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Posted by david leffman
on May 12, 2008, 11:46 am, in reply to "2008 visit to China"
119.11.83.221
Can't help with Beijing or Shanghai, sorry.
Shaolin Temple is a circus, but good fun in the right mood. The only hotel actually at Shaolin is the Zen International (0371/6275666, 62745555), though it's pretty expensive - best rates by calling in advance. Otherwise, loads of simple places just 100m back along the road towards Dengfeng - Farmhouse Fragrant Hotel, Shaolin Village Hotel, Tianfu Hotel and others.
Obviously training here is in Shaolin styles, not taiji, but if you're interested anyway try contacting either English-speaking Robert Huang (0371/61156090, email robert0213@sohu.com), or the Training Department's Director, Chinese-speaking Yan Zhijun (%T0371/62865877, email DFYanZhiJun@tom.com).
Wudang Shan is a beautiful place and definitely worth the visit, but have never been impressed with anything martial I've seen there ('course, that might only mean I've never looked hard enough). There are many places to stay at the bus parking area about halfway up the mountain, (two-hour walk to the top from here) as well as a hotel just below the peak beside the cable-car station. If you visit Zixiao Gong, a big temple about 3km downhill from the bus park, you'll almost certainly see monks going though martial art routines.
If you're going to Xi'an, there's a Zhaobao group which meets daily around 8am in the park outside the city's south wall; go down Nan Dajie and through the main south gate, turn west, and look for them about 150m along.
Why aren't you going to Zhaobao?
Try Lonely Planet's website for travel-related questions; their message board is http//thorntree.lonelyplanet.com, and you want the Northeast Asia, China thread.
--Previous Message--
: Greetings. I will be visiting China in
: July 2008 and have studied Zhao Bao
: Tai Chi in Los Angeles. I am
: planning to visit Beijing, Shanghai,
: the Shaolin Monastery, and Wudang
: Mountain. Can you recommend any
: hotels in these areas? Can you
: recommend places to visit that are
: relevant to the study of Tai Chi?
: Thank you.
:
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