Sichuan hike takes you between rocks in a hard place

Two people in the traditional costumes of ancient warriors at the lookout tower at Jianmen Pass.

Some of the cypresses are more than 2,000 years old, standing side by side along the tortuous path. Just walking in their shade soothes the mind.

Indeed, if a relaxing holiday is what you are after, and scaling mountains is too strenuous for you, Guangyuan has two other attractions to appeal to the more cerebral.

The county lays claim to being the birthplace of China's only empress, Wu Zetian (AD 624-705), and offers sites to explore stories behind the great woman.

Huangze Temple, sitting on the waist of a mountain, houses the only gold-plated statue of Wu Zetian in China. The statue is 1.8 meters high and carved out of monolithic sandstone, and is more than 1,300 years old.

A Buddha cave on top of the temple area is an eye-opener. The horseshoe-shaped cave is about 7 meters high and houses several tall-standing Buddha figures. They are sculptures from the early Tang Dynasty (AD 618-907).