China - Juizhai Valley National Park, Stoney Symbol in Zhangzha Town

Don't know what it says or what the symbolism might be, but it's neat to look at.  More prayer flags can be seen in the background.

China - Juizhai Valley National Park, Religious Symbols in Zhangzha Town

Here we have the obligatory Tibetan prayer flags, there to provide blessings of various kinds.  Naturally these flags flutter in the wind,  which is exactly the purpose; those flutters are said to carry prayers to one of their three gods, and the color of the flag determines which kind of blessing is sought.

The casual observer might look behind these flags and see what looks like a swastika.  At first I was alarmed at seeing this, considering its hateful use in modern Western history.  But in fact the symbol predates Hitler by thousands of years, and is an ancient symbol of peace, luck, and divinity in Buddhism, Hinduism, and Jainism.  Still, it's just plain hard to look at through these Western eyes...

China - Juizhai Valley National Park, Downtown Zhangzha

On our way to the next thing we stopped at a teeny little town named Zhangzha that looked new, and likely established specifically to accommodate the growing tourist trade in the area (just my guess).  This is a very interesting town to look at in Google Maps; the exact location is 33.199783N, 103.894233E.  It's a picturesque little village, as can be seen here.  To the immediate left of this frame are some structures seemingly of religious significance, so had to grab some of those with the iPhone...

China - Juizhai Valley National Park, The Valley Floor

A look back through the valley that makes up a small part of the Park.  The width and shallow depth of the river is evident here, but further downstream it narrows considerably, then cascades into waterfalls like those recently posted.

Next stop will be in a small town on our way to yet another natural wonder...

China - Juizhai Valley National Park, Roof of Retirement Shack

...and instead of all those prayer flags along the roofline, we'd settle for a bigger one like this.

China - Juizhai Valley National Park, Our Retirement Shack-O'-The-Falls

This would be ideal for a second retirement home, except the constant noise from the river might get on one's nerves.  Walking around yields the following views:

China - Juizhai Valley National Park, Perpetual Prayer Wheels

Yes, we have here an apparatus that actually keeps the prayer wheels perpetually turning, at least so long as the river is high enough.  Curious, I asked the AI question what the function of prayer wheels is in Tibet and got the following answer:  A prayer wheel (mani khorlo) is a cylindrical device used in Tibetan Buddhism to accumulate spiritual merit, purify negative karma, and spread compassion.  Spinning the wheel clockwise is believed to have the same powerful spiritual effect as reciting the sacred mantras stored inside aloud.  Cylinders are tightly packed with scrolls containing many printed mantras - most commonly Om Mani Padme Hu, the mantra of compassion.  As the wheel turns, these blessings are released into the universe.

So now we know...

China - Juizhai Valley National Park, Prayer Wheel Housing

Another little structure with Tibetan prayer flags along its roofline.  This one serves as housing for two prayer wheels.  The reason they are situated alongside the flowing river will be more apparent in tomorrow's post.

China - Juizhai Valley National Park, Shack with Prayer Flags

Being a fan of rustic shots, couldn't pass this one up.  Note the prayer flags, some of which are in tatters, along the roofline.

Different perspective of same below:

China - Juizhai Valley National Park, Posing Girl

We see here some period costumes rented for the purpose of getting some pics for families back home.  Though I exercised caution, it's easier to sneak in these kinds of pics of others because everybody's taking pictures everywhere anyway.

And there was the one that got away.  A few moments later the girl sitting on the rail in the background was by herself, posing for the photographer.  She had such an angelic look, and I was angled to capture her profile perfectly.  The backdrop was perfectly situated also from my perspective.  But unfortunately I didn't think fast enough to compose a shot, and the opportunity was lost...

Two more pics below of the girl in the foreground: