Wu Dang Shan - 武當山
Posted On Saturday, May 24, 2008 at at 12:21 AM by AlvinWu Dang (武當) is a sacred and premier Taoist religious monastary in China, located in a mountain range in the North of the Hubei Province (湖北省). Wu Dang (武當) is also well-known in the world of martial arts as being equal in its depth and skills as Shaolin (少林) - Tai Chi Chuan (太極拳) was reputedly originated from Wu Dang and was first practiced by the famed mythical Taoist priest Zhang Sanfeng (張三丰). All good guys in martial arts movies are either from Wu Dang or Shaolin, by the way.
To get to the famous Wu Dang Golden Top (武當金顶), we had to climb up thousands of flights of stairs which took about 6 hours - a good work out if you missed your stepmaster at home. But it was worth the effort as the view from the mountain top was serene.
The following day we took another hiking path (逍遙谷) at a more gentle pace and we only met one other hiker throughout the 6 hours' hike. The forest paths along the way were lush green with crystal clear streams guiding us down the mountain - a most wonderfully relaxing way to explore Wu Dang and to take in some much needed oxygen (away from the smog of the cities).Also we felt that we took in some much needed oxygen (and 靈氣) as Wudang gave us plenty of peace and quiet and it was a great feeling to be "one" with the atmosphere, greenery, mountains, temples, forests and even foods of this mountain area. We love it here !
The 3 Gorges - 長江三峡
Posted On Friday, May 23, 2008 at at 11:56 PM by Alvin
After the bright lights and extremely-hot pots of CQ (重慶), we boarded the ship at about 7PM which would take us down the Yangtze for the next three days. We looked very much forward to the relaxing pace and scenery along the famous Three Gorges and the journey lived up to its expectation. 
We visited temples along the way as well as small tributaries feeding the mighty Yangtze. One of these tributaries was Shen Nong (神農溪) and we had to change on to a smaller boat to maneuver and venture into the narrower streams. The scenery was beautiful and peaceful.
On the last night, our boat passed through the amazing engineering phenomena of the Three Gorges Dam in a series of flood gates. The following morning, we also visited the museum and saw up close the operation of The Dam and were awed by the sheer magnitude of such human endeavour.
We visited temples along the way as well as small tributaries feeding the mighty Yangtze. One of these tributaries was Shen Nong (神農溪) and we had to change on to a smaller boat to maneuver and venture into the narrower streams. The scenery was beautiful and peaceful.
On the last night, our boat passed through the amazing engineering phenomena of the Three Gorges Dam in a series of flood gates. The following morning, we also visited the museum and saw up close the operation of The Dam and were awed by the sheer magnitude of such human endeavour.
Chongqing - 重慶
Posted On Wednesday, May 21, 2008 at at 2:28 AM by AlvinChongqing - China's Fog City (重慶 - 霧都)
After saying a few prayers for those who perished in the Sichuan earthquake, we packed our bags and hit the road again. Our first destination was Chongqing (重慶) - one of four municipalities in China, located to the East of Sichuan province (四川省). Chongqing is the meeting point of the two great rivers of China - Yangtze River (長江) and Jialing River (嘉陵江). CQ is famed as the City of Fog and we ventured across the Yangtze River in a cable car on exactly such a day ! We also had the famous Chongqing hot pot which was red hot chlli peppers with everything !
Dazu Rock Carvings (大足石刻 - 宝顶山)
About 2 hours bus journey West of CQ lie the Dazu Rock Carvings which are a series of Chinese religious sculptures and carvings, dating back as far as the 7th Century A.D. The site is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It was a fun day out before we boarded the boat to cruise down the Yangtze Three Gorges (長江三峡).
Dazu Rock Carvings (大足石刻 - 宝顶山)About 2 hours bus journey West of CQ lie the Dazu Rock Carvings which are a series of Chinese religious sculptures and carvings, dating back as far as the 7th Century A.D. The site is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It was a fun day out before we boarded the boat to cruise down the Yangtze Three Gorges (長江三峡).
