Summer Kung Fu Camp in China's Wudong Shan

In Pudong International Airport in Shanghai, at the very end of the FWC 2007 China trip, I looked around and for a moment I wondered why each of us chose to go half way across the world for two weeks of what would normally be considered an unusual summer holiday.

There were no beaches, no sunbathing, no palm trees, no cocktails with colourful umbrellas and twisty straws, no water sports, all night parties or days on end whiled away in the pursuit of pure relaxation. So why did we all go, and for many of us, why do we go back to China again and again?


For some it was certainly the training. Five to six hours per day of learning Kung Fu patterns was both challenging and very rewarding. Being immersed in Kung Fu, feeling your brain and muscles slowly take hold of the patterns being taught and making them your own was a great experience.


Then there was the thrill (or terror - depending on your perspective), of the final day of individual performance to show the Chinese teachers how well you had learned what they had taught you. For all of us what could be a better memento than the patterns we learned, which would be ours forever; to think back on, compare, analyse, practise and apply.


For some of us the food is a reason for going all on it's own; where you are served three meals a day of amazing variety of delicious and usually exotic dishes (except for breakfast which relied a lot on cabbage for some reason!), not to mention the special occasions when there seems no limit to the inventiveness of the chefs. I can only guess what each different meal would cost in a restaurant in any western city.

For some of the group there is the added benefit of eating lots of food and losing weight! With the mainly vegetarian diet at Wudan, many of the FWC group arrived back in the UK thinner than ever, and some a mere fraction of their former selves despite their best efforts to eat substantial amounts at meal times. Exercising every day and living on a healthy diet that is very low in saturated fat, dairy products, high sugar foods and most days alcohol, does wonders for the summer body shape, although not so good for those intent on bulking up.


Looking back I also realised that one of the best aspects of the trips are the friendships that were made. It was fantastic to catch up with old friends from previous China trips or other FWC club events, to spend time socialising with club mates, and to meet members from other FWC clubs and get to know them well during the two weeks of evenings: chatting, telling stories, and playing cards and Mah-jong together. These trips can grow the club into more than a group of people who train together and are passionate about Kung Fu, but into a group who really know each other as friends.

For me what remains the most powerful draw are days like the trip we took to White Horse mountain. A day that was made up of moments like watching the force with which the abbot of the monastery stamps the ground whilst demonstrating his art; it was the kind of day to remember forever.


The day started out inauspiciously with a mini bus drive about an hour from the hotel to a small enclave at the foot of the mountain. We then set off for the climb up, the first part consisted of about a thousand steps straight up the side of the mountain, and then the path started to wind it's way around and further up.


The air was thick with almost tropical humidity (and Dennis cursing mountains – climbing is not one of his favourite pastimes). As we arrived at the temple we were greeted by the abbot and our teachers and participated in the Taoist offering of incense and paper at the entrance of the temple. We were then welcomed into the temple to explore it and to rest.


Next we were treated to a banquet outside the temple under the trees, complete with home-made wine, and the announcement that Nick had just proposed to Ety. This was cause to celebrate with more of the home-made wine than is probably advisable at lunch time at the top of a mountain. The Abbott then arranged and presided over a Taoist ceremony to celebrate their engagement, followed by some of the most extraordinary martial arts demonstrations one could ever wish to see.




It was a day when we were invited into the heart of an ancient culture that is still alive and practised today, it felt like we were shown the inside world of Chinese Taoist religion and martial arts, in it's authentic state as it is being lived every day. What we saw was not a choreographed presentation for tourism or publicity, but a day of sharing in their world, and it was a rare privilege for all of us.


I don't know how Carl managed to organise it but we were again treated to the most gracious and friendly hospitality. Although the hotel facilities were relatively basic and the hotel isolated at the edge of the jungle, the hotel manger, as well as all the staff and chefs made such a good impression on all of us that saying goodbye when we left was touched by some sadness.

All in all there were many of us on the trip, each with our own reasons for going, but the experience that we all shared was exceptional, perhaps not a holiday, but a lot more.