www.Longfei-Taiji.co.uk	Longfei Taijiquan Association of Great Britain
		Longfei Newsletter Volume 7 Issue 3

China: the Middle Kingdom

In May I joined an Archers Direct 21-day tour of the Middle Kingdom. I have previously travelled to the far east over 20 times, always under my own steam and never as a tourist. Firstly, the tour is wonderfully well organised: a combination of Archers administration and the on-site care of the local guides who came care of China International Travel Services. We were met at Beijing airport by one Michael Zhang who travelled with us for 19 days throughout China but was unable to accompany us on the last leg to Hongkong. The one country two systems policy obviously does not accommodate the free flow of citizens back and forth through the two territories. The tour was to include four internal flights, two train journeys and two boat trips. On arrival at each destination we were always met promptly by the local guide with the necessary transport close at hand. In all we were to travel the best part of three thousand miles. In addition we were also to journey from Beijing to Hongkong and back.

The local guides were an invaluable source of local geographical data, historical facts, Buddhist and Taoist deities and philosophy. They knew where to shop, where to get a massage, who was good at sticking the acupuncture needles in you, etc. Michael did tell us he had a degree in tourism and apart from his tourist guide skills he was a great story teller regaling us with humorous stories with the odd western joke thrown in (humour is of course international, however western jokes get an extra lift when told in Chinese/English). Our informative guide pointed out that there were three forms of English spoken in China. American/English, English/English and of course Chinglish.

Each of these guides was able talk about politics, Mao Zedong, the past, the present, how their families were affected by communist rule and the cultural revolution, perhaps all very taboo subjects in the recent past. One young lady guide (in her 30s) said that as a young girl she could never in her wildest dreams imagine a car parked outside her home. An amusing comment from one young male guide with regard to the one child policy and the preponderance of male babies. An aspiring bride's interrogation of a suitor would be, "are you in possession of the three Cs?" (1) do you own a condo? (2) do you own a car? (3) do you have a credit card?

The tour covered the cities of Beijing, Nanjing, Wuxi, Suzhou, Shanghai, Chongqing, Xian, then returning to Beijing for the journey to Hongkong. At different times in China's history, four of these cities have been among the seven historical capitals of China.

Nanjing

"The Southern Capital" with the Yangtze to the north and surrounded on the other three sides by hills, Nanjing was considered to be of great strategic importance with a village existence traced back 5000 years. Male and female skulls - " Nanjing Man" - were discovered in 1993 in Tangshan Cave near Nanjing. These skulls were initially thought to be 150,000 years old. The latest evaluation of the find by scientists and paleontologists with 21st century technology is that the skulls are over 500,000 years old. After the fall of the last emperor and the founding of the first republic, Dr Sun Yat-Sen declared Nanjing the capital of the Republic of China in 1912. The trip included a visit to the revolutionary leader's mausoleum, the famous Zhongu Gate, a Confucian Temple and the market.

Chongqing

Originally the main city of Sichuan province, in 1997 it was declared China's fourth municipality (the other three are Beijing, Tianjin and Shanghai). Chongqing now runs its own administration under the direct control of the central government, instead of Sichuan Province. Chongqing became the Chinese capital during the Sino/Japanese war (1937 - 1945) it was here where the Koumintang government retreated during the conflict. Surrounded by mountains invariably shrouded in mist, the Japanese forces never gained access to this wartime capital. Before radar and sophisticated navigation systems it was immune from Japanese war planes. Its nickname was the mountain city. Chongqing is where the Yangtsze River, Three Gorges Cruise terminates. After disembarking and on the way to the airport we managed a visit to the old city and included a trip to the zoo, famous for its pandas and tigers.

Xian

The whole world must be aware of the city that is famous for the Terracotta Warriors discovered at the site of the first Emperor's funeral vault. Whatever pictures are brought to mind from media presentations, nothing will prepare you for this awe inspiring spectacle - the sheer size of the location, 8000 warriors, horses and chariots - and yet all the sites have not yet been investigated. The staggering statistics that come alive when you are on the site, 750,000 slaves were involved over a 36-year period preparing, digging, creating the warriors. One has to ponder on the massive ego of the perpetrator of this amazing construction. And to think as soon as he was dead, a revolution did its best to destroy the funeral vault. Emperor Qinshihuang's mausoleum is now acclaimed as the "Eighth Wonder of the World". Xian is the capital of Shanxi Province and is located on the Yellow River in Northwest China.

Beijing

I have previously travelled to the present capital many times and in recent years have taken parties of 30 on training and sightseeing tours. This tour included some of the more familiar tourist attractions, The Forbidden City, Tiananmen Square, The Great Wall, Ming Tombs, The Temple of Heaven and The Summer Palace. On this occasion one was truly impressed with the tremendous transformation and makeover that is taking place in preparation for the 2008 Olympics. All the historic building are involved, the Forbidden City, the Summer Palace, the Temple of Heaven, the Zoo and the Olympic Sports Centre, where the previously mentioned Wushu competition will be held.

Everywhere we travelled in China we were impressed with this industrious nation. In the west the media forecasts that China will be the world's leading nation by mid-century. In every city and province we moved through there are new motorways, multi spaghetti junctions new buildings, monorails etc. My opinion, for what its worth, is at the rate they are pushing ahead they will not be hanging around till mid-century.

Wuxi and Suzhou

Leaving Nanjing we took a train to the city of Wuxi in Jiangsu Province situated on the Yangtze River Delta, known as one of the four "little dragons" of Southeast China due to its progress in carrying out economic programmes for redevelopment. Wuxi is known for one of China's most famous industries - silk production. Another claim to Wuxi's fame are the gardens of Xihui Park and Jichang Gardens (with a relaxing translation, "Ease of Mind Gardens") which we managed to visit before taking a canal boat journey to Suzhou. This was a great opportunity to chill out and get to know our fellow travellers over a few Chinese brandies.

Suzhou is situated at the mouth of the Yangtze and just a 100km from our next stop, Shanghai. This city also known for its silk industry and its famous beautiful gardens, has been referred to as the "Venice of the Orient". The older part of the town is still a city of canals and we were to spend a pleasant hour or so boating around them.

One of the highlights of the visit to Suzhou was a tour of a silk factory. I have previously spent time in porcelain production plants, jade factories, art galleries and watched the production of Cloisione Pottery. However this was my first experience of the silk process. The tour began with a lecture and presentation of the entire process, from the worm to the loom, a guided trip through the method of producing silk thread, weaving and finished articles and garments. For all taiji practitioners there is a fascination with the idea of silk reeling or drawing silk from the cocoon (Chan Ssu Jin of Chen style taiji), the understanding of which is held to be the cornerstone of taijiquan practice. It was very difficult to resist the great variety of silk garments available in the shop. The most popular item appeared to be silk duvet covers. The next leg of the adventure was a short train journey to Shanghai for a two-night stay.

Shanghai

Known before World War II as the "Paris of the Orient", Shanghi is on the Yangtze River estuary in East China. The city is the second largest in terms of population and enjoys central administration, as does Beijing. It is now one of China's most important industrial areas. There are many relics left from the old international settlements, European quarters and the French concession areas. Considered at one time to be a paradise for playboys and adventurers, 1000 years ago it was a fishing village subject to frequent visits from Japanese pirates. When British troops arrived in 1842 it was still a small town, but with increasing signs of future wealth. After the first opium war there were many foreign settlements: American, British, French and the Japanese.

Pre-revolution Shanghai was considered a rich and decadent metropolis and it remains one of China's most sophisticated cities. Our sightseeing visits included, the Bund, Shanghai's famous riverside boulevard; Nanjing Road, the Chinese attempt to emulate "Fifth Avenue" or the "Champs Elysees"; the Yu Yuan Garden; and the Jade Buddha Temple. In the evening we ascended to the 88th floor of a famous building to view the city by night, quite amazing! We also took in a trip to the theatre for a wonderful vibrant two-hour display of acrobatics. On the way to the airport the following morning we stopped off at The Shanghai Museum of Urban Planning (sounds terribly boring but in fact it was the very opposite) which houses a fascinating exhibition detailing past and future life in Shanghai. The exhibition was over three floors and included a cinema helicopter trip over the city.

Next stop, Shanghai Airport and flight to Yi Chang for the Yangtze River cruise.

Yangtze River

We were to spend four nights aboard the cruise ship President No.4. This is quite simply a floating hotel with comparable facilities. The ship has a restaurant, ballroom, bars, inner and outer viewing areas, barbers, beauty shop, massage rooms, laundry service, shopping centre, sun bar on the top deck. If you have any ailments there is a TCM doctor on board who administers acupuncture, cupping and massage. I tried him out for some shoulder pain and discomfort I have experienced for several months. Three 45-minute treatments and I left the boat without the complaint.

This whole experience would require a book to record in full. Travel through the Three Gorges cannot be adequately described - you have to be there. The Three Gorges Dam Five Stage Ship Lock and the whole Three Gorges Dam Project is and I quote "one of the most incredible engineering projects ever undertaken". During the journey along the river and the gorges there are several excursions (not a lot of time to put your feet up). One day we took a smaller boat up the Shennong stream or the Lessor Three Gorges. On another day we disembarked to visit the Ghost City of Fendu. The river journey terminates at Chongching. Every evening on the ship there is entertainment provided by the crew and the passengers are encouraged to join in. After the show there is dancing till midnight. The food on the boat is of high quality with a buffet breakfast and excellent Chinese cuisine for lunch and dinner. I have it in mind to include this four day excursion on one of Longfei's biannual training trips.

Richard Watson

Longfei Newsletter Volume 7 Issue 3 Table of Contents