JanieM
To recap: I visited my son Jamie for several weeks in February 2010. He was teaching in Yulin, Shaanxi province, which is about 500 miles west/southwest of Beijing and not far from Inner Mongolia. It’s situated on the Loess Plateau, with a dry, dusty feel to the land and often the air. Dust storms can blow up, and though it isn’t actually a desert, it’s not the least bit lush, either.
One of the “sights” associated with Yulin is a fortress called Zhenbeitai, along with a nearby remnant of the Great Wall. Another is a “pagoda” in the hills outside the city. Both are subjects of this set of pictures, and good illustrations of the landscape.
Located on a hilltop at the edge of the city, Zhenbeitai is a fortress and watchtower along the route of the Great Wall.