Blogs from Xiamen, Fujian, China, Asia - page 3

Xiamen is a very relaxed city by Chinese standards. People say that is because of the proximity to Taiwan, meaning there has always been affluence and a certain limited exposure to the outside world. No one batted an eyelid to see a Westerner. Xiamen is popular as a tourist destination for the Chinese, although it's a more laidback type of tourism, people come for the beaches and to hire tandems to cycle along the promenade. I had an interesting conversation with the owner of the hostel I am staying at, who is Chinese but married to a Westerner, about the dramatic shift in China from Communism and collectivism to rampant consumerism. This is something almost every traveller I have met in China has remarked upon, but it is hard to escape: in modern China, shopping malls ... read more

Dopo oltre un mese di viaggio, tra tavolette riscaldate, coperte elettrificate e finestrini congelati, mi dirigo finalmente verso il Sud della Cina, dove le giornate si allungano e la colonnina di mercurio e' libera di schizzare gioiosamente verso l'alto. Unica tappa intermedia tra me ed i tropici e' la teoricamente imperdibile citta' di Shanghai, se non fosse altro per la sua breve ma ricchissima storia e l'importanza che ha rivestito nel corso di tutto il secolo appena trascorso. Seppur situata a meta' strada tra il Nord ed il Sud della Cina, il suo clima continua a rivelarsi decisamente gelido, con temperature costantemente attorno allo zero e fiocchi di neve che arrivano fin qui dalle piu' fredde campagne circostanti, gia' imbiancate da una spessa coltre bianca. La metropoli e' senza dubbio interessante, attraversata da fiume HuangPu che ... read more

In order to escape the madness of National Week in China we decided to escape to Xiamen, flying from Shanghai. It became apparent very quickly that Xiamen was in fact an extremely popular destination for Chinese tourists during National Week! We were also very aware that we were the ONLY europeans on the flight and there was not another European to be seen in the sea of people at Xiamen Airport. Unsure of what transport to use to get to our hostel we decided to ask at the 'Tourist Information Centre' in the airport, unfortunately nobody spoke any English. We jumped into a taxi and set off on the 20 minute ride to our hostel on the seafront. The hostel was nice enough but was literally just a room in a man's house. Slightly awkward set ... read more

Finally I get to experience the last of the Rising Dragon school Malevolent Myths and Looming legends. Shaolin Stretching. For the last two weeks all I have heard about is pupils who have been screaming and reduced to tears by this medieval form of muscle torture. There is a lot of stretching involved in Shaolin anway – every day after each run we push ourselves intoo the splits and box splits, opening our thighs, trying to bend our torsos onto our knees. "Does it hurt – are you ok" asks Ferdinand after he's pushed my resistant hips towards the ground in the box splits for this morning's warm up. "I don't really know what o.k is any more I say - everything always hurts and i'm constantly in pain but it didn't feel like you did ... read more

I am just beginning to think I can survive the school – even feeling a little wistful that I can't extend my little sojourn here to two months when Wong decides to end the week with the regime from hell. It all begins on Thursday afternoon session. Most of the boys have gone into town with Wong for lunch . Somehow for the three remaining (including me) we get to go for a run even though the others come back late. We all run to the bridge and back – as I pass Felix – he gestures 3 to me. I assume he means do the bridge three times so diligently do it wondering where he and Sergei have got to only to get back ad realise he meant the class won't start till 3pm. Oh ... read more