Terracotta Warriors in Xi’an

The Terracotta Warriors in Xi’an One of the most impressive UNESCO World heritage sites is the Terracotta Warriors at Xi’an at the Emperor Qinshihuang’s Mausoleum Site Museum, about 40 kilometres away from the city centre. According to our guide, it’s even one of the Seven Wonders of the world …. …

Xi’an

Xi’an (Shaaxi) Our next city – after a comfortable four-hour high-speed train journey is Xi’an, the capital of Shaaxi Province. Once we get off the train, we become aware of the sheer size of this railway station. It is huge! Anyway, we quickly get our bearings and head towards the …

Family in Chengdu

Chinese Family in Chengdu Meeting my fellow student Atom in Dali again is great, not only because of catching up with him after a month, but also because he gives me the contact of a lovely Chinese woman. He is raving so much about Huqin, that I think “Okay, I …

Chengdu

Chengdu (Sichuan) Chengdu is the capital of Sichuan Province in southwestern China. With a population of more than 20 million people in its wider metropolitan area, it is one of China’s largest and fastest-growing cities. Atom, my fellow-student from Tianmeng Kung Fu school, had given me the contact of Huqin, …

Lugu Lake

Lugu Lake (Yunnan – Sichuan) Early in the morning, we take a shared taxi from Lijiang to Lugu Lake, which lies on the border of Yunnan and Sichuan. Unfortunately non of the five Chinese women, nor the young teenage girl, is willing to offer Dave a better seat! So he …

Lijiang

Lijiang (Yunnan) Once more, we decide to take a shared Didi to our next destination: Lijiang. Another pleasent drive, this time with comfortable leather seats, almost like armchairs. We enjoy winding roads most of the journey, until we finally reach the crowded city Lijiang. What a contrast! We are dropped …

Shaxi

Shaxi (Yunnan) After busy and noisy Dali, it is time to move on to a quieter and smaller town: Shaxi. We decide to share a taxi with a Chinese woman, Irene, and her daughter, Felicia, who both live in Sydney. It is a pleasant, scenic journey, passing cornfields and tabacco …

Dali

Dali (Yunnan) The city of Dali, in modern-day Yunnan, was once the capital of the Dali Kingdom, also known as the Dali State. It is home to the Bai ethnic group, whose rich culture is still very much alive today. As you wander through the narrow streets of this charming …

Tea coaching in Kunming

Tea ceremony and coaching Being a coach myself, I have met many colleagues over the years: mental health coaches, fitness coaches, sport coaches and life coaches. But until today I had never heard of a tea coach! I met Mabol through Couchsurfing. She couldn’t host me, she invited me to …

Kunming

Kunming (Yunnan) After two months of training and endless learning at the Kung Fu Academy in Shandong Province, the time has come to move on to a another Province of this vast country. I take a flight from Linyi to Kunming, the capital of Yunnan Province. Kunming lies on a …