When China Called: Antecedent Part 1
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| Photo by Lukasz Duszak on Unsplash |
Why China? People asked me. It's been 9 months since I purchased a ticket. According to some 11 months is the best time to save on your airline ticket.
Though, it does come with a mysterious sense of not knowing how much the flight time will change by the time you report to the terminal. Mine danced a minute bit at least three times (emphasis on minute).
The other window is around three months out, again, according to some. The trip is set for the beginning of September, strategically recommended by my Travel Consultant, who dared shoot down my suggestion to visit in August!
July and August are hot, too hot. They are also Chinese students’ summer holiday. So, we can expect more tourists then.
It was pointed out to me on multiple occasions that domestic tourism in China is significant. While making the statement that the republic requires no foreign travelers, it is sound to say that the people of China enjoy travelling to other parts of the country.
Why China? I had no idea why. The best I could muster was why not!? A plethora of discouraging chants followed...
"There are more touristy places out there." "There are concerns of hygienic practices, especially when it comes to food." "People with your religious background are not really welcome." Sadly I cannot contest any of these claims, yet I was determined.
This may be the last tour I can afford. I broke through to my twenties. The only possible destination is funding a life other than my own. Such are the rules of life.
Thinking back on why now, I recall sitting in an upholstered armchair in my uncle's house. Few words were exchanged over the somehow muffled yet loud sounds of excited cheers at times, moans at others, of American football fans on TV.
Seated, I was only marginally interested in the developments of the ongoing game. I was trying really hard not to pull my magic box out of my pocket. I failed.
I started searching for ways to further learn about the ancient art of Chinese Boxing, popularly referred to as Kung Fu.
I had been taking classes at the time in the style of the late Ip Man. In Cantonese it is referred to as as Wing Chun. The Ip Man school, to differentiate themselves from other main stream schools, romanize the art as Ving Tsun. In mandarin it goes by Yong Chun.
More importantly, I was practicing Yang Tai Chi at an school of authentic lineage.
As I typed away one style led to another.. another... and another. Some how it finally dawned on me that maybe I should forget about the styles for a moment and try to learn about the country. The original mother of *ehm* (insert the name of a mythical creature here. Hint: this is a popular culture reference).
Eventually, I stumbled upon a tourism provider that offered a package including exploration of the now popular, thanks to Jet Li, Shaolin Kung Fu and Tai Chi. At the time, the package was only offered per request, and group tours depended on whether or not others were interested in the same tour.
