I went to China in February 2008. It was my first visit to Asia and it was unsurprisingly one of those great moments in life that changes your perspective.
The purpose of the trip was to study a branch of Kung Fu known as Dog Boxing with the renowned Master Lin. That too was a life changing experience but, if you want to know more a bout that, there is a record of the trip in the menu above under Martial Arts.
I broke my journey to change fights in Hong Kong and, whilst I was there I bought my first digital camera, a Canon EOS 400D, and I instantly became shutter crazy.
These are my first digital photographs, divided into two sections: People and Places. I plan to put them up in the Photography section in the menu above – something I shall be adding to over time. Click on the image to enlarge.
Kung Fu took up the main part of my time out in China, I was studying in Fuzhou, in Fujian Province, right down in the South, but there was still plenty of time to wander around seeing the sights, experimenting with my rudimental Mandarin Chinese and, in a simple way, to form what I hope will be a lasting relationship with the country.
Apart from my time in Fuzhou, I was also able to travel to some of the Buddhist temples, notably the Southern Shaolin Temple, tranquil places associated with the birth of Kung Fu.
China certainly suffers from many of the things criticized in the press but it is also, to my experience, a land full of things to learn, alternative ways of seeing things and, again in my experience, a country full of friendly, smiling people.
PEOPLE
PLACES
