Lonely Planet China

by Lonely Planet

  Over 1.2 million tonnes of transparent plastic sheeting is used annually by China's farmers to reduce water loss from evaporation, but much of the plastic is later ploughed into the earth, polluting the soil and decreasing crop yields.

  A Greener China?

  China is painfully aware of its accelerated desertification, growing water shortages, shrinking glaciers, acidic rain, contaminated rivers, caustic urban air and polluted soil. The government is keenly committed, on a policy level, to the development of greener and cleaner energy sources. China’s leaders are also seeking to devise a more sustainable and less wasteful economic model for the nation’s future development.

  There is evidence of ambitious and bold thinking: in 2010 China announced it would pour billions into developing electric and hybrid vehicles (although the goal of 30% of car sales going to electric vehicles seemed wildly optimistic); Běijīng committed itself to overtaking Europe in renewable energy investment by 2020; wind farm construction (in Gānsù, for example) continues apace; and China leads the world in the production of solar cells. Coal use is also declining: in 2015, China imported 30% less and consumed 3.7% less coal, aiming to shut 1000 mines in 2016. Some analysts say China has already surpassed 'peak coal', but two-thirds of China's power still comes from the fossil fuel.

  Public protests – sometimes violent – against polluting industries have proliferated in recent years across China and have scored a number of notable victories, including the 2012 demonstrations in Shífāng (Sìchuān), which led to the cancellation of a planned US$1.6 billion copper smelting facility. A 2013 survey in China revealed that 78% of people would demonstrate if polluting industries were constructed near their homes. Much of the agitation is the result of health concerns as cancer is now the leading cause of death in China, with 7500 deaths per day as a result of the disease (lung cancer being the most prevalent form).

  Martial Arts of China

  Unlike Western fighting arts – Savate, kickboxing etc – Chinese martial arts are deeply impregnated with religious and philosophical values. And, some might add, a morsel or two of magic. Many eminent exponents of gōngfū (功夫) – better known in the West as kungfu – were devout monks or religious recluses who drew inspiration from Buddhism and Taoism and sought a mystical communion with the natural world. These were not leisurely pursuits but were closely entangled with the meaning and purpose of life.

  Styles & Schools

  China lays claim to a bewildering range of martial arts styles, from the flamboyant and showy, inspired by the movements of animals (some legendary) or insects (such as Praying Mantis Boxing) to schools more empirically built upon the science of human movement (eg Wing Chun). On the outer fringes lie the esoteric arts, abounding with metaphysical feats, arcane practices and closely guarded techniques.

  Many fighting styles were once secretively handed down for generations within families and it is only relatively recently that outsiders have been accepted as students. Some schools, especially the more obscure styles, have been driven to extinction partly due to their exclusivity and clandestine traditions.

  Some styles also found themselves divided into competing factions, each laying claim to the original teachings and techniques. Such styles may exist in a state of schism, while other styles have become part of the mainstream; the southern Chinese martial art of Wing Chun in particular has become globally recognised, largely due to its associations with Bruce Lee.

  Unlike Korean and Japanese arts such as taekwondo or karate-do, there is frequently no international regulatory body that oversees the syllabus, tournaments or grading requirements for China’s individual martial arts. Consequently, students of China’s myriad martial arts may be rather unsure of what level they have attained. It is often down to the individual teacher to decide what to teach students, and how quickly.

  Several Chinese styles of gōngfū (kungfu) include drunken sets, where the student mimics the supple movements of an inebriate.

  Hard School

  Although there is considerable blurring between the two camps, Chinese martial arts are often distinguished between hard and soft schools. Typically aligned with Buddhism, the hard or ‘external’ (外家; wàijiā) school tends to be more vigorous, athletic and concerned with the development of power. Many of these styles are related to Shàolín Boxing and the Shàolín Temple in Hénán province.

  Shàolín Boxing is forever associated with Bodhidharma, an ascetic Indian Buddhist monk who visited the Shàolín Temple and added a series of breathing and physical exercises to the Shàolín monks' sedentary meditations. The Shàolín monks' legendary endeavours and fearsome physical skills became known throughout China and beyond. Famous external schools include Báiméi Quán (White Eyebrow Boxing) and Cháng Quán (Long Boxing).

  Fújiàn White Crane is a southern Chinese fighting style invented by a woman called Fang Qiniang who based the art's forms and strategy of attack and defence on careful observatoin of the bird's movements.

  Soft School

  Usually inspired by Taoism, the soft or ‘internal’ Chinese school (内家; nèijiā) develops pliancy and softness as a weapon against hard force. Taichi (Tàijí Quán) is the best known soft school, famed for its slow and lithe movements and an emphasis on cultivating qì (energy). Attacks are met with yielding movements that smother the attacking force and lead the aggressor off balance. The road to taichi mastery is a long and difficult one, involving a re-education of physical movement and suppression of one’s instinct to tense up when threatened. Other soft schools include the circular moves of Bāguà Zhǎng and the linear boxing patterns of Xíngyì Quán, based on five basic punches – each linked to one of the five elements of Chinese philosophy – and the movements of 12 animals.

  Zhang Sanfeng, the founder of taichi, was supposedly able to walk more than 1000 li (around 560km) a day; others say he lived for more than 200 years!

  Forms

  Most students of Chinese martial arts – hard or soft – learn forms (套路; tàolu), a series of movements linked together into a pattern, which embody the principal punches and kicks of the style. In essence, forms are unwritten compendiums of the style, to ensure passage from one generation to the next. The number and complexity of forms varies from style to style: taichi may only have one form, although it may be very lengthy (the long form of the Yang style takes around 20 minutes to perform). Five Ancestors Boxing has dozens of forms, while Wing Chun only has three empty-hand forms.

  The linear movements and five punches of the internal Chinese martial art Body-Mind Boxing (Xíngyì Quán) possibly evolved from spear-fighting techniques.

  Qìgōng

  Closely linked to both the hard and especially the soft martial-arts schools is the practice of qìgōng, a technique for cultivating and circulating qì (energy) around the body. Qì can be developed for use in fighting to protect the body, as a source of power or for curative and health-giving purposes.

  Qì can be developed in a number of ways – by standing still in fixed postures or with gentle exercises, meditation and measured breathing techniques. Taichi itself is a moving form of qìgōng cultivation while at the harder end of the spectrum a host of qìgōng exercises aim to make specific parts of the body impervious to attack.

  Praying Mantis master Fan Yook Tung once killed two stampeding bulls with an iron-palm technique.

  COURSES, BOOKS & FILMS

  Often misinterpreted, gōngfū (kungfu) teaches an approach to life that stresses patience, endurance, magnanimity and humility. Courses can be found in abundance across China, from Běijīng, Hong Kong, Shànghǎi, Wǔdāng Shān in Húběi to the Shàolín Temple in Hénán.

  John F Gilbey’s The Way of a Warrior is a tongue-in-cheek, expertly written and riveting account of the Oriental fighting arts and their mysteries. Meditations on Violence: A Comparison of Martial Arts Training & Real World Violence by Sgt Rory Miller is a graphic, illuminating and down-to-earth book on violence and its consequences.

  For me
taphysical pointers, soft-school adherents can dip into Laotzu’s terse but inspiring The Classic of the Way and Its Power. For spectacular (if implausible) Wing Chun moves and mayhem, watch Ip Man (2008), starring the indefatigable Donnie Yen.

  Bāguà Zhǎng

  One of the more esoteric and obscure of the soft Taoist martial arts, Bāguà Zhǎng (八卦掌; Eight Trigram Boxing, also known as Pa-kua) is also one of the most intriguing. The Bāguà Zhǎng student wheels around in a circle, rapidly changing direction and speed, occasionally thrusting out a palm strike.

  Bāguà Zhǎng draws its inspiration from the trigrams (an arrangement of three broken and unbroken lines) of the classic Book of Changes (Yìjīng or I Ching), the ancient oracle used for divination. The trigrams are typically arranged in circular form and it is this pattern that is traced out by the Bāguà Zhǎng exponent. Training commences by just walking the circle so the student gradually becomes infused with its patterns and rhythms.

  A hallmark of the style is the exclusive use of the palm, not the fist, as the principal weapon. This may seem curious and perhaps even ineffectual, but in fact the palm can transmit a lot of power – consider a thrusting palm strike to the chin, for example. The palm is also better protected than the fist as it is cushioned by muscle. The fist also has to transfer its power through a multitude of bones that need to be correctly aligned to avoid damage while the palm sits at the end of the wrist. Imagine hitting a brick wall as hard as you can with your palm (and then picture doing it with your fist!).

  The student must become proficient in the subterfuge, evasion, speed and unpredictability that are hallmarks of Bāguà Zhǎng. Force is generally not met with force, but deflected by the circular movements cultivated in students through their meditations upon the circle. Circular forms – arcing, twisting, twining and spinning – are the mainstay of all movements, radiating from the waist.

  Despite being dated by historians to the 19th century, Bāguà Zhǎng is quite probably a very ancient art. Beneath the Taoist overlay, the movements and patterns of the art suggest a possibly animistic or shamanistic origin, which gives the art its timeless rhythms.

  Iron Shirt (tiěshān) is an external gōngfū (kungfu) qìgōng training exercise that circulates and concentrates the qì (energy) in certain areas to protect the body from impacts during a fight.

  Wing Chun

  Conceived by a Buddhist nun from the Shàolín Temple called Ng Mui, who taught her skills to a young girl called Wing Chun (詠春), this is a fast and dynamic system of fighting that promises quick results for novices. Wing Chun (Yǒng Chūn) was the style that taught Bruce Lee how to move and, although he ultimately moved away from it to develop his own style, Wing Chun had an enormous influence on the Hong Kong fighter and actor.

  Wing Chun emphasises speed over strength and evasion, rapid strikes and low kicks are its hallmark techniques. Forms are simple and direct, dispensing with the pretty flourishes that clutter other styles.

  The art can perhaps best be described as scientific. There are none of the animal forms that make other styles so exciting and mysterious. Instead, Wing Chun is built around its centre line theory, which draws an imaginary line down the human body and centres all attacks and blocks along that line. The line runs through the sensitive regions: eyes, nose, mouth, throat, heart, solar plexus and groin and any blow on these points is debilitating and dangerous.

  The three empty hand forms – which look bizarre to non-initiates – train arm and leg movements that both attack and defend this line. None of the blocks stray beyond the width of the shoulders, as this is the limit of possible attacks, and punches follow the same theory. Punches are delivered with great speed in a straight line, along the shortest distance between puncher and punched. All of this gives Wing Chun its distinctive simplicity.

  A two-person training routine called chi sau (sticky hands) teaches the student how to be soft and relaxed in response to attacks, as pliancy generates more speed. Weapons in the Wing Chun arsenal include the lethal twin Wing Chun butterfly knives and an extremely long pole, which requires considerable strength to handle with skill.

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  Book Your Stay Online

  For more accommodation reviews by Lonely Planet authors, check out http://lonelyplanet.com/hotels/. You’ll find independent reviews, as well as recommendations on the best places to stay. Best of all, you can book online.

  Accommodation

  China’s accommodation choices are impressive but enormously varied. Top-tier cities have a rich variety of sleeping options; other towns can have a poor supply, despite being inundated with visitors. Rural destinations are largely a patchwork of homesteads and hostels, with the occasional boutique-style choice in big-ticket villages.

  AHotels From two-star affairs with very limited English and simple rooms to international-level, five-star towers and heritage hotels.

  AHostels Exist across China in growing numbers, usually offering dorm beds and double rooms and dispensing useful travel advice.

  AHomestays In rural locations, you can often find double rooms in converted houses, with meals provided.

  Book Your Stay Online

  Booking online can help you secure a room and obtain a good price, but remember you should be able to bargain down the price of your room at hotel reception (except at youth hostels and the cheapest hotels) or over the phone. To secure accommodation, always plan ahead and book your room in advance during the high season. Airports at major cities often have hotel-booking counters that offer discounted rates.

  ACtrip (www.english.ctrip.com) Excellent hotel booking, air and train ticketing website, with English helpline. Useful app available.

  AElong (www.elong.net) Hotel and air ticket booking, with English helpline.

  ATravel Zen (www.travelzen.com) Air tickets and hotel bookings; Chinese-only website. English helpline.

  ALonely Planet (lonelyplanet.com/china/hotels) Recommendations and bookings.

  It's worth noting that major online booking websites sometimes errantly list and make bookable Chinese hotels that do not, in fact, accept Western travellers. Ctrip and Elong seem to be the most reliable booking sites for Westerners.

  Rooms & Prices

  Accommodation is divided by price category, identified by the symbols $ (budget), $$ (midrange) or $$$ (top end); accommodation prices vary across China, so one region’s budget breakdown may differ from another. We list the rack rate, which generally reflects the most you are ever expected to pay. However, at most times of the year discounts are in effect, which can range from 10% to 60% off.

  Rooms come with private bathroom or shower room, unless otherwise stated. Rooms are generally easy to procure, but phone ahead to reserve a room in popular tourist towns (such as Hángzhōu), especially for weekend visits.

  Most rooms in China fall into the following categories:

  Double rooms (双人房、标准间; shuāng rén fáng or biāozhǔn jiān) In most cases, these are twins, ie with two beds.

  One-bed rooms/singles (单间; dānjiān) This is usually a room with one double-sized bed (only rarely a single bed).

  Large-bed rooms (大床房; dàchuáng fáng) Larger than a one-bed room, with a big double bed.

  Suites (套房; tàofáng) Available at most midrange and top-end hotels.

  Dorms (多人房; duōrénfáng) Usually, but not always, availab
le at youth hostels (and at a few hotels).

  Business rooms (商务房; shāngwù fáng) Usually equipped with computers.

  Traveller Restrictions

  The majority of hotels in China still do not have the authorisation to accept foreigners as guests. This can be a source of frustration when you find yourself steered towards pricier midrange and top-end lodgings.

  To see if a hotel accepts foreign guests, ask: zhègè bīnguǎn shōu wàiguórén ma? (这个宾馆收外国人吗?).

  Checking In & Out

  At check-in you will need your passport; a registration form will ask what type of visa you have. For most travellers, the visa will be L (travel visa). A deposit (押金; yājīn) is required at most hotels; this will be paid either with cash or by providing your credit card details. International credit cards are generally only accepted at midrange hotels or chain express hotels and top-end accommodation; always have cash just in case. If you pay your deposit in cash, you will be given a receipt and the deposit will be returned to you when you check out. Ask for a discount on a deposit, especially if it is higher than one night's stay.