Wudang Mountain Trip

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Last Thursday, we had a day off of training so a group of us decided to take a trip up the mountain for the day. After a hearty breakfast at the local hotel which has extremely cheap local eats (ie rugan mian, xiaolongbao, baozi etc), we hopped into one of the many mini taxis here in Wudang to get to the park entrance. They don’t look particularly sturdy, but they still manage to get passengers from point A to point B. We fit 3 small people into ours which is like 1-1.5 standard Americans. Upon closer inspection, I realized that it was basically a motorcycle with a shell and two back wheels. I have even seen large three wheeled construction vehicles with the same configuration. Once inside with our ticket, we hopped a bus to each of the destination locations: Princess Slope, Monkey Valley, Purple Cloud Temple, and Nanyan Temple. It was a bright and clear day so we had great views of the valleys and of Wudang city from above.

Wudangshan is the Daoist holy land. Pilgrams and tourists alike are drawn to its Daoist monasteries, palaces and temples which were built as an organized complex during the Ming Dynasty, and contain Taoist buildings from as early as the 7th century. They represent the highest standards of Chinese art and architecture over a period of nearly 1,000 years and were designated an UNESCO World Heritage site in 1994. An important figure here in Wudang is Zhang San Feng, the legendary Daoist priest from the 14th century who became enlightened by the Dao and created taijiquan after observing a fight between a snake and a bird. It is here in the Wudang mountains that Master Yuan came to study Wudang wushu in 1991 and was accepted as the 15th generation disciple by Master Zhong Yun Long of the Wudang SanFeng Sect.

Another central figure of Daosim is Lao Zu incarnate, Emperor Zhen Wu. According to Daoist Canon, he was a prince who, at the age of 14, refused his position as King and went to Wudang to cultivate himself. He attained enlightenment after 42 years and was named the God of the North over the God of Thunder, wiping out the devils and helping sufferers. For his achievements, he was named Xuantian Emperor and his statue is now seen and honored in the Purple Cloud Temple. This temple is the quintessential image seen in any movie representing Wudang including, Ang Lee’s Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, though it was not filmed on location. Perching on the South Cliff, Nanyan Temple is known as the place where Emperor Zhen Wu found Daoism and flew to heaven. The whole structure - hall-pillars, beams, arches, gates and windows - is created out of rock. We arrived there in there in the afternoon after a late lunch and it was wonderful to just look out over the valley towards the setting sun. Before returning to town, we stopped in a shop selling scrolls, teapots, and Daoist tea and enjoyed several cups of green tea rolled in ginseng.

The "nature" stop on our tour was Monkey Valley which as the name implies, was a valley full of monkeys. I always come to places where wild animals and people routinely intersect with a little apprehension. Particularly with very smart mammals. Of course, these animals are used to people visiting and you can buy peanuts or bring oranges for them to eat. In the main visiting area, some monkeys are even tied by some rope so that they remain in view even if the others are off in the trees somewhere. The babies, of course, are adorable especially when they climb trees, jump into the nearby streams and dog paddle around. The adolescents are still sweet as they come up to you for more peanuts or try to steal them from your bag, but are are still fearful enough to run away. The adult males are another story. Basically it is just smarter to avoid going near them if possible. We had an encounter with one where he would not let us return on a bridge over the stream. From his leaps, lunges, and body posturing, we knew we were in his territory so we backed out and found another route across the water.

It was a lovely outing, though we did not make it to the tippy top to see the Golden Temple. I'll try to make it up there on the next break. Or I might just rest up for another week of kicking and punching.

Dao ke Dao, feichang Dao

The Wudang Taoist Traditional Kungfu Academy has been my home away from home away from home for little over two weeks. Set in the base of the Wudang mountains, it is a very interesting slice of Chinese life that is very different from Shanghai. Because Wudangshan is on a frequently used rail line running between Wuhan and Chongqing, the ubiquitous sounds of train horns, heard all day and all night, remind us big busy places far away. Some mornings, before my 5:45 am alarm even goes off and while it is still pitch black outside, I wake to the sound of fireworks and to the bright light it flashes on my walls. During morning qigong practice, we may hear traditional Daoist music and more fireworks from the nearby Daoist temple signifying either a wedding, a funeral, or a new birth. As the dawn light brightens the basketball court where we practice qigong, many birds, that I am eager to identify, clear the muzziness in my head with their sweet song.

On our daily walks to the Yuxu palace grounds for practice, I can really see what small town life in China is like. There are rows and rows of vegetables grown not only in the large fields adjacent to the school, but also in smaller plots right next to the road. Next to the fields is a concrete structure serving as a public toilet that I can only guess eventually acts as compost for the gardens. According to modern public health policies, “nightsoil” is no longer permitted to be used in food production, but I’ve heard it is still practiced here. Wafts of air coming down the mountain also carry the scent of human waste from the toilets to the basketball court making me wonder some mornings, how beneficial qigong can be under these circumstances. Up the hill, orange trees are ready for harvest and their fruits can be found on every corner in Wudang. In fact, these sweet and sour oranges are so plentiful that some locals will just peel the oranges, toss the fruit, and dry the peels in the sun to use or sell as herbal medicine. Another common sight as I walk to class, are of babies and young children all of whom have an opening in the seat of their pants. Even on cold days when the babies are wearing so many layers that they look like Michelin man, their poor little bums are exposed to the air. Diapers are rarely used here, perhaps because they are too expensive or inconvenient. What could be more convenient than a vent in the pants that allows your child to squat, wherever they are, do their business and walk away. Strolling down the main pedestrian walkway from the school, I passed two mothers that were holding their babies of maybe 3-4 months close to the ground and making “shhhhhhhhhhh” noises to train their baby to urinate or defecate on command. I have heard of this method of potty training in the US but was not sure of how it could actually be put into practice. In the US, you still have to find a toilet or a sink, whereas in China, the street will do just fine. I now have even more sympathy for the under appreciated street cleaners..

Wudang Taoist kungfu, though not as well known as Shaolin, is beginning to pull more and more visitors to Wudangshan each year. I’ve been told that Shaolin has already lost it’s original charm and has now turned into something like Disneyland with hotels, performance halls, and tours full of picture snapping vacationers. Unfortunately, it appears that Wudang may suffer a similar fate. In the time I’ve been here, I’ve seen new renovations begun on Yuxu palace where we practice, new roads are being laid, walls built up around the train tracks, sidewalks paved, etc. Soon enough, the school itself will be moved to another location to accommodate more tourist related services.

There seems to be an even stronger push more recently to upgrade the road conditions because of the upcoming 3rd World Traditional Wushu Championship that is being held at the end of this month in Shiyan, a city about 45 minutes from Wudang. This competition will certainly bring more visitors to the area around the Yuxu palace and to the Wudang mountain temples. It is an international event and several of the foreign students from our school will perform in the opening ceremonies. Each country is only allowed a certain number of participants so countries with lots of support for wushu, like the US and China, have already met their quota, whereas places like Holland and Scotland still need representatives. I am excited that I will still be in town for this event and to avoid the exhorbitant ticket cost, I’ve been designated the “doctor” for the US wushu team. Jian, the school administrator found a loophole to bring students to the competition as spectators since each country can bring one doctor, one teacher, and one coach. Our Sifu, Yuan Xiu Gang will participate in the championship and will train for it up until it begins on Oct 28th. Unfortunately for me, I will not get much training time with him since I leave in the beginning of November.

Arup Cup

Matt’s Post: Once a year the greatest structural engineering minds in East Asia meet for one weekend. What do they do, you ask? They play soccer. The day after I returned to Shanghai, I went to Beijing to play in the 3^rd annual Arup Cup. The four offices from Hong Kong, Shenzen, Beijing, and Shanghai all bring a soccer team and cheerleaders (cheerleaders!) to play against each other for the Cup. I’ve been playing once a week after work since I got here, and now it was time for the big show. We were hoping we could play in the Bird’s nest, but apparently it was difficult to book. It was a lot of fun, and everyone was quite into the games. We ended up with third place, we all played well. We all stayed in the same hotel on Saturday night, complete with a bonfire, free beer (free beer!), and kebabs. It was great fun, I got to hang out with many of the people in the office that I don’t get to talk to very much. We drove by the CCTV building, which I must say is completely amazing. It is massive, aggressive, and totally unbelievable. We took a quick trip through the bird’s nest and the water cube and I realized that I am a lucky kid. Click here for more photos.

Mawiage

I flew home on Oct. 2^nd to marry off my Sister. You may ask yourself, “Couldn’t she wait until her brother comes home from China?” Funny, I asked myself the same question! The answer is no. Seriously, it was quite an experience to transition from my newly acquired status as a random whiteboy in Shanghai directly into the company all of my extended family in Denver overnight. Everything in America felt so spacious, I could read all of the signs, I could understand all of the conversations around me, etc. It was a wonderful, heartfelt ceremony. All of the guests were asked to help with some part of the wedding instead of bringing gifts. Some people said they knew a great band, one friend made the cake, Rachel’s friends were on top of everything, it all went very smoothly. Rach and Mike wrote their own vows and kept them a secret from each other until the ceremony. The parents of the bride and groom, as well as my Aunt Susie, spoke during the ceremony. It was intense, I was bawling. I didn’t really have a job other than to stagger around bewilderedly from jetlag as entertainment. The two families got along great, here are a few more photos.

Happy Golden Kungfu Pants

It’s the first day of break since starting my training here at Wudang and I can’t remember being more sore in my whole life. It’s a good kind of soreness, I think. The rumor around here is that after a couple months of this training intensity, you won’t be sore. Too bad I won’t be here long enough to experience that! These first few days here have just flown by. I’m really having a great time learning and pushing myself (or being pushed) to be stronger and more flexible. The 28 movement tai chi form that I’ve started learning contains basic movements similar to those found in the Yang style, but with subtle differences that I doubt I could elucidate clearly. It is a beautiful and challenging form and I look forward to internalizing it over the next few weeks.

It’s hard to imagine being in such a small town in China and having such a full schedule that I barely have time to finish a book or write in my blog. We start the day, everyday except for Thursdays, at 6 am where we practice Five Animals qigong or tai chi for about an hour then have breakfast at 7:30. At 8:25, we gather at the school entrance and walk over to the Yuxu Gong, or Yuxu palace grounds just adjacent to the school for morning training till 11am. Lunch is at noon and then we have a break until the second round of training from 4 to 6 pm at the palace pavillion. Dinner is at 7 and evening meditation runs from 8:30 to 9:30pm. During the afternoon break, I often find myself dozing off while studying or reading since the warmest place to be is in bed. The school is entirely concrete and designed so that all the hallways, the stairwells, and the first floor are completely open to the elements. This lends to a cold and damp environment inside even when outside it’s actually warm-ish. Mold is a problem as is the dust that wafts in from nearby construction.

Typical morning and afternoon trainings start with intense stretching of the muscles that have been shredded by the practice the day before. One of the goals is to touch your toes to your chin and some of the foreign students are quite close. I, on the other hand, have quite a ways to go especially now that I’ve lost my original flexibility from using my muscles in a way they haven’t been used in a long time Once "stretched", we line up in 4 or 5 lines. The young Chinese students lead the kicking, walking forward and kicking very fast with a shuffle between each step. Skill levels decrease as the lines move forward and everyone watches and waits as you (I) shuffle my way down the practice area. One of the hardest parts I found was doing all the kicks with a straight leg. Front kicks, inside half moons, outside half moons, round house, stomping kicks, toe flicking kicks… all of them fast, high, and while shuffling forward. Then the hard kicks follow with high jumps and spinning kicks which for the time being, I totally suck at. The kids and the resident foreigners who have been practicing for 2-6 years are pretty amazing to watch. For me, it’s certainly been a good exercise in accepting embarrassment, dropping the ego, and just trying my best to make it across the practice area without falling on my face. After about 45 minutes of kicking or punching, form practice follows with one of the many non-English speaking coaches. Here again, I find I am able to “understand” what they are trying to get across with a mixture of hand gestures and the tone of their statements. I’m actually called upon to “translate” at times for the foreigners here who have no basic Chinese under their belt.

At the school, everyone gets tailor made kungfu pants made of thin soft material with an elastic band at the waist and at the ankles. An important part of training in martial arts is having the proper attire that allows freedom of movement. My bright yellow pair may not be the most stylish, but they are extremely comfortable, loose, flowing, and perfect when all you have are squat toilets at your disposal. I love em! Unlike most womens' workout pants, they hang loosely from the waist rather than hugging the hips and butt. Best of all, they are under 10$ US to have made. If anyone is interested in a pair, email me your waist, ankle-hip measurements and color preference. Most basic colors are available including red, yellow, blue, white, and black. adrienne.kam@gmail.com

Weekend at Grandma's

Last weekend I made a quick trip to Hong Kong via Shenzhen to renew my visa before I left for Wudang mountains. It was my first opportunity to spend time alone with my grandmother where we could really talk and catch up. The language of our conversations flowed from Mandarin to English to Cantonese, whichever was more convenient. My grandmother was very excited that I was studying Mandarin and from one side of her mouth, was teaching me Shanghai-hua and out the other, was telling me to focus my energy only on Putonghua (Mandarin). She, not surprisingly, is still learning English and actually speaks it quite well. At 82 years old, she’s busy as ever trying to finish reading all the books on her shelves. In her duplex like dwelling, the main floor is dominated by bookcases filled with books, jars of herbs, vitamins, and photos of family. In fact, dried herbs can be found in just about every nook and cranny of her little place. Since she retired some 15-20 years ago, she has studied Chinese herbal medicine and used it to take care of her family and friends.

Grandma had lunch waiting for me when I arrived Friday afternoon that was partly prepared by Catherine, the housekeeper that comes once a day to clean and cook. It was one of the freshest and most delicious lunches since coming to China. We had my absolute favorite vegetable, choy sum, which is a Cantonese specialty and very similar to another favorite gai lan. So sweet! I’m totally inspired to find a regular supply in Austin when I return. We also had steamed pumpkin which was in season and stewed pork which my grandmother marinated for 5 days. Yum! I realized just recently that I am very much a Cantonese diner. The day before I left Shanghai for HK, Matt and I went to a Cantonese restaurant near his work and ordered choy sum and a dish that contained shrimp paste. The waitress was distressed that the flavor of that dish would be too strong for us and asked if we wanted to order something else. I was confused at first, but said that we don’t mind, bring it on! It was great and actually it made me realize I’ve been missing that flavor in my own cooking.

In the afternoon, we went to the Tai Po Market to get more groceries. Grandma doesn’t drive much except to go to the subway station or to the market but she can back into a space like a pro. Never even turns her head – uses mirrors all the way. This market was somewhat similar to the one near my apartment in Shanghai except MUCH cleaner. Much more spacious, hygienic, and brightly lit. We got some really nice Korean apple pears, American red pears, and some Chinese dates. I’ve only had dates when they are dried so I was completely surprised when I bit into these dates and found they tasted just like a little apples.

At the market we picked up some live shrimp and when we got home, we decided to boil them up and dip in soy sauce for appetizers. This is a very popular and common dish that I’ve had many times in my life. I realized that I wasn’t exactly sure how it was prepared and my grandmother was also at a loss when it came to the specifics. I half jokingly suggested we call my mother who is the chef in the family and would certainly know the proper steps. It was quite a hilarious sight, grandmother and granddaughter floundering around in the kitchen with a bag of bouncing shrimp while the knowledge of cooking them skipped my grandmother to my mom, then skipped me. In the end, we rinsed them then dumped them in boiling water. They were fabulous and just like I remember. The next day my grandma said she was really worried that we would be poisoned by the shrimp, but we survived and ate the leftovers in a stirfry.

Saturday morning I caught the first presidential debate on Pearl TV. I just don’t think I can bear the thought of McCain winning this election. It gives me the most horrible sinking sensation in my gut. His contempt for Obama was clear as day and came off almost like a whine. My grandmother calls Obama “Bahama” and McCain, the old man. She thinks McCain must be very smart, but that he’s too old to be president.

We spent the afternoon riding on the subway and looking for bookstores. My grandmother really wanted to find some Chinese medicine classics in English for me to read, but alas, none could be found. In the evening, we had dinner with Uncle Dennis, Aunt Lorraine, and Lena, my youngest cousin. It was a brief reunion because they were leaving for the Netherlands so my uncle could get a hip replacement. After dinner, we watched a movie my grandmother kept because the protagonist reminded her of my grandfather when he was a Chinese soldier before they moved to Hong Kong. Assembly is a bleak and gruesome account of the 1948 civil war in China between the PLA (Peoples liberation army) and KMT (Nationalist army). It’s a deeply moving film about the camaraderie found between soldiers and how difficult it can be for a professional soldier to acclimate to life without his brothers and without an enemy.

I had a lovely time visiting my Grandma. She is such a tough yet delicate lady. She’s very in tune with her body and what it needs. For the most part, she has lead a very healthy lifestyle and practiced tai chi, qi gong, and meditation for a long time. She recently had a colonoscopy and her doctor said her intestines were “beautiful”!. She was very excited that I was coming to Wudang mountains and even said that since her health is good, she may come up to visit me. She advised that I be like an empty cup, and let the Tao fill me with knowledge and understanding. I think she really hopes that I will have “natural talent” for qigong and tai chi and that I won’t know it until I “touch” it. We shall see, I’m not too hellbent on it. I’m just here to learn and study while having fun. I love the movements and trying to get my mind to work with my body rather than against it. I can see my grandmother has a natural fluidity even when she just stands and turns. She’s a real inspiration. It’ll be great to see her again when my brother comes in December.

Kungfu Kapow!!

It’s too much like a dream. How could it be that I am attending a Taoist kungfu school in the Wudang mountains in China? I’m practically 32, married to the most wonderful husband, a new career in the works, kids in the near future and suddenly I find myself in tiny mountain town, 20 hours by train from Shanghai. I arrived yesterday afternoon after spending most of my day on the train reading The Soong Dynasty, looking out at the country side, and dozing off. The benedryl I took the night before must have lingered on in my system.
The school is right in Wudang city at the base of the famous Wudang mountains and very close to the train station. In fact we can hear every train that blows through, night and day. The air is fresh and damp from the rain, and the misty sky just adds to the mystique of the mountains. After dinner I talked with one of the students here who is planning to stay here for 6 years. Master Yuan teaches a 3-5 year program where I guess you learn everything from kungfu, tai chi, xingyi, bagua, qi gong, weapons, medicine, taoist philosophy and meditation. I think the recommended age is 18-25 and there are at least a couple of guys here that will go through the program. Right now there are about 14 international students including 3 women. Many are from the US but some are from Australia, Holland, and Switzerland. Every evening there is an hour of meditation that is preceded and ended with lots of stretching. Except for my legs which kept going completely numb from doing a full lotus, it was a nice end to my first day here. I was still so excited last night I could barely sleep.

My room overlooks the front courtyard and faces what looks like the main part of town. It’s bare and rustic with a bed, a desk and a chair which is perfect for studying without distraction. There are communal bathrooms and showers down the hall and every Wednesday there is a school wide cleanup. The school also houses numerous young Chinese boys who are also studying kungfu and were brought from Sifu’s hometown. So there is a nice and family oriented atmosphere and so far I’m quite happy to be here. My first practice begins today so I’m sure I’ll be quite sore by tomorrow. Wish me luck!