Why not to travel to China when it’s considered to be home to one of the Great Wonders of the World called the Great Wall of China? This Asian nation is recognized as most populated and widely diverse in culture and lifestyle? China has given so much contribution to the human race’s herbal approach of medicine and technological emergence of high-tech telecommunication gadgets, cars and appliances. Chinese-owned businesses are mushrooming just about everywhere in the world.

Chinese are propagators of movable type printing, porcelain and paper business, wheelbarrow usage, silk-making industry, umbrella production, gunpowder distribution, immunology services and mathematical knowledge. Even before the West colonized some business potential sites of the world, the Chinese merchants came in first to establish trade partnership with Asian, American and European nations. Why not to travel to China raises curiosity among travelers and business investors.

Interestingly, China bears 20% of the world’s population. The number of people is foreseen to increase from 1.2 billion to 1.6 billion in year 2050. Despite human quantity outburst, this business-minded nation has maintained up to 15% of economic growth in 15 years upon transitioning to the 21st century. Reality be recognized, China is seen to be challenging the global performance of the United States. However, a number of business investors and tourists from the West fly to the rich land of Kung Fu and proud host of 2008 Olympic Games. Will Americans keep up the challenge of China’s business competitiveness, escalating quality of life and robust economy? Why not to travel to China so that you will discover the Great Wall and towering buildings.

Before you exclaim why not to travel to China, you might have to prepare the necessary documents and luggage for your trip. Significantly, you must have to undertake major vaccinations and immunizations to ensure healthy security. From wherever you are traveling from, you will need a Visa through the Chinese embassies or consulates based in your state. You have to allocate time to process it before you can finally do your online booking of flights and accommodations.

To assist you in your trip, you can get the services of a travel agent especially when it is your first visit or you are traveling by group. There are special incentives to those touring in groups of five and above. A privilege of acquiring a group visa is also given a privilege. No wonder, China is flocked any season of the year by groups of city tourists. Why not to travel to China? You can search online for some attractive and competitive travel packages.

Although a communist nation, China has that certain aura of hospitality and charm that keep tourists flocking every now and then. Why not to travel to China when the most celebrated sports event worldwide Olympic Games is held this year. With that, China is again put on the pedestal of popularity.

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Beijing

With its skyscrapers and relatively wealthy population, the capital encapsulates the best of modern China but the past survives in some splendid imperial icons, including the elegant palaces of the vast Forbidden City, and the extraordinary, circular Temple of Heaven. Downtown, look for the ever-dwindling number of hutongs, the narrow alleyways which makeup so much of old Beijing. There are also China’s foremost restaurants and nightlife to take advantage of – everything from teahouse theatres and acrobatic shows to clubs that only play deepest house. Within easy reach of the capital you’ll also find the imperial Summer Palace’s spacious and unpolluted parklands, and the stone guardians and chambers of the Ming Tombs

The Great Wall

This extraordinary feat of civil engineering was begun in the 5th century and stretched 6000km across China. The most accessible of its remaining sections are within easy reach of Beijing, including at very popular Badaling and at less commercialized Simatai and Jinshanling

Xi’an

Made rich by the old Silk Road trade, Xi’an was one of China’s former capitals. Its most famous sight is the Terracotta Army, life-sized figurines guarding the tomb of the country’s first emperor, Win Shi Huang, but there’s much more to Xi’an, including its two 1300-year-old Tang pagodas, and the Neolithic remains at nearby Banpo. The famous kung fu temple Shaolin Si, is within a day’s journey to the east, near Luoyang – packed with visitors, it’s a major tourist trap, filled with shops selling weapons and tracksuits, and with wushu students showing off their skills.

The Li river

Looking exactly like a Chinese scroll painting, a procession of tall, wonderfully weathered limestone peaks flanks 85km of the Li River in southwestern Guangxi province. Base yourself at either the package-tour city of Guilin or the more mellow village of Yangshuo, then cruise around or rent a bicycle and pedal off through the countryside.

Shanghai

With over thirteen million residents, Shanghai is the world’s most populous city. It’s buzzy, style-conscious nightlife is second only to Beijing’s, and the shopping is fantastic, with good bargains for tailor-made clothes and plenty of glamorous malls to peruse. Though the city has few unmissable sights, the beautifully presented Shanghai Museum offers the perfect introduction to China’s phenomenal artistic heritage. Shanghai also sports pockets of impressive European ART Deco architecture along its riverfront esplanade, a legacy of its time as a former colonial concession, strategically close to the mouth of the Yangzi river.

Hong Kong

Hong Kong’s cityscape is one of the modern wonders of the world, best seen at night while crossing the harbour on the Star Ferry, though taking the famous tram up to Victoria Peak gives you another classic panorama. Shopping is a major Hong Kong pastime, at the excessively glitzy shopping malls, at the chaotic Temple Street Night Market and in the more traditional Stanley Market. Hong Kong is also the place for unrivalled dim sum brunches. Away from the commercial hub, the Ten Thousand Buddha Monastery at Shatin offers fine temple statues and hill views, and there’s historic interest at the Qing dynasty walled village of Kat Hing Wai. Or spend a day or two poking around the less-developed outer islands, exploring Lantau’s small beaches and wooded hills or visiting the former Portuguese enclave of Macau

Three Gorges

The latter stage of the 6400-kilometre-long Yangzi River, in Chinese, and is still used as a transport artery. Catch a ferry through the Three Gorges, between the Sichaunese city of Chongqing and Yichang in Hubei, a three-day 250-kilometre journey past ancient towns, turbulent shoals and spectacular cliff scenery, some of it under threat of submersion from a massive and highly controversial dam project that’s due to be completed in 2009

Tibet

The “roof of the world” is a place of red-robed monks and austere monastery complexes set against the awe-inspiring vastness of the Tibetan Plateau. It’s also labouring under heavy-handed Chinese military rule, but even the Dalai Lama, exiled in India, encourages people to visit and see the region first-hand. Take your time and, after seeing the mighty Potala Place – Tibet’s foremost tourist sight – in the capital Lhasa, get out to less-youristed monasteries at Shigatse and Gyantse. By 2008 access to Tibet will be possible by what is set to be the spectacular Qinghai-Tibet railway, the highest in the world. It will run over 1100km from Golmud to Lhasa, nearly all of it at an altitude of 4000m or above, using pressurized compartments to prevent altitude sickness.

Guangxi and Guizhou

The rural regions of these provinces are among China’s poorest, but it’s worth exploring the minority communities dotted throughout the fabulously terraced mountains here, especially the Dong village of Zhaoxing, in northern Guangxi. The Miao hilltribe settlements around Kaili in Guizhou host riotous festivals through the year, featuring bull fights, dancing, dragon-boat races and fantastic outfits.

Kashgar

An oasis town in China’s northwestern deserts, Kashgar is populated by Muslim, Turkic-speaking Ulgir people. Its appeal is in its very remoteness from the rest of China – and its Sunday Bazaar, an Arabian-Nights style affair which draws 100,000 people, including thousands from nearby Krygystan, Turkistan, Tajkistan and Pakistan, to trade in everything from camels and carpets to plastic buckets

The Silk Road

Follow the ancient Silk Road between China and Central Asia – a 3000-kilometre-long train and bus route from Xi’an to Kashgar. On the way, you can take in remote sections of the Great Wall, the bird watching lake Qinghai Hu, astonishing eight-century Buddhist cave art at Dunghuang, the pleasant oasis town of Turpan and the scorching sands of the Taklamakan desert.

Hangzhou and Suzhou

Once a vital trade centre on the 1800-kilometre-long Grand Canal in eastern China, Hangzhou is set around the famed beauty spot of Xi Hu, or West Lake, ringed by pagodas and wooded, hilly parkland, its surface dotted with fishing boats. It’s also worth making the haul 60km north to Suzhou, another canal city with a host of traditional Chinese gardens.

Changbai Shan nature Reserve

Set right up on China’s frontier with North Korea, Changbai Shan is hard to reach even when the road opens in summer, but the rewards are the stunning blue Tian Chi – “Heaven’s Lake” – and the faint chance you may spot Siberian tigers. More likely, you’ll get to sample some of the rare fungi and medicinal herbs which locals harvest here and serve up in restaurants; Changbai Shan’s ginseng is considered the best in China.

Yunnan in Sichuan

China’s mist varied region, these two provinces stretch from Tibet to the steamy tropical forests of Xishuangbanna, and also share borders with Laos, Vietnam and Burma. Top spots are Sichuan’s holy mountain, Emei Shan, where you can sleep and eat in the dozen or more Buddhist temples; the Yunnannese town of Dali, with its ethnic Bai population and vivid mountain and lake scenery; Lijiang, a delightful maze of cobbled lanes and wooden houses, home to the Tibetan-descended Naxi people; and the stark, dramatic scenery of Tiger Leaping Gorge, the deepest canyon in the world, with a drop of 2.5 kilometres.

Chaozhou

A self-conciously traditional town in southern Guangdong province, Chaozhou has nineteenth-century streets and even older architecture, including its city walls and beautiful Kaiyuan Temple, which make it a pleasure to explore. Foodies will also need to try out Chaozhou’s restaurants, famed for their bitter, refreshing gongfu tea and fruit-flavoured sauces.

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“Tae kwondo” is a combination of several martial art disciplines with a core foundation of techniques coming from Korean kick fighting. There is a tradition in Korea of fighting techniques going back almost two thousand years and the art of “Hwarang-do” – “the art of flowering manhood”. The art existed in various forms quite similar to modern Tae kwondo but fell in and out of favour throughout history and at one time learning it was compulsory for all young men. Eventually like many other martial arts across Asia it seems to have become the exclusive practise of Buddhist monks who kept the tradition alive for future generations.

The art almost died out during the Japanese occupation and wasn’t re-established with new life and vigour until after the Second World War by Major-General Choi Hong Hi, himself a 9th Dan black belt. Tae kwondo developed from the 1950’s onward in Korea under the support of the Government who sought to reinvigorate their battered national identity after the war.

If you take the name Tae-Kwon-Do itself it translates into “kicking or smashing with the feet” – Tae, “intercepting or striking using the hands” – Kwon and “the way” – Do. The aim of the style is to overcome an opponent with the hands and feet quickly and efficiently. Today, Tae kwondo is practised in a controlled environment to protect students from serious injury. Here are some of the elements involved in training:

• Sparring is central to practise and training and this allows the crucial development and advancement of timing, speed, reaction and personal reflexes as well as focus and concentration.
• Breaking techniques also have a place within the style as a demonstration of the effectiveness of the kicks and strikes.
• Combination techniques or patterns are used in a way that mirrors the forms of Kung fu and the katas of Karate. These are memorised sequential moves that put together are number of techniques against an invisible enemy – like shadow boxing.

For anyone thinking of studying Tae kwondo there are numerous benefits to the practise. You will improve your all round health and fitness, increase your stamina and endurance, develop self defense skill as well as build your confidence and self-assurance.

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Once martial arts competitors and coaches decide to follow one of the large karate circuits like NASKA or NBL, it will soon be realized that participation in this sport can be very expensive. Many years ago, I attended a seminar conducted by Charlie Lee and he said that the only main difference between many national and local competitors is that the national ones have the funds to travel. I’ve been on both the NBL and NASKA circuits. I’ve also dabbled in international overseas competition as well so I’ve learned a few tricks over the years to help save some overall costs involved in competition.

Competition Fees

Most karate tournaments offer some savings through pre-registrations. With many promoters adding online registration capabilities recently, pre-registering is a snap. Of course, there’s the risk of losing your entire fee if for some reason you don’t show up at the event. Even if you have made commitments to attend certain tournaments, other circumstances can prevent you from going. For example, I have missed tournaments due to flight cancellations because of bad weather. It is also possible for flights to be delayed or missed due to reasons beyond your control. Of course, unforeseen emergencies at home can always cause trip cancellations. So even though one can save some good money over the course of a year by pre-registering for all events, it is a risk to take.

Hotels

Most tournament promoters also work out a special room rates at designated tournament hotels. These special rates usually range from about $100 to $125 which are quite good considering that most event hotels are top major chains like Hyatt, Sheraton, Hilton, etc. However, I have found that if one is willing to do some research, even more significant savings are possible with accommodations. I almost never stay at event hotels anymore. Instead, I will do research to find out hotels that are close by. The maps facility at the Yahoo site is wonderful for this. Just go to Yahoo and click on ‘maps’. Then enter the address and city of the tournament hotel. Do a search of other hotels close by and the site will show you where they are on a map as well as how far they are from the event hotel. I also use travel websites like Travelocity and Expedia to verify other nearby hotels. Many hotels are often much less expensive especially the ones that are one level lower in quality. In addition to the travel websites, I would also check room rates directly with Choice Hotels (Comfort Inn, Econolodge, Quality Inn), Holiday Inn, Days Inn and Motel 6 via their websites. The rooms at these chains are not as luxurious as those at major hotels but they are clean and comfortable. They are not the bottom of the barrel like some independent motels are. Rates can be 50% lower than even the tournament rates at the event hotels. My average rate for rooms has been about $50 and that often includes free breakfasts which event hotels seldom offer.

Many lower priced hotels are within walking distances of the tournaments. Even if a hotel is not within walking distance, a small cab fare is usually worth the room savings. I’ve even stayed at airport location hotels and then utilized the free hotel shuttles of both the place I was staying at as well as the event hotel to get around. Of course, all this is not as convenient as staying at the event hotel but if you are willing to plan ahead a bit, good savings are possible. Of course for events where I’m extending my stay for vacation purposes, a rental car will allow me to stay wherever I want.

Another way to chop off half of your hotel expenses is to leave right after your competition is over. You will miss the evening shows but if you don’t mind that, then you will have to stay overnight for only a single night rather than two. Over the course of a year, single night trips can result in significant savings.

Flights

Driving would be the most economical way to travel to tournaments but if the locations are too far, then flying would be the most realistic way to get there. One could also explore trains too. As for flights, one could wait for seat sales to purchase tickets. Another strategy is to fly in or out of different airports that are nearby the event city. There could be significant savings in prices for flights if you are willing to use alternative airports. Some cities have more than one major airport in the region. Alternative airports can reduce travel costs for competitors who have to cross the US-Canadian border as well. Canadians driving to US airports right across the border could save up to 50% sometimes for flights. Travelers should join all frequent flyer programs but try to stay with one or two main airlines if possible. Points do add up which can result in future free flights. Of course, points from hotel stays, car rentals and credit card use also help.

Transfers

As mentioned previously, I try to use free hotel shuttles whenever I can. If my hotel doesn’t have a free shuttle and it is close to the event hotel, sometimes I would take the event hotel’s free shuttle and then walk to my hotel. I often use the event hotel’s shuttle to catch a ride back to the airport too. Just hang out at the event hotel lobbies so that you look like a guest and nobody should question your use of the shuttle.

Many cities where large tournaments are held have very efficient and safe transit systems right from the airport. For example, instead of paying for cabs or airport shuttles that charge, taking the local bus or subway train for about $1.50 will get me to the tournament just as easy.

So as you can see, there are different ways to take a bite off the overall expenses of karate tournament travel. You just have to do your research for every trip. As for meals, you could always stuff yourself silly for a very reasonable price at those Chinese buffets found almost everywhere.

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Immortal Bruce Lee, Incredible Jacky Chan and Jet Li, the symbols of Chinese Kung Fu in the west. Want to experience first hand the real life art of Kungfu through your own eyes! Turn the fantasy of Hollywood movies into the real journey to your Chinese Kung Fu Tour and be the master of Chinese Kung Fu!

Chinese Kung Fu is a precious treasure that belongs not only to China but to the whole world. We will take you to the cradle of Chinese Shaolin Kung Fu – the Shaolin Temple to enjoy rich humanities sight, antiquated natural sight, massive Shaolin Buddhist sculptures and a Wushu Culture, as well as an elegant & rare geological natural wonder. You will see power and grace combined in a demonstration of the art of Shaolin Kung fu by a Shaolin Master. Be transported to the mysterious world of this ancient art to experience for yourself what has inspired the great action heroes of today’s movie blockbusters.

Shaolin Temple is located in the foothills of the Song Shan mountain range just fifteen minutes outside the town of Dengfeng, which is about two hours away from Zhengzhou, the provincial capital of Henan. Buses run from Zhengzhou and Luoyang, another larger Henan city, to Dengfeng. Alternatively, if you are staying in Zhengzhou or Luoyang, you can arrange a day tour from your hotel.

Most Westerners know Shaolin from martial arts movies – Shaolin Kung Fu was born here. In modern times, Chinese Kung-fu was first introduced abroad to the United States by Chinese-American Kung-fu master Bruce Lee, whose agile movements in a series of his great movies swept American audiences off their feet. Thanks to the giant influence of the American movie industry, it soon swept across the world. The entire globe was enchanted by the magic act, starting the upsurge of interest in Chinese Kung-fu. From then on, Chinese Kung-fu learners can be found everywhere. Now, Lees followers, Jacky Chan (Cheng Long) and Jet Lee (Li Lianjie) carry the baton pushing themselves to novel heights.

But it is more famous in Asia as the birthplace of the Zen Buddhism movement. Visitors come to Shaolin to study Kung Fu, meditate in the ancient surroundings or to enjoy an ancient historical place that is by all means, off the beaten path. For whatever reason you come, Shaolin Temple is worth a visit.

Shaolin Temple complex can be thought of as three major sights within the compound. You will enter through a main gateway where the tour buses park and you can purchase your entry tickets. This area has been refurbished to support hoards of tourists – there is a large plaza flanked by souvenir vendors on both sides.

Kung Fu Performance Hall: After you enter the complex, you will walk ten minutes or so to the Kung Fu performance hall. If you can manage getting there early in the morning, you’ll see students of all ages practicing outside in the grassy fields next to the walkway. Kung Fu is famous for its vigorous, powerful, simple, unadorned, and unpredictable style. Its moves and tricks are short, simple and succinct as well as versatile. While fighting, the masters would advance and retreat simultaneously. They need only a small space to execute their style of fistfight described as “fighting along a single straight line. It’s amazing!

Shaolin Temple: After the performance, you can take electric cars or walk another fifteen to twenty minutes to the temple itself. Shaolin Temple is set upon the mountainside. You’ll enter at the bottom and make your way up through the multiple halls to the top. The first hall you will encounter is Devajara Hall (Hall of the Heavenly Kings). It is characterized by double eaves flanked behind by a Bell Tower (this tower holds a great bronze bell) and a Drum Tower (this tower holds an artistic drum). The hall gates are guarded by two colored clay figures of Vajras. Inside the hall are statues of the four Heavenly Kings, each standing divinely while holding his distinctive weapon. Then you come to the main hall of the temple, Mahavira Hall (Daxiongbaodian). The original was built in the Jin Dynasty but destroyed in 1928. The present structure was restored from the original in 1986. Enshrined in the middle of the hall are the statues of the Trinity Buddha – Sakyamuni, Amitabha (Emitofo) and Bhaisajyaguru (Yaoshifo, God of Medicine). Flanking the Trinity on both sides are eighteen Arhats. Go on and you will see the Sutra-Keeping Pavilion where Buddhist dignitaries lectured. A total of 5480 Buddhist sutras and rubbings are kept in the pavilion and the Hall of Abbot (Fangzhang Hall). This small hall is the rest place for the abbots.

The Pagoda Forest: Another half-kilometer walk through a wooded path will bring you to the Pagoda Forest where there are nearly 250 stone and brick pagodas ranging from the Tang, Song, Jin, Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties (618-1911).

You can come here to study Kung Fu, meditate in the ancient surroundings or to enjoy an ancient historical place that is by all means, off the beaten path. For whatever reason you come, Shaolin Temple is worth a visit.

Day 1: Luoyang arrival
Today you will arrive in Luoyang. In the afternoon, you will visit the White Horse Temple. Located 12km east to the ancient capital city of Luoyang, facing the Luo River in the south and sitting back to the Mang Hill in the north, is the White Horse Temple, the first Buddhist monastery in China.

Day 2: Luoyang – Dengfeng
Travel to the birthplace of Chinese Kung Fu at Shaolin Temple by bus in this morning. You will stay at the local hotel for 3 days’ Chinese Kung Fu study. Shaolin Temple is probably the most famous temple in China, not only because of its long history and its role in Chinese Buddhism, Shaolin Temple Pagoda but also because of its martial arts or Wushu Chan.

Day 3-5: Dengfeng
You will get the wonderful opportunity to take basic Chinese Kung Fu courses conducted by the experienced local Kung Fu masters.

Day 6: Dengfeng – Luoyang
Transfer back to Luoyang, you will visit the Longmen Caves and Guanlin. Together with Mogao Caves, Yungang Caves, Longmen Caves is known as the three great sculpture treasure houses of China.

Day 7: Luoyang departure

Today you will leave Luoyang with an unforgettable memory.

For more info about this wonderful Kung Fu tour, or any China tours, please consult with China Connection Tours china-tour.cn.

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