China 2026 Journal
The Journey Continues 8th and 9th
Thursday Oct 8 Today we visited the Suzhou water town Zhouzhuang. Zhouzhuang is an ancient city based on river culture that was the cultural hub in the region before Shanghai. We walked through the maze of streets lined with little shops selling silk goods, pearls, copper, following the flow of canals. Evoking Amsterdam and Venice but with black tiled roofs and canals teeming with flat bottomed water taxis propelled by long poles Friday Oct 9 Next we headed to Huangshan to go up Qiyun Mountain. We took a cablecar up
Huang Hu River and the Bund
Wednesday evening, October 7th: Dinner at the hotel with all 36 of my travel companions now in Shanghai. Some are new to Shifu Chen, but some have been his student for as long as I have and one even longer. After dinner we took a boat trip on the Huang Hu River and saw the light show and architecture of the Bund which was built in in the 1800’s by Europeans. The more recently developed buildings – high rises and ultra modern business district – showcase Shanghai’s pride in being
Welcome to Shanghai
Tuesday: Coming into Shanghai, the first thing I noticed was the absence of cranes. When I was here last, the skyline was a forrest of cranes, raising clusters of apartment buildings all across the city. Now the apartments are complete with just one small grove of cranes marking the latest addition to the skyline. My taxi quickly wound its way through mostly electric cars, motorcycles and e-bikes into city center, quiet replacing the usual din and stink of the gasoline powered cars of Atlanta. Wednesday morning: Today we visited the
The Journey Begins October 5th
After many years stateside, I’m heading back to China on October 5th. I’m excited about returning to Wu Dang and experiencing a Bei Dou (Honoring the Stars) ceremony. We’ll be going to some familiar places like the most beautiful Jiuzhaigou Park in Sichuan province as well as exploring many new places, temples, and traditions as we traverse the country from Shanghai to Chengdu to Wu Dang and then the group continues to Beijing. When the group goes to Beijing, I’ll be staying in Wu Dang to study with a ceremonial