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Sifu Garry Sifu Linda Shaolin Temple

Roots of Wing Chun China Tour

Zhengzhou – Henan

Yellow River and Shaolin Temple

Just re hashing over some highlights from our 4 days in Beijing.

Snack street delicacies, scorpion, star fish, silk worms, centipedes and tarantulas.

Wow, what a spectacle!

The Rickshaw ride around the Hutong, took me back in time.

I felt like I was part of the culture. How amazing!

Before the Hutong we visited the Bell/Drum Tower.

The history surrounding this monumental structure was awesome.

Atop the tower one had a straight line of sight to the Forbidden City.

The road is called the spine of the Earth Dragon.

Walking to Tian an Men Square, Forbidden City and Mao Tse Tung’s Tomb is a must for all.

The size of the Square and Forbidden City is inconceivable.

The grandeur and opulence of the Forbidden City is prohibitive.

The Emperors certainly existed and ruled in a time of glory and achievement.

The Shaolin Kung Fu live show we attended at the Red Theatre.

The story line was magnificent, along with the kung fu performances.

Last but not least was the journey to the Great Wall of China.

What can I say, except, “what a humbling experience”.

Roots of Wing Chun 2nd Leg of Journey

The Jee Shin Wing Chun Group boarded the Fast Train and headed towards Zhengzhou.

This area is home of the Yellow River and Shaolin Temple.

The journey was 750 kms long and took about 6 hours.

Zhengzhou is a bustling City of 13 million.

All the timing for our pre organized pick up from the train station went to perfection.

After a speedy check in at our Hotel we all jumped into our Coach and drove to the Yellow River.

The Yellow river is both historical and very spiritual.

On the side of a Mountain overlooking the River are 2 monumental, large sculptures.

The figures are the 2 most significant Emperors of China.

The Yellow Emperor Xuanyan-shi wrote the classis book of medicine “the Nei Jing”.

The First Emperor, Fu Hsi, watched a turtle emerge from the Yellow River and wrote the I Ching and Baqua.

Looking at these majestic figures atop the mountain overlooking the Yellow river left me in total awe.

The next day the Jee Shin Wing Chun group traveled by Coach to Mt Songshan.

This is the place of the legendary Shaolin Temple.

Mount Shaoshi or Songshan Mountain is where the Temple is situated.

We had to travel through Deng Feng to reach the temple.

Inside the Temple we were privy to a Shaolin Monk demonstration which was second to none.

Their martial prowess has to be seen to be believed. The Temple itself was magnificent.

We were lucky to go into their living quarters and see where they eat.

The entrance of the temple is ornate with ancient trees full of bullet holes.

The monks use for iron finger training.

We managed to perform some wing chun forms during our stroll around the Temple.

Words sometimes cannot fully explain the visual spectacle one experiences.

As one walks past the Temple, there is the Pagoda forest.

In the past there were 289 pagodas commemorating deceased Shaolin Monks.

Some have been shamefully burnt down due to Wars.

A cable car ride took us to the top of the Mountain which had some snow cover.

As I peered cross the vast valley I could vaguely see a Temple built into the side of a sheer cliff face.

It would take about 3 hours to walk there. What an amazing spectacle.

After 2 days and nights in Zhengzhou, we are all excited to embark on our next adventure across China.