I asked local people about how to get to Heri but no one could understand Mandarin. Finally I made it clear that Heri was very far from the county town and I couldn't go and return in one day. Vehicles to Heri were few, but I managed to find a tiny and shabby van in the end. As it had snowed not long ago, the road was slippery and the driver had to drive very slowly.

After three hours of hard journey, we eventually arrived safe and sound. To my surprise, buildings in Heri looked very new and beautiful. Two-story apartments decorated with tiles lined up along the town's small streets. I was told that the local government had renovated those buildings recently.

The Tibetan driver was so kind that he drove me to Heri Temple, which was dozens of miles from the town. It was around 4 o'clock and the sun began to set in the winter's plateau. It was the perfect time for taking photos.

  Mysterious and Magnificent Prayer Stones

Heri Temple, where the carved stone wall is located, was built 174 years ago and is surrounded by snow-capped mountains, appearing solemn and sacred. Over the decades, many highly skilled artisans have left superbly carved prayer stones.

After I took some panoramic pictures, I walked around the temple and came across a handicapped, shabbily dressed Tibetan woman. She sat on the cold floor and strenuously pushed around the sutra prayer tubes. Her eyes were blurred but filled with peace and persistence. A group of Tibetan women also pushed around sutra prayer tubes in the temple. When they saw my cameras, they turned away their faces, because they believed that this queer object would take their souls away.

As no one understood Mandarin, I couldn't ask where the wall was and had to find it by myself. After I passed the narrow path of the temple in the back, I succeeded and saw the wall. The whole carved stone wall, like a huge dam, stood on top of the hill behind the temple. It stood there silently, but conveyed something mysterious.

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