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1997
Route in China (SIBERIA - Ulan-Ude)
Bec2004-09-19 16:39:57
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Ulan-Ude
I had no internet contact here so I arranged to be met at the station by Sergei Prikslavskie who operates a reasonably priced homestay. Sergei spoke no English nor French and his German was as poor as mine but he got an "A" for effort and we got along fine. He took me for a tour around town and showed me how to get here and back by tram from his place in a distant suburb of Ulan-Ude. Sovietov Ploshchad has probably a new name now. It might also have lost its Lenin head, reputed to be the largest in the world.
I had chosen to visit Ulan-Ude because I wanted to learn something about the Buriat people who are closely related to today's Mongols. I saw very few Asiatic faces in town. The urban majority appear to be descendants of the Cossacks who arrived here in the 17th century and of the Russian peasants that followed. The older part of town still has several beautiful, but badly in need of repair, 19th century houses like this one.
I was delighted to see that some effort is being made to restore some of the architectural treasures of the city. I have had a weakness for old houses ever since I finished the ten year restoration of an 1829 stone farm house near Quebec city. Unfortunately, most of Ulan-Ude's old houses will be lost for lack of public funding to restore them. The people who occupy them cannot afford their maintenance so they run down and rot. What a pity!
The once proud 18th century Hodigitria Cathedral is also run down. It was closed in the 30's and now serves as warehouse for a huge collection of confiscated Lamaist religious articles, Buddha figures, tantric sculptures, ancient scriptures and such artifacts. The big funny face in the foreground is part of a playground installed by the previous regime for children to play in.
Now that religious freedom has been proclaimed, it will be interesting to see what the resurgent Orthodox Clergy will do with these articles
...
See photographs from:
Russia Gallery
,
China Gallery
