Destination: China

Kung Fu in China: Nearing the End

Fri, 25 Jul 2014 | By korric | Views [1411] | Comments [5]

When I first arrived at the temple, I was feeling like I lacked direction. For eight months, I had studied Mantis kung fu at Kunyu Shan. When Qu Sifu left, I went over to Xu Shifu, where I was introduced to some Shaolin basics. After I learned these ... Read more >

Tags: china, martial arts

Beijing to Ulaanbataar, incl. falling of the Great Walll

Sat, 12 Jul 2014 | By kek_crazy92 | Views [597]

Bags weighed down with endless snacks and fried dumplings wrapped in napkins from yesterday's favourite restaurant, we set off for the Great Wall of China. 2 subways, a local bus and a riot filled line at the bus station left is sweaty and annoyed. But ... Read more >

FIFA observations

Mon, 7 Jul 2014 | By chang_in_china | Views [1754] | Comments [1]

The World Cup has caused a sort of marketing and media frenzy in Shanghai... its inescapable, brightly coloured frenzy is overwhelming yet typical of Chinese capitalism.  A few things I've noticed: The World Cup has completely permeated Chinese ... Read more >

Tags: advertising, fifa, freeenzy, shanghai, world cup

How the Shanghainese celebrate the World Cup Pt2

Sat, 5 Jul 2014 | By chang_in_china | Views [586]

The giant TV screen couldn't have chosen a better time to start lagging crackling and blacking out than at the ripe time of midnight (at kickoff!). And in the classic Chinese chaotic mannerisms, the audience started shouting out "fix the screen!" "play ... Read more >

Tags: bbq, excess, superior vena cava, world cup

How the Shanghainese celebrate the World Cup Pt1

Thu, 3 Jul 2014 | By chang_in_china | Views [609]

WORLD CUP PARTY!!! My aunt shouted at me in Shanghai, brandishing out 2 festively bright green and yellow tickets. I wasn't sure what a sports 'party' in Shanghai entailed yet, but I was always keen for a night out, so I excitedly agreed to hop along ... Read more >

Tags: bbq, excess, fifa, football, garden party, theres going to be a bbq

Being a technological failure

Thu, 26 Jun 2014 | By chang_in_china | Views [563]

I've used bing.com more times in the past 6 days than I have in the entire 18 years of my life. Maybe chuck in the combined 100+- years of my parents too. This is how unprepared I was for the 'Great Firewall of China'. (It might also be a wake-up call ... Read more >

Just touched down in Shanghai town

Sat, 21 Jun 2014 | By chang_in_china | Views [597]

I feel Kanye West would definitely appreciate this place- people at the airport in leather pants (a lot of them, too!), the otp extravagance of the neighbours... Shanghai airport seems to operate on a basis of over-trustworthiness as I strolled under ... Read more >

Tags: airport, heat, pie, weather

Kung Fu in China Weeks Forty-One to Forty-Three

Mon, 16 Jun 2014 | By korric | Views [1118] | Comments [1]

I've now been in Henan for three weeks. It's very touristy here at the temple, and normally one must pay a fee to enter the temple area, but we are given student cards which allow us free ingress, and we were shown a side entrance to the temple itself ... Read more >

Tags: china, martial arts

Photos: me

Fri, 13 Jun 2014 | By gg | Photo Gallery

The Good Vibes of Shanghai

Fri, 6 Jun 2014 | By goingsolo | Views [688]

Shanghai was bustling and busy but had a beautifully frenetic vibe about it - the city was alive with people. A lot of people.  The expat culture was also youthful and vibrant. I could tell this was a place of abundant opportunity - people came ... Read more >

Tags: alcohol, architecture, big city, expats, restaurants, shanghai

Kung Fu in China Weeks Thirty-Nine and Forty

Mon, 26 May 2014 | By korric | Views [951] | Comments [4]

In my last post I mentioned that I carried someone on my back up the temple run, but did not do so during the heavily staired portions so I felt like I hadn't pushed myself as much as I could have. The following Friday, I carried Kegan from Canada in ... Read more >

Tags: china, martial arts

Part 2 - Weclome to Beijing

Mon, 19 May 2014 | By magnificent_glow | Views [492]

We are in the sprawling capital of the Peoples Republic, Beijing, as part two of four in a horse shoe adventure from Nepal now to China and around through to Mongolia and into Russia.   We clear customs and walk out into the terminal. We blew ... Read more >

Kung Fu in China Weeks Thirty-Seven and Thirty-Eight

Wed, 14 May 2014 | By korric | Views [849] | Comments [3]

Right before one of the afternoon training sessions, I saw Master Xu playing with a pair of sticks. Back home I am a fighter for a medieval recreation group called the Society for Creative Anachronism, in which I primarily fight with two swords. We don't ... Read more >

Tags: china, martial arts

Photos: Life in Shanghai

Sat, 10 May 2014 | By crazyblondeabroad | Photo Gallery

Kung Fu in China Weeks Thirty-Five and Thirty-Six

Mon, 28 Apr 2014 | By korric | Views [1000] | Comments [4]

When I first arrived at Kunyu Shan, there were a few students that really impressed me with some of the feats they did. They seemed to push themselves and do things that were physically very challenging just for the intrinsic challenge of doing so. I ... Read more >

Tags: china, goals, martial arts