outdoor play

As we walked up the pathway weaving its way up the ravine, it was difficult to know what to expect of the Guyaju Cliff Dwellings; China’s largest collection of ancient dwellings gouged into the sides of stone hills. Ascending the stairs, we passed markers indicating where two former gates once stood to keep the outside world from entering the village at night. The second gate also protected the villagers’ most valuable resource, a natural spring that provided the village with fresh water. Finally, as we rounded a bend, the cliff dwellings came into view and the questions began to fill our heads, “Why did they build here? How did they accomplish the task? And in the end, why did the inhabitants leave?”

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