temple on the highest point overlooking Fu'an city, in Fujian. Taoism is not a religion as such, but more of a spiritual philosophy - one of the foundation philosophies of Asian people. There are no monks, abbots or priests. The group get together and read from their scripts, they'll take it in turn to lead. This group spent the night here, reflecting, meditating and seeking their spiritual 'way'. Of course, being Chinese, they socialized and ate plenty along the way.
The position is fantastic. To the East and is the Taiwan straits. To the West there are only endless mountains. Incredibly, they are covered from head to toe in tea - some of the best in China.
August is typhoon season. In northern Fujian, we are somewhat sheltered - Taiwan takes the brunt. The typhoons develop over the South China Sea and dissipate their energy as they sweep across the island. Still, the rain is torrential, even if the winds are not too fierce.
Typhoons do make for dramatic skies and excellent photographic opportunities - even for a reluctant landscaper.
