Dispelling the myths: Why I love China Reason Number 1.

Photo by BananaStock

The question of why I love China so much has been burning on people’s minds and I get asked all the time. And I have to admit, it’s a question I struggle to answer. It surely isn’t because I do not know why, but I feel people hope for a short, simple answer and that it is not.

Let’s get some thing’s straight…!

Firstly, NO!- it isn’t because I watched Chinese movies more than the regular person (maybe a few throughout my whole life) or that I ever even went to China Town. I did not have a heap of Chinese friends before going there (just the one actually and she is more London that I am), and nor was I crazy about Kung Fu. I knew very little about Chinese customs and traditions, or even what to expect. And I really couldn’t care less about China’s growing economy (that was then, now just slightly more interested).

The Trip of a Lifetime:  China ~ Hawaii ~ Miami

For several years leading up to the trip, I began to suffer with physical side effects of stress and anxiety brought on by my work. I lost my lustre for life as I was constantly feeling worn down by my job, in and out of depression, struggling. Sound familiar? Since the age of 17 (currently I am 23) I have dedicated my life to Youth Work & Community Development, with only superficial lifestyle heavy duty partying (and oh boy was I good at it!) and the odd travels to compensate for the maturity, responsibility and heavy work load. I was attracted to each destination for a different purpose, a holistic gift to the person who’s been there for me the most. 😉

And so, why China?

Reason Number 1: Shaolin Kung Fu.

Photo Source: china-window.com

It is said that Shaolin Kung fu was developed as a means of daily exercise to improve the health of the monks at Shaolin Temple by the Boddhidharma in 527 AD. Legend has it that he was an Indian prince who became Buddhist monk. When he visited the Shaolin Temple, it is said that he found the monks in a physical state so poor that they could not practice meditation, so he developed and taught internal and external exercises to keep them healthy. Ch’an Buddhism is at the heart of Shaolin Kung Fu, and no other schools of martial arts have this spiritual centre. It is argued that Shaolin Temple is “the cradle” of the martial arts.

I dreamed of doing something that I could feel proud of. Something that I never would have thought I could achieve. I was about to start University after an eight year break from education, so I really wanted to break the fear down by doing something I never though I could- physical exercise for eight hours a day! Going somewhere where I could focus all my energies of improving my health, confidence and self esteem  meant the world to me. No more calls about gang rivalry, stabbings, or unjust management decisions! It was time for me and  I wanted it all-  spirtuality, a healthy lifestyle, nature, culture and generally just something different. But how to take up a healthy lifestyle when I had no interest in gym or running round in circles?

Then it came to me! I needed to immerse myself in  a martial art  that will incorporate all these things and so I thought if you want to learn something, you want to learn from the best, right? 🙂 From that moment, I had no doubt I had to train in Shaolin Kung Fu. What did I know about it from the past, I am not even sure!!! When I try hard to remember at what moment I made that decision, I find nothing, as if the decision was always there.  I found a school which was very welcoming even a sports zero like me (check out Yuntai Shan Martial Arts School). In the school, at the bottom of UNESCO World Heritage Yuntai Mountains, I found my life’s calling. Or maybe even, it was as I was leaving (after surviving one month of training there) that my real life’s insight began to pour into me. A love for Shaolin Kung Fu was born and turned the page to the best chapter of my life so far. More about Shaolin Kung Fu if you click here.

More about my training at the Yuntai Shan Martial Arts and Culture School in a future blog. But what do you think? Have you considered going on such a trip or had a similar life changing experiences?