East Earth Travelogues: A Visit to Ip Man's Grave

Ip Man (sometimes spelled "Yip Man," Mandarin: Ye Wen) has gone down in history as one of the most skillful proponents of Wing Chun Kung Fu. He produced a number of highly skilled Wing Chun practitioners, including Wong Shun Leung, William Cheung, Duncan Leung, and Moy Yat. His most famous student, though, was Bruce Lee.

When I was in Hong Kong in August 2012, I went to pay my respects at his grave.

Ip Man's grave is located on a hillside behind the Fung Ying Seen Koon temple in Fanling, Hong Kong. At the time, I was staying in Kowloon, and Fanling was quite a distance away. Fortunately, Hong Kong has an excellent subway system that is easy to use. I left my hotel early one morning and walked 15 minutes to the subway station. It was quite hot and humid, and I was a bit sweaty by the time I reached the station. Fortunately, it was much cooler in the subway. From my starting point, I had to make two transfers on the subway to get to the train to Fanling. The ride was moderately crowded, and at some point, the subway train came above ground, allowing a view of the outlying area.

When we arrived at the Fanling station, I got off the train and walked on the overpass to the Fung Ying Seen Koon temple, which is nearby. Ip Man is buried in a graveyard behind the temple. There’s a path leading to the graveyard, and along the way, there are a couple of markers pointing you toward his grave. On this particular day, the paths were covered in branches and leaves left by a typhoon that had passed through Hong Kong two days before. The debris on the path made it feel like I was hiking in the jungle, and the high humidity and mosquitoes added to that effect.

Other than the few signs pointing in the right direction, there’s nothing to indicate when you’ve arrived at the grave. Ip Man's gravesite was noticeably larger compared to the others, and it was swept clean. All the other graves were covered in leaves. I got the impression that someone goes there regularly to take care of it.

Here are some pictures from the trip.

Fung Ying Seen Koon temple

The starting point

 The path blocked by bamboo and littered with leaves.

A sign pointing the way.

More leaves on the path.

Ip Man's grave

 A closeup of Ip Man's grave

Ip Man's picture on his grave.

Actions of the Herbs found in Tung Shueh pills

Tung Shueh is one of the best overall formulas for joint and muscle pain - basically pain that in modern terms is described as arthritis or rheumatism. It is also good for acute and chronic injuries. The name "Tung Shueh (Pinyin: Tong Xue) means "circulate blood." The actions of the herbs found in the Tung Shueh formula are as follows...
Rhizoma Curcuma or Turmeric is an anti-inflammatory and is especially helpful for painful shoulders.
Rhizoma Homalomenae: The Chinese name is Qian Nian Jian or "thousand years of health." It is an important herb for treating joint pain that moves in the body or pain that is affected by changes in the weather. Chinese herbalists say that it strengthens the tendons and bones. It has a strong tonifying action and is also used for pain and swelling due to traumatic injuries. In China it is widely used for treating the elderly. It is traditionally combined with Achyranthis.
Fructus Chaemomelis Lagenariae is one of the more effective herbs for relaxing the tendons. It is beneficial for joint pain due to changes in weather and for pain in the lower extremities.
Fructus Psoraleae is helpful for painful or weak lower back and extremities.
Plastrum Testudinis or turtle shell strengthens the bones and is said to be good for weakness of the lower back and knees. It is composed of calcium, collagen (a protein found in connective tissue), lipids, amino acids, and phosphorus.
Angelicae Sinensis is one of the most researched herbs in Chinese medicine. It is traditionally used as a blood tonic but another important action is improving blood circulation and relieving pain. It is used for numbness and pain in the extremities and painful joints. Modern research has shown that it has analgesic and anti-inflammatory properties.
Cortex Cinnamomi is said to disperse cold in the body and alleviate pain. It is used for joint pain caused by wet and cold weather changes and back pain.
Frankicense promotes the circulation of energy in the body. It alleviates pain and is used for joint pain that moves in the body and pain that is affected by damp weather. Commonly used with Myrrha for chronic pain (caused by blood stagnation).
Myrrha circulates the blood and alleviates joint pain. It is commonly used with Frankincense for treating musculoskeletal pain.
Radix Aucklandiae is used to relieve stagnation.
Semen Benincasae is useful for circulating fluids in the body. In Chinese medicine fluid stagnation creates joint pain that feels heavy, distended or swollen.
Radix Morindae is useful for back, leg, and joint pain, as well as, muscle spasms and cramps.
Cortex Eucommiae is good for low back pain. it is also combined with Dipsaci for fractured or broken bones to promote the healing of bones.
Rhizoma Corydalis is one of the most commonly used and the most effective herbs used to relieve pain because it has an excellent ability to activate the Qi and Blood circulation in the body. Corydalis can treat pain in the upper and lower extremities and also be used for traumatic injuries. Research has shown it has analgesic and anti-inflammatory properties.
Radix Dipsaci is known in Chinese as Xu Duan or "restore what is broken." It is good for sore and painful lower back and knees, stiffness in the joints and weakness in the legs. It is said to promote the growth of bones when used for fractures.
Radix Achyranthis Bidentatae is good for the tendons, bones, and joints. It is often used with Eucommiae for pain and weakness of the lower back and extremities. It is commonly used for sports injuries.
Flos Carthami (safflower) alleviates pain. It is used to disperse blood stagnation and open the channels.

Tung Shueh can beordered at http://www.eastearthtrade.com/tungshuehpills.aspx

Translating Chinese

A couple of years ago* I posted some comments about the need to have highly qualified people translating Chinese medical texts into English. Translation is difficult even for the most experienced.

Mo Yan, the 2012 Nobel Prize winner for literature recently addressed a reception at the Chinese Embassy in Stockholm on December 7 during his tour to the Swedish capital to receive his prize. He said "I think translation is much harder than writing: It only took me 42 days to write Life and Death Are Wearing Me Out, while it took Swedish sinologist Anna Gustafsson Chen six years to translate the work." (Source: Beijing Review, December 20, 2012).


* see: http://theriverlands.blogspot.com/2010/02/translating-acupuncture-texts.html

Chinese Idioms, English Idioms

I found a Chinese counterpart to the English saying "You can't teach an old dog new tricks" and I like it better.

It is: 活到老学到老 (huo2 dao4 lao3, xue2 dao4 lao3*) "One is never too old to learn".

It is much more positive and very true. We should continue to learn new things throughout our lives.




*The numbers after the words refer to tone marks

Hsing-I Training

Hsing-I is considered one of the three internal martial arts in China. By chance, I was loaned a Chinese textbook on Hsing-I training that was used by someone who had studied Hsing-I in the early 1970's. The book was even more interesting because the instructor made handwritten notes along with the diagrams that shed more light on correctly performing each particular technique. I was able to scan diagrams and have posted below one of the pages.

East Earth Travelogue: Shhh! "Grass is napping, please don't disturb"

If it were'nt for signs we would get ourselves into all kinds of trouble. Fortunately, the Chinese realize that most of us can't read Chinese and they have taken great efforts to accommodate us - sometimes with funny results. Here are some of the "Chinglish" signs I have found in China. (If you click on the pictures you can see them in an enlarged view).

This sign was posted on the front of a hotel in Baoding 

Two signs from Xiang ge li la (Shangri-la) in Tibetan, Chinese and English.

 Signs found around Lijiang

The sign below is from Lijiang. The top characters are in the Naxi Minority language, center is Chinese characters, and English below.

This was taken in the mountains around Jiuhua Shan. It has Chinese, English, and Korean. The picture says it all.

East Earth Travelogue: Unusual Menu Offerings

While visiting Lijiang we ate at a number of very good restaurants. One restaurant has some unusual items on the menu so I took a picture to share with you.
You can click on the picture to enlarge and read.

East Earth Travelogue: Delicious and Interesting Food

Traveling in China gives one the opportunity to try a lot of different food prepared in different ways. Here are some pictures of some of the dishes we had in Xiang Ge Li La and Lijiang. Picture 1: assorted vegetables. Picture 2: soup. Picture 3: I don't remember but it was good! Picture 4 is a rice dish prepared inside bamboo. You use your chopsticks to get the rice out. Picture 5 is a street vendor cooking a breakfast. Dough is rolled out like a pizza and placed on his stove, then he spreads an egg batter over it. After cooking for a few minutes and folding it in quarters you have a hot and delicious breakfast meal that will fill you up until lunchtime. Amazingly good and it's only about 50 cents! Picture 6 This dish is made from green peas. The peas are cooked until they become a thick paste and then they are fried. Picture 7 is a soup. You can see the Black Wood Ear Mushroom in the bowl. Very tasty! Picture 8 is a Naxi woman selling glutinous rice. They are just mildly sweet. The last picture is a bottle of Sour Yak's Milk. The plastic top is held on by a rubber band and you poke the straw through. It is very much like a liquid yogurt. Imagining drinking plain kefir but only better.

East Earth Travelogue: Naxi Dancers, Lijiang, China

While visiting Lijiang we had the opportunity to watch Naxi dancers in the old town square. The women and men here are pictured with their traditional dress. The the Naxi ethnic minority mostly live in Lijiang, Yunnan Province, while the rest live in Sichuan and Tibet.

The colorful traditional dress of the Naxi women pictured below.

East Earth Travelogue: Ganden Sumtseling Monastery

The Ganden Sumtseling Monastery (Songzanlin Monastery) is the largest Tibetan Temple in Yunnan Province. It was built in 1679 and is situated at an elevation of 11,090 feet. It is the most important Tibetan Monastery in southwest China. The main monastery structure built in Tibetan style has a gilded copper roof similar to the one at the Potala Monastery in Lhasa.

View from the Monastery of the surrounding countryside.

China's Taoism Shrine to mark 600th anniversary

BEIJING, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) -- A series of memorial activities will be held later this year in central China's Hubei Province to mark the 600th anniversary of the construction of the ancient Chinese Taoism building complex at Mount Wudang, the provincial government announced Tuesday. 
 For the rest of the article, see:
http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/90782/7927318.html

East Earth Travelogue: Xiang Ge Li La (Shangri-la) Watch Dog

Xiang Ge Li La (Shangri-la) is an area of China that is a primarily Tibetan county in northern Yunnan Province. The elevation of the city is rather high, around 10,800 feet. While walking around the older city I noticed this handsome dog on a rooftop watching the going's on in the narrow streets below him.

East Earth Travelogue: WuDang Kung Fu

In Ngong Ping Village on Lantau Island, Hong Kong there was a Kung Fu performance by Wudang style martial artists. The video was framed by umbrellas that people used to shade themselves on this hot August day.
Wudang Kung Fu (or Wudang Gong Fu) has its home at Wudang Mountain. Wudang Mountain is the birthplace of internal martial arts where the great Daoist priest Zhang San Feng came to live as a hermit and learn the Daoist methods of attaining immortality. During his time here and through his practice Zhang San Feng created Nei Jia Quan, or what is now more commonly referred to as Tai Ji (tai chi).

The main focus of the video is the performers in the center but you should watch the video a few  times. If you do you'll notice in the back on a narrow stage is another martial artist who appears to be doing a separate form yet it blends seamlessly together with the men at the center from time to time. It is really wonderful to watch! 

East Earth Travelogue: Po Lin Monastery

On my initial visit to Lantau Island I noticed a cable car going up a mountain. On further investigation I learned that it took people to visit Po Lin Monastery and the large bronze Buddha. My friends and I decided to visit it. The cable car is a fantastic ride. The only drawback was waiting two hours in line to get on. The wait was worth it though.
Po Lin Monastery is a Buddhist monastery, located on Ngong Ping Plateau, on Lantau Island, Hong Kong. The monastery was founded in 1906. The main temple houses three bronze statues of the Buddha – representing his past, present and future lives – as well as many Buddhist Scriptures. When I went inside I was surprised to find that people were taking pictures inside the Monastery. I have been to many temples in China and taking photographs is always forbidden. However, I could not find a sign here indicating not to take pictures. Feeling a bit guilty about doing the wrong thing I took a few pictures anyway. It was a rare opportunity that was unlikely to happen again. Here is a photo of the three Buddhas at the main alter.

Buddhist Statues in Po Lin Monastery

There is also a large Buddha associated with the monastery. The Tian Tan Buddha statue that was completed in 1993. It is 112 feet tall and weighs 280 tons. When you are on the cable car ride you can see it from miles away.  There are 268 steps to climb up to the Buddha. We didn't do that though. The temperature of Hong Kong in August was around 90+ degrees with 80% humidity and we were hot enough already.

The Tian Tan Buddha statue

Tian Tan Buddha from Ngong Ping Village

People walk up 268 stairs to go up to the Buddha

Note: If you are going to see Po Lin Monastery it is well worth the extra money to ride in the Crystal 360 Gondola with glass floors. It not only gives a better view but you get shifted to a different line that gets you on the gondola much faster. It saves you at least another hour of waiting in line for the less expensive regular gondola. The gondola ride is worth the wait though. It is over 5 km in length and you get spectacular views.

East Earth Travelogue: Hong Kong's Lantau Island

On a recent trip to China I had to stay overnight before catching a plane to the mainland. I decided to stay on Lantau Island. Lantau Island is where the airport is and is connected to Hong Kong and Kowloon by road, ferry, and subway. It is also the home of Po Lin Monastery and an 80 foot tall Buddha. Po Lin Monastery and the Buddha statue are major tourist attractions and draw thousands of people each day (In fact, when I returned to Hong Kong two weeks later we took the 5.6 km cable car ride to the Monastery and had to wait two hours in line because there were so many people). Generally, this area is packed with people, as is the rest of Hong Kong, but on the south side of Lantau is Silvermine Bay where I booked a hotel room. This was a pleasantly quiet little town with virtually no one on the beach while I was there except for some cattle. Yes, "No Dogs Allowed" but Lantau has feral cattle, remnants to the days of rice farming. They now roam free and look really healthy. The sun, sand, and surf must be relaxing for them. It was the last thing I expected to see in Hong Kong.

"Feral Cattle on the Beach, Silvermine Bay,  Lantau Island"

Why don't acupuncturist's recommend ice?

There are many opinions regarding using ice as a therapy. Often time doctors, chiropractors, and physical therapists recommend using ice on an injury. They may tell their patient to use ice or alternate using ice and heat. Acupuncturists on the other hand don't recommend ice. Why? Ice is not a part of traditional Chinese medicine. 

The theories of Oriental medicine go back thousands of years. Physicians at that time were great observers of nature and the cycles of nature. They noticed that during the winter, people were less active, animals hibernated or were very inactive, and plants looked dead. In the summer, when it was warm, plants looked alive and animals and people were active. They associated cold with inactivity or death and warmth with activity or life. They also noticed that people naturally gravitate to warmth. When it is cold people circle around the fire or source of heat. This was true since time began and is still true today. Heat was used as a therapy. Cold was not.

You should note that the word "acupuncture" is a Western description of the Chinese therapy of "Zhenjiu". "Acus" means "needle" and "punctura" means "to puncture". The Chinese word for this therapy is composed of two words "Zhen" meaning "needle" and "jiu" means "moxibustion". So the Chinese word for "acupuncture" is actually a reference to needling therapy and heat therapy. Moxibustion is the burning of the herb artemesiae vulgaris (Chinese: Ai ye) on the skin or over the skin. It provides heat and warmth to the body. The ancient Chinese must of thought highly of the use of heat in their treatment to make the word "jiu" a part of the description of what they were doing.

I think the Chinese realized that cold constricts the arteries and veins and impedes circulation. I often see people with chronic injuries and it just so happens that they've been told to ice the injured area which they do often. To me that is half of their problem. When I ask them if the the ice feels good the reply is that they don't like it but they are following the doctors orders. When I tell them to stop and use heat instead they often notice that their injury starts to feel better right away.

If you have an injury and want to use ice I suggest using it for 24 hours or less then use heat and of course liniments. There a good book about treating injuries called "A Tooth From the Tiger's Mouth" by Tom Bisio, L.Ac. I highly recommend the book. Mr. Bisio offers a good explanation of the reason ice is not used in Oriental medicine.
Remember, if you have a chronic injury or a recent injury don't use ice, use heat.

Sifu Lew will be missed

We were sad to learn of the passing of Sifu Lew. He was a teacher of Qi Gong. If you search this blog for his name you will find more information about him. Here is a brief bio taken from a workshop that he gave in 2008:
Share K. Lew, now in his nineties, is a Taoist priest with over 70 years experience in the traditional Taoist arts. Master Lew received part of his education at Wong Lung Kwan, a Taoist monastery on the Luo Fo mountains near Canton, China.
Master Lew studied at Wong Lung Kwan monastery for 13 years. During that time he trained in the full range of Taoist healing and martial arts. At the core of his training was the secret system of cultivation known as Qigong (Chi kung). Master Lew was the first person to openly teach authentic Taoist Qigong to non-Chinese, beginning in Los Angeles in 1970. Master Lew’s monastery style, the Tao Ahn Pai (Taoist Elixir Style), dates back over 1300 years to Lu Dung Bin, who was born during the Tang Dynasty, and became one of the Eight Immortals of Taoism.
We offer our condolences to his wife and daughter.

More Tai Chi from the past

Diana Armstrong and Michel practice Tai Chi San Shou (Moscow, Idaho August 1977)

Michel and Diana Armstrong practice Tai Chi Single Moves (Moscow, Idaho 1977)

Michel and Barbara Isaksen practice Join Hands (April 1979, Idaho)

Step back like a Monkey. Tai chi in Merritt Island, Florida Nov 1979

Charles Quinn and Michel practicing Join Hands (Moscow, Idaho February 1980)

Michel practicing Tai chi on Snow Mountain (1982, California)

Michel and Laurie Laird April 1979 near Troy, Idaho. Laurie died five months later in an accident September 20, 1979.

More Tai Chi from the past

Michel Czehatowski teaching Tai Chi to (left to right) Do Nghi, Huynh Hai Kong, Nguyen Hong Thu Thi, and Luong Phunon Dai at the Buddhist Council for Refugee Rescue and Resettlement (BCRRR), City of Ten Thousand Buddhas, Talmage, CA. This picture was taken June 18, 1981.

Teaching warmup Tai Chi Exercises at Cultivating Virtue School, City of 10,000 Buddhas, Talmage, CA October 1981

Tai ji update

I recently got together with my Taiji instructor, Paul Pitchford, after not seeing him for more than 25 years. I took my first Taiji class with Paul in 1975 when he taught in Moscow, Idaho.
On the left is a picture of us taken in Moscow dated January 19, 1979 practicing double Join Hands (i.e., Push Hands).
Below is a picture of us practicing double Join Hands on January 21, 2012 - almost 33 years later to the day!

Red Deer Antler Tips

Recently I had an inquiry about red deer antler tips that were mentioned in a book as a high quality product. The tips of the antler are said to be stronger and warmer than the body the antler, however, they are quite expensive and you may have to pay up to $1,000.00 for this product. One reason for the expense is that the tips have to be cut from the antler and you can not buy just a small amount. When the antler is cut you need to buy a minimum of three or four ounces of the antler.
We suggest using regular deer antler. For all intents and purposes this will serve you quite well.
See Deer Antler.

Bruce Lee Plays Ping Pong

This is fun! See: Bruce Lee Plays Ping Pong with nunchucks

As an update it turns out this video was created for an advertisement. They used a Bruce Lee look-a-like and made the film look old. It is still fun to watch though.

Pictures of China's Ethnic Groups

Here's a link to superb Photo's of China's Different Ethnic Groups.

Fructus Lycii 枸杞子 gou qi zi (wolfberry)

Fructus Lycii 枸杞子 (Chinese: Gou qi zi, AKA goji berry or wolfberry) is an important herb for longevity and beauty. It nourishes the blood and essence and is used for weakened sexual energy, backache, fading eyesight, oversensitive eyes, mental confusion, and underdeveloped inner psychic vision. This sweet and tasty fruit can be made into tea, eaten by itself, or used in food preparations. It combines well with Ginseng, Rehmanniae, or Chrysanthemum. Use 6-15 grams per four cups water.

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Note: Tibetan Goji Berries is a species of Lycii berries that is not listed in the Official Chinese Materia Medica and therefore is considered a Food Grade Product rather than a Medicinal Grade Herb.

China's Yuan advances to new high

Herb prices and goods from China will continue to rise as China's Yuan advances.

See: China's Yuan advances to new high

Chinese Yuan continues to advance -higher prices to come

Herb prices will continue to increase as China's yuan advanced to 6.5883 per US dollar. Ten years ago the price was about 8.2 to the US dollar which made products much less expensive - almost half of what the cost is now.

China's Herbal Medicine Plagued by Inflation

China's Herbal Medicine Plagued by Inflation
By Michael Bristow BBC News, Anguo, Northern China

At the Central Trade Hall in the city of Anguo there are hundreds of stalls selling unusual products - tree bark, wild flowers and roots.

Many of them have unusual names, such as Baikal Skullcap and Pagoda Tree.

These products are all used in traditional Chinese medicine and are on sale at the country's largest market for medicinal herbs.

It is an ancient industry that is currently grappling with an age-old problem: inflation.

Medicinal herbs have on average nearly doubled in price over the last year. Some particular ingredients have gone up even more.

Expect Chinese Herb Prices to Rise

Chinese herb prices continue to rise due to crop failure's and pressure from the US Government. The United States says China's yuan is undervalued which makes their products unfairly cheap.
Here's another article about the rising prices: China sees soaring medicinal herb prices.
In any event be prepared to see frequent price increases in the product you buy.

Herb Prices Soar

SINGAPORE, Dec. 28 (Xinhua) -- The prices of most herbs used in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) rose by 30 percent this year in Singapore.

Local herbs wholesalers contribute the price increase to the stronger Chinese currency and herbus supply shortages, local English daily the Straits Times reported on Tuesday.

The supply shortages are the result of major natural disasters which wiped out swathes of herbal plantations in China.

The prices of over 25 percent of herbal medicines have more than doubled in the second half of the year. For instance, the honeysuckle flower, or jinyinhua, which is used to relieve colds, costs as much as five times more than it did last year.....

For more info see: Traditional Chinese medicine herbs prices surge in Singapore