Hope Justman's 'Shudao Dream'
On March 29, Hope Justman visited Jianmen Pass again.
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On March 29, Hope Justman visited Jianmen Pass again. [Photo/China.org.cn] |
Hope, a 73-year-old American woman and author of "Guide to Hiking China's Old Road to Shu," has been travelling every year between Philadephia and the ancient Shudao (Shu Path) since 2001.
The 2,000-year-old rugged and dangerous road system, including paths from the two provinces of Sha'anxi and Gansu, links Sichuan, a high inaccessible mountainous province named Shu in ancient China, with the outside.
Around half a century ago, Hope, an art history major at Mount Holyoke College in Massachusetts, was enthralled by the steepy, imposing plank road built along the cliff in the painting "Emperor Ming Huang's Journey to Shu."
Then she decided to go to China to find the road.
With great efforts and a number of attempts, Hope finally found where the ancient road was located in 2001 after her retirement.
She was awarded the title "Ambassador of Jianmen Shu Path" by Jiange County's goverment in 2015 for what she has done to bring more people to know Jianmen Shu Path.
The three main Shu paths in northen Sichuan include Golden Oxen Road, Yinping Road and Micang Road. The most important one is Golden Oxen Road, which is also known as Jianmen Shu Path. It stretches southward for more than 200 kilometers from Chaotian Town in Guangyuan City to Wuzhen Town in Mianyang City.
Jianmen Pass, a mountain pass located southwest of Guangyuan City, is the most strategically important pass on the Shu Path in ancient times. It is also famous for the beauty of its steep slopes.
The Jianmen Shudao Tourist Area, located in Guangyuan City, is a national cultural and natural heritage. It consists of tourist attractions including the Cuiyun Corridor, Jianmen Pass, Zhaohua Ancient Town, Huangze Temple, Qianfo Cliff, Mingyue Gorge and Xuexi Cave.
Shu Path has been inscribed onto the UNESCO's World Heritage Tentative List and nominated for the World Natural and Cultural Heritage status.
