What is Chinese Kung Fu?

             Chinese Kung Fu

What is Chinese Kung Fu?
Chinese Kung Fu, also known as Wushu or martial arts in China, is a kind of Chinese traditional sport and one of the most well known examples of Chinese traditional culture. It is characterized by various barehanded and armed combat techniques. Chinese Kung Fu is very rich in form and content, including Taijiquan, Qigong (breathing exercise), Neigong (internal exercise), Tongzigong (children's exercise), Houquan (Monkey's Shadow boxing), Tanglangquan (Mantis' Shadow Boxing), and a humorous one Zuiquan—performed by a drunkard. Chinese Kung Fu, which can increase energy, fitness, coordination, mental well-being, self-discipline and confidence, requires the concentrated coordination of the mind and body. There are two kind of Chinese Kung Fu—“external" and "internal" Kung Fu. It is said that "In external Kung Fu, you exercise your tendons, bones, and skin; in internal kung fu, you train your spirit your qi, and your mind."

The History and the Development of Chinese Kung Fu
The history of Chinese Kung Fu can be traced to self-defense needs, hunting activities in ancient China. In the primitive society, people lived by hunting for their food and fight against the wild beasts.
In Shang Dynasty (1600 ~1100 BC), hunting was regarded as an important measure of Kung Fu training. Then, Shǒubó Kung Fu, one example of ancient Chinese Kung Fu, appeared.
Later, in Zhou Dynasty (11th century BC~221 BC), Chinese Kung Fu developed as a kind of dancing—martial arts dancing.
In the Spring and Autumn Periods (770 BC-476 BC), great importance was attached to Chinese Kung Fu and excellent people were attracted to the sport.
In Qin Dynasty (221 BC to 206 BC) and Han Dynasties (206 B.C.–220 A.D.) martial arts dancing was very popular. During that period, innovation of Chinese Kung Fu was promoted; the Five-animal-style exercise was an example of the development of Chinese Kung Fu.
In Tang Dynasty (581 – 618), Chinese Kung Fu developed very fast, and it became a kind of examination, through which the winners were awarded and gave titles. From then on, Chinese Kung Fu was introduced to many other countries, mainly to the countries in Southeast Asia.
In Song Dynasty (960 ~1279) and Yuan Dynasties (1271 ~ 1368), the Development of Chinese Kung Fu reached the highest level.
Then in the Ming Dynasty (1368~1644) and Qing Dynasty (1644~1911), Chinese Kung Fu also developed rapidly. During the two dynasties, some schools specializing in training Chinese Kung Fu came into being. Besides, different genres of Chinese Kung Fu were integrated.
Till now, many teams and organizations of Chinese Kung Fu have been established and developed. Some of them have participated in the Olympic Games. Nowadays, Chinese Kung Fu is not only popular among Chinese, but also popular among lots of foreigners. More and more people are participating in practicing Chinese Kung Fu.
Over its long history, Chinese Kung Fu has incorporated different philosophies and ideas into its practice. It has expanded the purpose from self-defense to health maintenance and finally as method of self cultivation. In return, the ideal of Chinese Kung Fu influences the poetry, the fiction, and the film. Chinese Kung Fu is now an integral element of Chinese traditional culture.

Beijing Hutong with Rickshaw, Great Bell Museum, Drum Tower

This day Beijing tour begins at 08:30am and ends at around 5:00pm. Please get everything ready before our English-speaking guide meets you in the lobby of the hotel where you stay. It’s about 20 minutes driving to the first stop of the main attractions, Hutong.  

As you might have known, one of the unique features of Beijing is its numerous Hutongs, which means small lanes. The life of ordinary people in these lanes contributes greatly to the charm of this ancient capital. In these small lanes, you will find many siheyuan, or quadrangles that are the living quarters of ordinary Beijing locals. Beijing’s Hutongs are not only an appellation for the lanes but also a kind of architecture. It’s the living environment of ordinary Beijing locals. It reflects the vicissitude of society. Most of the Hutongs look almost the same with grey walls and bricks. There are often four to ten families with an average of 20 people sharing the rooms of one courtyard complex. The main attraction of Hutong life is a friendly and interpersonal communication. Children living in one courtyard play together and grow up like one family. For the elderly, the charm comes from each other’s company. 

Around 09:00am, you will be arriving in the square between the Great Bell Museum and the Drum Tower. We would like to offer Beijing Hutong tour with rickshaw from here. You will observe and learn how Beijing locals have their real life every day. The rickshaw puller and our English-speaking guide will take you to a local family for a home visit. Together with the hostess or host, you can go to the local market for lunch food, such as vegetables, meat, etc. The hostess or host will teach you how to make the dumplings or noodles. Obviously you will enjoy this Chinese lunch made by yourselves. Four hours are needed to experience Beijing Hutong local real life. 

After lunch if time permits, you will go for a visit to a kindergarten, the old folks’ home or a hospital.  

In the afternoon, you will be taken for a visit to the mansion of Prince Gong of Qing Dynasty, which was the Residence of the Last Qing Emperor’s Father. The mansion is the most exquisitely decorated and best preserved among the princes' mansions in Beijing, and beside the residence there is also a large garden. The mansion consists of two parts: living quarters and the garden, covering 56,000 square meters. The living quarters run along three axes - central, eastern and western, altogether having 1,000 rooms. People can imagine the grandeur from its green glazed-tile roofs. The garden of Prince Gong's Mansion covers 25,000 square meters, with artificial rockeries, covered corridors and pavilions. It is said the Grand View Garden described in the novel "A Dream of Red Mansions" was modeled after this garden. 

Not far from the mansion of Prince Gong is the Former Residence of Soong Ching Ling, late Honorary Chairman of the People's Republic of China. Led by the rickshaw puller and our English-speaking guide, you come to Yin Ding Bridge with a ride past the Former Residence of Soong Ching Ling. After a short view of Shichahai, you can come to the bar street for a drink. This tour will end with the visit to the Drum Tower. With sixty-nine steps climbing to the Drum Tower, you may happen to see the performance of beating drums every half hour. After a short view of Great Bell Museum, both old and modern Beijing, an exciting Yangge, which is a popular rural folk dance is arranged.

We would like to end this day tour with the transfer back to your hotel at around 5:00pm. We hope that this day tour arrangement just fits your need. We look forward to hearing from you.

Beijing Private Tours,Beijing Bicycling tour in Beijing

Beijing Bike Tours

( Touch Beijing by Bike )

Bicycling is one of the best ways to visit Beijing. It is a safe, healty, convenient, economical and environmentally friendly means of travel and transportation. In China, it is also a kind of life style for the people. Due to the unique bicycle culture, China is nicknamed the "Bicycle Kingdom". Beijing is undeniablly the king of the bike kingdom best manifested by the top song singed by Katie Melua titled "Nine Million Bicycles in Beijing". The song also tells the westerners feeling about the bikes in Beijing. The bikes to Chinese people are what the cars to the westerns. They are more than means of transportations, they are a way of life, a kind of Chinese culture and people's friends. People at all ages love bikes in China. Cyclists are therefore given high priority in the traffic. In Beijing you will find many bicycle paths. It is said that Pu Yi, the Last Emperor of the Qing Dynasty loved bicycles so much that he went so far as to order his servants to saw off the thresholds of the gates to make it more convenient for him to ride his bicycle. Do you have the fancy idea of riding a nice bike shoulder to shoulder with the locals to see the imperial city, and explore the Hutongs? No Bike No Beijing!

Bike Beijing is happy to welcome you to the city of Beijing and to everything Beijing has to offer. Bike Beijing offers the quality bike tours for the English-speaking tourists and we are ready to show you Beijing as you've never seen it before! We offer you the best bike tours, resourceful and entertaining tour guides and a lot of fun. We are the bike travel experts. We have the know-how. After many years of escorting hundreds of tourists, we have become the benchmark. Enjoy our bicycle tours of Beijing (day and night, half day or full day). Our routes have been carefully planned so that you do not encounter much traffic, still allowing you the opportunity to see and experience as many things as possible en route. Our Day Guided Bike Tour is the perfect tour for both those new to the city and Beijing veterans. For the beginners, this tour will offer you a fantastic orientation. For the veterans, we are confident you'll learn new facts and stories behind Beijing that you’ve never heard. And we are sure you'll both agree that biking is the best way to see Beijing --"King of Bikes"! Bike Beijing - Bicycle Kingdom Tours & Rentals operates one of the largest fleets of cycles in Beijing, offering bike hire and short guided tours around central Beijing.

beijing tour to Great Wall at Simatai section

This day Beijing tour begins at 08:00am and ends at around 6:00pm. Please get everything ready before our English-speaking guide comes and meets you in the lobby of the hotel where you stay. It’s about 3 hours driving to the Great Wall at Simatai section.

Simatai, located in the north of Miyun County, 120km northeast of Beijing, holds the access to Gubeikou, a strategic pass in the eastern part of the Great Wall. Originally built during the Northern Qi dynasty (550-577) and rebuilt in the Hongwu years of the Ming dynasty by Qi Jiguang, this section of Great Wall is the only part of the Great Wall which keeps the original features of the Ming dynasty Great Wall. 

Simatai Great Wall is 5.4km long with 35 beacon towers. Ingeniously conceived and uniquely designed, this section of Great Wall, inimitable and diversified, has incorporated the different characteristics of each section of the Great Wall. Professor Luo Zhewen, a famous specialist of Great Wall, says: "The Great Wall is the best of the Chinese buildings, and Simatai is the best of the Great Wall." 

Hanging precariously onto the Yanshan Mountain, Simatai Great Wall is known for its steepness, ingenuity and uniqueness. 

Steepness: built on the precipitous mountains, there are many places that are unmatched among other sections of Great Wall. The Heavenly Ladder and the Sky Bridge are particularly dangerous that they could make everyone on them tremble with fear. 

Ingenuity: compares with other sections of Great Wall, Simatai is densely dotted with beacon towers, in which the nearest two are only 43.8m apart and the farthest of 600m. While in other sections, beacon towers were built at intervals of 500m. In this section, the walls are in single, double and trapeziform forms and the watchtowers are round or oblate in shape and composed of two or three floors. Even the roofs of the tower are also diverse: some are flat, some cymbiform and some domical shapes. 

Uniqueness: built on the mountain ridge with limestone caves under it, this section of wall is imposing and unique among other sections. More interesting is that there are two springs called Mandarin Duck Springs at the foot of the Great Wall. The east one is cold, while the west warm. The two springs join into one lake. Then half of the lake is cold and the other half is warm. In winter, hot steam rises from the lake, forming a marvelous spectacle in this area. 

Simatai Great Wall is separated into two parts by a valley, namely the east part and west part. The west part appears gentle with 20 well-preserved watch towers dotting here and there. Comparing with the west part, the east part is somewhat steep and cliffy. 15 watchtowers densely scattered on the thousand-meter-high peaks, adding enchanting views to the wall. In this part, the main attractions include Watching Beijing Tower, Fairy Tower, Heavenly Ladder and Sky Bridge.

Watching Beijing Tower: with an elevation of 986 meters, it is regarded as the summit of Simatai section of Great Wall as well as the highest cultural relics in Beijing. Mounting the tower at night, one can see lights shimmering faintly in downtown Beijing. More interesting is that the bricks used to built the walls here even stamped with the date on which they were made and the code numbers of the armies that made them. 

Fairy Tower: with a sculpture of twin lotus flowers above the arched doors, it is the most beautiful of all towers and is known for its exquisite architecture. Legend goes that it was the dwelling place for an antelope reincarnated in the form of an angel who fell in love with a shepherd. 

Heavenly Ladder: leaning against a mountain slope with a 90-degree gradient, it is the way to the Watching Beijing Tower and the Fairy Maiden Tower. Stretching upward along the abrupt mountain ridges, the narrowest part is just half a meter wide.

Sky Bridge: with a cabined width of mere 40 centimeter, it is really a 100-meter-long way, connecting the Fairy Tower to Watching Beijing Tower. Only brave man can pass through this bridge.

Noted by the UNESCO as one of the World Cultural Heritages, Simatai Great Wall is the famous scenic spot for traveling, exploration and inspection. Now, this site is open to visitors at home and abroad. 

A restaurant take-out lunch will be served. It is included in the given price.

This day tour ends with the transfer back to your hotel at around 6:00pm. We hope that this day tour arrangement just fits your need. We look forward to hearing from you.

click here you can book the Beijing tour to tour the Great Wall at Simatai section

beijing tour to Tiananmen Square and Forbidden City and Temple of Heaven

This day Beijing tour begins at 09:00am and ends at around 5:00pm. Please get everything ready before our English-speaking guide meets you in the lobby of the hotel where you stay. It’s about 20 minutes driving to the first stop of the main attractions.  

The first stop is Tiananmen Square, which is one of the biggest city center squares in the world. Tiananmen Square stretches 880 meters from north to south and 500 meters from east to west, for a total area of 440,000 square meters. At about 09:30am you can reach Tiananmen Square. So here a 30-minute walking tour is necessary for having some pictures taken as mementos. At 10:00am, the guide will lead you to the Forbidden City, which is also called Imperial Palace, through “Gate of Heavenly Peace”. Tiananmen Square actually gets its name from the huge gate that stands on the north side of the square. The Chinese of Tiananmen can be translated into English as “Gate of Heavenly Peace”.  

The Purple Forbidden City contains the imperial palaces of the Ming and Qing Dynasties. Twenty-four emperors, fourteen in the Ming and ten in the Qing Dynasties, ruled here. It covers an area of 72 hectares. It is rectangular in shape, 961 meters long from north to south and 753 meters wide from east to west. There are 9999.5 rooms in the whole ancient Chinese architecture complex. There are 9999.5 rooms because Chinese used to believe that only the palace for the ruler in the heaven could have ten thousand rooms. But not all of the rooms are open to the public. For visiting the public parts, 2 or 2.5 hours are needed. 

12:30pm, It is time for lunch when you finish seeing the Forbidden City. We would like to offer Beijing day tour with lunch in a local restaurant, which is included in the given price. We also consider that in this way you can learn a lot more about Chinese cuisines during your stay in China. 2 hours are needed for having lunch and driving to the next stop, the Temple of Heaven.

The Temple of Heaven was built in 1420 during a time when many other important structures were constructed in Beijing. Emperors of the Ming and Qing Dynasties visited the Temple of Heaven to worship heaven and pray for an abundant harvest. This temple was for imperial use only, however, it is a public park today. The park spans 1,700 meters from east to west, 1,600 meters from north to south, and covers about 273 hectares. It is one of the largest parks in Beijing. All day long, you can see a lot of local folks in the park doing exercises, singing, dancing or something like that.

This day tour ends with the transfer back to your hotel at around 5:00pm. We hope that this day tour arrangement just fits your need. We look forward to hearing from you. 

Join us beijing day tour to Tiananmen Square and Forbidden City and Temple Heaven

Beijing Zoo,Beijing Zoo tour,the Best Beijing Zoo tour

Beijing zoo is famous, naturally, for its large selection of pandas.  However, for some strange reason, the panda display is an additional price on top of the price of admission.  Is anyone not interested in the pandas I wonder ??   Having said that, there are scores of other animals here, comparable to any zoo in the world.

One could argue that, apart from the pandas, who have a fairly luxurious pad, every other animal here is getting a rough deal in terms of accommodation.  Most of the enclosures are concrete and not too imaginative.  If you really like animals and do the whole zoo you can spend a lot of time here.  It does get pretty cold in the winter however

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The Beijing Zoo is located in the north west of Beijing not too far from the center.  A taxi from the center might cost you somewhere from 20 RMB to 25 RMB.  Taxi is your best bet for getting there, but you do have the option of taking the subway to Xi Zhi Men station (201) on Line 2 followed by walking 15 to 20 mins or taking a short bus ride.

The following is the name of the Beijing Zoo in Chinese, you can print and hand to the taxi driver.

Join us Beijing Zoo Tour

Summer Palace-Beijing Summer Palace tour tips

The summer palace is located in the north west corner of Beijing right next to Beijing University.  Constructed as a place of rest and recreation for the emperor of old, it is now open as a public park and is one of the most impressive places to visit in Beijing. 

The focus of the Summer Palace is a huge lake with a long walkway circling it.  To the one end is built a series of towers, halls and temples climbing the hillside.  From the buildings towards the top of the hill you can see the entire lake and its surroundings.  The picture on the right was taken in mid winter and those are not boats on the lake but rather people walking on the ice. 

The park is accented by many small architectural features such as the beautiful 17 arch bridge which leads to a small island, and the pagoda on the hill of the far shore.  There is also a large boat built from stone to look out for.  In the summer you can go boating on the lake. You can go with a group on one of the large dragon boats, or you can rent your own electric powered boat by the hour.

It will take about 50 minutes to just over an hour to reach the summer palace by taxi from the center of Beijing.  If you want to take the bus it could take an hour and a half or more.  The taxi cost should be no more than 50 RMB.  The bus fare if you're willing to brave it would be less than 7 RMB.  The summer palace entrance fee is around 30RMB.  Boat rental stops early at around 4.30pm so get there early if you want to rent a boat.

When you leave the summer palace, getting a taxi back can often be a problem, and so can traffic on the small roads leading out.  Be very careful about taxis parked near the Summer Palace, they are often fake or have adjusted meters.  Try to find a taxi which has just pulled up, or one which is cruising by.  Another option is to take a tour from your hotel.  Most hotels can get you on some kind of tour which will give you a coach there and back.

This is the Chinese name of the Summer Palace.  Directions are hardly necessary as every Beijing taxi driver should know exactly where it is.

beijing vacation，beijing hotel

The Temple of Heaven and the Great Wall

Our last seminar day in China was spent at two magnificent locations, the Temple of Heaven and the Great Wall!

We visited the Temple of Heaven, visited by emperors for centuries. We witnessed many retired Chinese citizens doing their daily exercise.

After the visit, we traveled about 1 1/2 hours outide of Beijing to a remote location to have lunch at the Schoolhouse (a renovated Chinese schoolhouse) where we had a wonderful buffet. The owner is an American and his wife. He briefly visited each table and described his life and his entrepreneurial ventures in China over the past 25 years.

Later, we climbed the Great Wall. It was hard work, but an experience not to be forgotten.

Tomorrow, we leave Beijing for Rochester. The entire trip has been an educational experience from beginning to end. Professor Matteson has led us on a global and enlightening experience for all.

Beijing half day tour to the great wall with English tour guide

Beijing 798 Art Zone: More than usual tourist site--2

A young couple have their wedding photos taken at 798 Art Zone in Beijing, capital of China, Aug. 5, 2008. (Xinhua Photo)


A man watches a gear wheel left behind by a factory workshop at an art squre at 798 Art Zone in Beijing, capital of China, Aug. 5, 2008. (Xinhua Photo)

Photo taken on Aug. 5, 2008 shows an advertisement sign outside an art studio at 798 Art Zone in Beijing, capital of China. (Xinhua Photo)

Photo taken on Aug. 5, 2008 shows a workshop decorated with sewage pipes at 798 Art Zone in Beijing, capital of China.(Xinhua Photo)

Photo taken on Aug. 5, 2008 shows sculptures displayed at 798 Art Zone in Beijing, capital of China. (Xinhua Photo)



Photo taken on Aug. 5, 2008 shows a view of the pottery arts street at 798 Art Zone in Beijing, capital of China.(Xinhua Photo)

Join in our Beijing one Day tour to 798 Art Zone with English Tour Guide

Beijing 798 Art Zone: More than usual tourist site--1

Visitors watch paintings at an art gallery at 798 Art Zone in Beijing, capital of China, Aug. 5, 2008. The area occupied by Beijing 798 Art Zone today was once the place for Beijing North China Wireless Joint Equipment Factory. Attracted by the Bauhaus buildings and convenient transportation in this quiet area, artists began to gather to open their workshops here since 2001. Thus Beijing 798 Art Zone has become an assembling place for various cultural and artistic forms including sculpture, painting and independent art studio of photography etc. (Xinhua/Du Huaju)

Photo taken on Aug. 5, 2008 shows a sculpture displayed at 798 Art Zone in Beijing, capital of China.(Xinhua Photo)

Photo taken on Aug. 5, 2008 shows a group of sculptures named "Twinborn" displayed at 798 Art Zone in Beijing, capital of China. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo)
A visitor takes photos of sculptures at 798 Art Zone in Beijing, capital of China, Aug. 5, 2008. (Xinhua Photo)

Photo taken on Aug. 5, 2008 shows a sculpture displayed at 798 Art Zone in Beijing, capital of China. (Xinhua Photo)

A girl watches sculptures at 798 Art Zone in Beijing, capital of China, Aug. 5, 2008. (Xinhua Photo)

Photo taken on Aug. 5, 2008 shows pottery sculptures at 798 Art Zone in Beijing, capital of China. (Xinhua Photo)

Photo taken on Aug. 5, 2008 shows a sculpture called "Soldiers from Heaven" on the roof of a building at 798 Art Zone in Beijing, capital of China.(Xinhua Photo)

Beijing 798 Art Festival kicks off at 798 Art Zone

Tourists look at the sculptures displayed at 798 Art Zone in Beijing, capital of China, Sept. 29, 2008.The 2008 Beijing 798 Art Festival is held here from Sept. 28 to Oct. 18. (Xinhua/Li Wenming) Tourists select souvenirs at a fair in the 798 Art Zone in Beijing, capital of China, Sept. 29, 2008. The 2008 Beijing 798 Art Festival is held here from Sept. 28 to Oct. 18. (Xinhua/Luo Wei) look at a sculpture displayed at 798 Art Zone in Beijing, capital of China, Sept. 29, 2008. The 2008 Beijing 798 Art Festival is held here from Sept. 28 to Oct. 18. (Xinhua/Luo Wei) A tourist looks at a sculpture displayed at 798 Art Zone in Beijing, capital of China, Sept. 29, 2008. The 2008 Beijing 798 Art Festival is held here from Sept. 28 to Oct. 18. (Xinhua/Li Wenming) A foreign tourist takes photos of a sculpture displayed at 798 Art Zone in Beijing, capital of China, Sept. 29, 2008. The 2008 Beijing 798 Art Festival is held here from Sept. 28 to Oct. 18. (Xinhua/Li Wenming) Editor: Wang Hongjiang Would you like to tour the 798 Art Zone  one day tour in Beijing? now join our Beijing one Day tour to the 798 Art Zone

Beijing 798 Art Zone, online tour 798 Art Zone with exquitsite pictures

798 Art Zone Views 

As the development and continuous construction of many buildings and architecture, Beijing has absolutely become a metropolis ranking a leading position among the world. Meanwhile, lots of characteristic area can be found in Beijing , such as Houhai Bar Street , Wangfujing Shopping Street . Those renowned area in China has played an important role and make Beijing has become a fashionable city. 798 Art Zone is one of the most famous and contemporary area in Beijing which attracts many artist, poet, or painters from home and abroad.

798 art zone is the most important and biggest art area in Beijing . The whole area was transformed from abandoned electronic factory, and 798 refer to the name of the factory (factory always named by number in revolutionary times.)The art area of 798 can trace back to 2003, at first an abandoned factory was rent to a freelance painter by cheap price, and then he opened his own art gallery with a spacious site, it is hot welcomed by many artists and the area has become the largest gathering place for artists.798 art area .798 has become China’s indispensable hub of contemporary art and nowadays it is the most interesting art place to visit in Beijing.

When entered the art area, you will discover that 798 still preserved the appearance of old factories, rusty steel construction and historic banner, or abandoned site, whole scenes memorized the past of 798 factory and old city .However, new art gallery, cafes, museums, contemporary exhibition vividly stands in 798 area nowadays, they make the whole area to become the epitome of Beijing city-perfect combination of modernity &tradition.