中文
     
    Home> Local
    The Way to Wudang
    By Zhu Linyong ( China Daily )
    Updated: 2010-08-24

     The Way to Wudang

    American Raphael Robert Zanders-McNeil practices Wudang jianfa at the Wudang Taoist Kungfu Academy on Mount Wudang, Hubei province. Photos by Zhu Linyong / China Daily

    Hubei province's Mount Wudang is a Mecca for Taoists and martial arts pilgrims keen to learn the way of the fist and tai chi, Zhu Linyong reports

    Summer is the best season to experience Mount Wudang, a mist-shrouded Taoist Mecca in central Hubei province. Most visitors arrive in the morning, pay homage at the Taoist monasteries, climb a stairway to the awe-inspiring Golden Palace on the mountain peak, and leave at dusk.

    A handful choose to stay for a night or two, so as to enjoy a more relaxed tour of the scenic spots.

    Fewer still, such as Elizabeta Skuber Osterman, a Chinese studies expert from Slovenia, stay longer to experience the natural beauty of the mountain, Taoist culture and the legendary Wudang kungfu.

    Osterman has been training at the Wudang Taoist Kungfu Academy since April.

    The 21-year-old Wudang kungfu training center near Purple Heaven Palace is the largest and best-preserved Taoist compound on the more than 1,600-meter mountain, which is the headquarters of the Wudang Taoist Association.

    Under the leadership of the association, the organization has drawn increasing attention from kungfu enthusiasts seeking an alternative destination to the Shaolin Temple in central Henan province.

    Osterman's one-month stay at Wudang was a 60th birthday present from her son, daughter-in-law and friends in 2009.

    "I had a great time, lots of exercise, Taoist philosophy and meditation under the tutelage of such kungfu masters as Guan Yongxing and Li Tengfei," says Osterman, who visits again this summer.

     The Way to Wudang

    Taoist kungfu teacher Ming Zhengwang guides a special class for kids.

    The daily routine included a morning Taoist scripture chanting session at 5:30 am in the temple, morning and afternoon training sessions in Wudang tai chi, and Taoist lectures in the early evening.

    She also learned traditional Chinese healthcare from Taoist doctors such as Wang Taike and Zhu Huaying; and learned to play the guqin, the seven-stringed, plucked Chinese instrument, from Taoist nun Fang Chongyi.

    She describes Wudang as a "holy land" of "extraordinary Taoist kungfu masters, magnificent natural beauty, pure-hearted nuns, warm-hearted priests, as well as refreshing vegetarian foods".

    In Osterman's view, Taoism is not just a metaphysical theory but a better way of life.

    "Being modest, natural, retaining tranquility and purity of the heart are the greatest treasures that I have received by studying Taoism and practicing Taoist kungfu," she says.

    Jackie Sheargold, a massage therapist from New Zealand, shares the same passion as Osterman.

    She has visited the academy for five consecutive years, to improve her tai chi skills.

    Back home, Sheargold has practiced qigong, and tai chi for at least 10 years, and has used Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) to help cure her clients.

    "I have progressed to the point that I am really enjoying Taoist philosophy and I'm trying to incorporate it into my life," she says.

    For Raphael Robert Zanders-McNeil, a Chinese language major from San Francisco, learning Wudang kungfu has been a dream since he was a teenager when he watched a movie featuring Wudang Taoist warriors.

       Previous page 1 2 Next page  

     
    Video
    Specials



     
     
    亚洲精品无码不卡在线播HE| 中文字幕人妻无码系列第三区| 人妻无码精品久久亚瑟影视| 中文字幕国产91| 亚洲日韩v无码中文字幕| 97久久精品无码一区二区天美| 亚洲性无码一区二区三区| 午夜视频在线观看www中文| 人妻丰满?V无码久久不卡| 日韩免费无码视频一区二区三区| 日韩在线中文字幕制服丝袜 | 日韩三级中文字幕| 国产中文欧美日韩在线| 亚洲不卡无码av中文字幕| 国产成人精品无码播放| 免费精品无码AV片在线观看| 亚洲AV无码码潮喷在线观看| 精品无码国产自产在线观看水浒传| 中文字幕精品一区影音先锋| 婷婷综合久久中文字幕蜜桃三电影| 亚洲精品无码日韩国产不卡?V| 99国产精品无码| 国产成人无码久久久精品一| AV大片在线无码永久免费| 少妇伦子伦精品无码STYLES| 亚洲AV无码成人精品区蜜桃 | 无码国产午夜福利片在线观看| 人妻丰满熟妇aⅴ无码| 亚洲中文字幕无码专区| 久久久久久无码国产精品中文字幕| 免费无码中文字幕A级毛片| 中文在线资源天堂WWW| 中文字幕乱码人在线视频1区| 影院无码人妻精品一区二区| 中文字幕 亚洲 有码 在线| A最近中文在线| 在线中文字幕播放| 中文精品99久久国产 | 亚洲VA中文字幕无码一二三区| 亚洲AV无码一区东京热久久 | 日韩精品无码Av一区二区|