- 2 days ago
To the east of China lie the Wudang Mountains, the cradle of Taoist internal martial arts since the Tang dynasty. These scarlet temples, nestled in gray rock, hold the heritage of Tai Chi, as well as a culture of meditation and traditional Chinese medicine. This art of living extends into the city and finds its place in the daily lives of its inhabitants.
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00:00Thank you for joining us.
02:33The towns at the foot of the Wudong Mountains are much more lively.
03:01Nonetheless, the atmosphere, even in town, seems to be conducive to meditation and martial
03:27arts.
03:29This is due to the contrast between the modern buildings and the ones built according to
03:32the traditional Chinese architecture.
03:36This is due to the contrast between the modern buildings and the modern buildings.
03:43This is due to the contrast between the modern buildings and the modern buildings.
03:49Many martial arts schools bring their disciples to train here, on this square.
04:09There are also many locals who are skilled in martial arts and come here to train alone
04:17or just to do a few exercises.
04:47The Wudong region is the cradle of internal martial arts. They are so considered because they are based on the development of inner energy and have a strong symbolic aspect.
05:02This is what makes them different from the Shaolin styles of martial art, which are considered external.
05:09This is what makes them different from the Shaolin styles of martial art, which are considered external.
05:39Wudong has many different Kung Fu schools of varying sizes.
05:45Some pupils only come here for a few weeks to learn the basics of Tai Chi or Kung Fu.
05:51In Wudong's highlands, there are many martial arts schools and also masters.
05:56Usually, the pupils stay for a few weeks before heading back to the town.
06:19However, many pupils stay for a lot longer in order to learn and completely master Tai Chi.
06:25Tai Chi is not only a healthy physical exercise, but also a Taoist inspired martial art with a strong spiritual element.
06:32spirits skit weavers
06:34The question from this is how there are many ways away
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06:47And this is how it is� минут!
06:50Easily activity
06:55experience
06:59Tai Chi's movements are designed to sharpen the body's vital energy.
07:08Tai Chi is thought to have been invented by Taoist warriors and monk doctors.
07:13Yang is the most popular style.
07:16It was created by Yang Luchan in the 18th century.
07:20Yang Luchan modified Tai Chi's original template to make it more accessible.
07:25The style's characteristic slow and relaxed movements are reminiscent of yoga exercises.
07:55Tai Chi can be practiced unarmed as well as with a range of weapons including the sword, the sabre or the stick.
08:14The ruler was also used but over the years it's been left behind.
08:19Recently more and more weapons are being used including the spear, daggers, the scythe and the fan.
08:26The man is a fan.
08:27The man is a fan.
08:33The high level of successfully seni, which shall take place for the third base unit, will try to improve improve the quality of the quality of the quality of the quality of the quality of the quality of the quality of the quality.
08:54Every weapon has its own sequence of movements which must be mastered.
09:10The sword, for example, has a certain number of different forms of attack and defense.
09:24Tai Chi's movements also have a martial purpose.
09:39Tai Chi is sometimes known as shadow boxing, as the boxer seems to be fighting against an opponent who isn't there.
09:54Tai Chi training sessions involve learning the different movements and how to handle the weapons, but also limbering up exercises.
10:09People who come to train here in the mountains of Wudong are given food and accommodation.
10:15The spiritual nature of this place is thought to help the martial artists progress.
10:21With fewer distractions, the youngsters can concentrate fully on their training and meditation.
10:28In days gone by, many of Mount Wudong's monasteries were all but inaccessible.
10:43The Wudong mountains lie between two big towns, Xi'an to the southeast and Wuhan to the north.
11:02Generally, tourists head to Wuhan and then take a train or bus to the mountains, where buses and cable cars are provided.
11:11Nevertheless, it still takes a full day to reach the mountains.
11:17In the old days, thousands of pilgrims came to worship at Wudong's monasteries.
11:36Little by little, the Chinese are starting to rediscover these temples.
11:43In the succeeding years and dynasties, palaces, monasteries and temples have been built on these mountain peaks.
11:51Many monks still live in the monasteries, because the location is conducive to meditation.
11:57Tai Chi is a martial art, but also a way of life which teaches man to live in harmony with nature.
12:04Tai Chi is also a way of life which teaches man to live in harmony with nature.
12:11Tai Chi is one of these polytechnic reigned usually disposes ofック diaries.
12:15Tai Chi is one of theDR...
12:17Tai Chi is one of the PR skeletons seeking to live in harmony with nature.
12:23But whether he would be the most Mikey and Harari bears proposition, he could see some milhões of them.
12:28Or, μπο fakалась, bodou Miha dishesのためにリ
12:32The monks are easily identifiable thanks to their long hair which is tied up on top of their head in a bun fastened with a wooden peg.
13:02The six year old chapel has a deimeystack of a building in a built-up with a living room for children.
13:12There are two slugers in a building in a building in a building in a building.
13:17The keythey are in doing is nice.
13:23The keythey are being removed from the building and the building and now they are able to build their own hub.
13:31The majority of the buildings were built during the reign of the Emperor Tzu Di, who is famous
13:41for being the founder of Beijing's Forbidden City.
13:45He wanted all palaces and monasteries to be in perfect osmosis with nature.
13:50All over China, and especially in Wodong, he had palaces, monasteries, convents and
13:55temples built.
13:57The different buildings on Mount Wodong are testimony to the apotheosis of the Chinese
14:02art and architecture of the period, and the establishment of Taoism in China.
14:17The dragon is one of the most emblematic creatures of Chinese and indeed Asian culture.
14:25It generally appears on all buildings.
14:32Dragons are part of the fundamental mythology of Chinese culture.
14:38The dragon was used as a symbol by almost all the dynastic Chinese emperors.
15:08The dragon is one of the most emblems of Chinese culture.
15:24Today a great many martial arts films are shot in the Wodong mountains.
15:30Their scenery provides a perfect backdrop for such films.
15:34It also helps to publicize these magnificent ancient sites, which are also destinations of
15:39pilgrimage for the Chinese, and more generally Taoists and those who practice martial arts.
15:43Strikes in Tai Chi are only effective if the combatants are in the world of martial arts.
16:10Releasing this energy creates a shockwave.
16:17So Tai Chi has an important spiritual dimension, because it's vital to forge a link between man
16:23and nature's natural energy reserves.
16:30Wodong's mountains are full of monkeys.
16:42The monkey is the ninth animal represented in the Chinese zodiac, and the number nine in the
17:00is supposed to bring good fortune.
17:07The monkey is the 남 no one of the ones who再见 Sacramento Rockets.
17:12The monkey has a number of max mammals before a night has been perfect for in purpose.
17:14It is alsooric as the 1960s to Ragini Maud.
17:16Вы every snippet of the territory of
17:23their successful chimera?
17:25Here the monkey has a huge amount of vinyet, today's post airline.
17:29Tea is a Chinese invention, and far from the big city's pollution, Mount Wodong is full of both wild and cultivated tea.
17:54China produces the world's greatest range of tea varieties. Legend has it that 2,700 years ago, an emperor was roaming the country searching for all manner of plants with medicinal properties.
18:07One day he was severely poisoned, and whilst he was boiling some water beneath a tree, a gust of wind dropped a few leaves into his kettle.
18:15The drink then acted as an antidote and stimulant. Nowadays, tea is not only used in Chinese medicine, but also as a stimulant and as an everyday drink.
18:25Music
18:37Music
18:41Music
18:45and I am taking the dough and doing this.
18:48I was just going to tear the dough.
18:53We'll just go ahead and break the dough.
18:56We made it back for the dough and a little bit.
19:01It was packed.
19:05And then we will remove the dough and put the dough to the edge.
19:39China's teas are very famous and have a very important place in Chinese culture.
19:44Although they produce many different varieties of tea, such as yellow or black, the Chinese
19:49mostly drink green tea.
19:54Many Chinese believe in prayer trees.
19:57They write their prayer on a piece of red ribbon and throw it up into the tree.
20:02If it gets caught on a branch, their prayer will be answered.
20:08The prayer tree must be several hundred years old, as the Chinese believe that if the tree
20:12has survived for so long, it must be blessed by the gods.
20:20Because of the Wudong Mountain's highly spiritual nature, more and more pilgrims and other tourists
20:24come to the region.
20:37The area's rediscovery has partly been due to improvements in its accessibility and its classification
20:43as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
20:49The region's economy mainly revolves around tourism, martial arts and tea.
20:54No vehicles are allowed in the region of Wudong.
20:57The only mode of transport available to get to some of the monasteries and martial arts schools
21:01are these green buses.
21:04There are lots of queuing places in the region of Wudong.
21:06Where would you go from?
21:07Oh, you guys are from Wudong to your border.
21:08There are lots of shops and far over the country.
21:09There's lots of shops, and lots of shops.
21:11There are lots of shops.
21:12With thank the people of the shelters, they are all at the hot spot.
21:13The area's only burnt this moon.
21:14The average pool is an outside port, and this area has been a group of town.
21:19The ground is filled with one of the birds.
21:21The sound of the birds.
21:22No, there are lots of shops, and lots of shops are the most обыч people.
21:25The airways to the north side of where they are.
21:28Usually, before a training session, a monk will use the millennia-old Chinese art of
21:49Feng Shui in order to harmonize the environmental energy, purify the area, and ensure that
21:57all physical and metaphysical elements are in harmony, and everything goes smoothly.
22:28I'm going to sign up for the new ones, you can bring it back to the new ones.
22:33What is it, you can bring it back to the new ones.
22:37I'm going to sign up for the new ones.
22:40I'll sign up for the new ones.
22:45We'll sign the new ones.
25:24Most Kung Fu training sessions take place in small groups.
25:28Unlike most Western sports clubs, Wudong's masters decide whether or not they want to take on a student.
25:34Traditionally, the great masters take on very few pupils, so that the arts heritage may be passed on without giving away Kung Fu secrets to all and sundry.
26:01Cheers.
26:31Cheers.
27:01Cheers.
27:31Cheers.
28:01Cheers.
28:03Cheers.
28:05Cheers.
28:07Cheers.
28:09Cheers.
28:11Cheers.
28:21Psychology is an important part of Kung Fu.
28:23This is why meditation sessions go hand in hand with physical training.
28:29These are both important so that the mind as well as the body becomes strong.
28:47Kung Fu and Tai Chi are both martial arts developed mainly by warriors and physician monks.
28:59The influence of Taoism also helped to develop the art of Chinese medicine.
29:04Chinese medicine is built on maintaining the balance of the inner energy called Qi.
29:22As the name of Taoism, the body becomes an important part of the Italian Knox century.
29:28The body becomes an important part of the Chinese medicine industry and the reputation for all the different cultures.
29:34The body becomes an important part of the culture of the family in the Sh상ai analyse and European society.
29:40Chinese traditional medicine is made up of a number of disciplines, including acupuncture
30:08and traditional Chinese massage, but also Chinese herbal medicine.
30:15Chinese medicine has been a huge influence on medicine throughout the world.
30:19Many texts on Chinese medicine have been translated into the principal Western languages.
30:38Chinese herbal medicine, or phytotherapy, is based on the use of plant extracts,
30:56and combinations of medicinal herbs.
31:12Phytotherapy is one of the most important elements of Chinese medicine.
31:16Doctors will select the right blend of ingredients to make a remedy according to the yin and yang
31:21of the patient.
31:51And you can see it, but you can see your patient.
31:58.
31:59.
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32:21Phytotherapy, or Chinese herbology, uses ingredients made from every part of the plant, be it leaves, branches, or roots.
32:39But other ingredients are animal or mineral-based.
32:42The Western world's first contacts with Chinese medicine, and more specifically acupuncture, can be traced back to the 16th century.
32:56But it was in the second half of the 20th century that Chinese medicine really became established in the West.
33:03Nowadays, acupuncture has an increasingly important role to play in Western health care.
33:12The Wudong Mountains, home to many monasteries, are considered a high place of Taoism.
33:32Stone paths link the various monasteries and palaces of the Wudong Mountains.
33:37Some Taoists take these paths as a kind of pilgrimage,
33:40and go to meditate in all the monasteries found along the way.
34:10Some temples are better known than others, often because kung fu films have been shot there.
34:29This dragon is a symbol of the temple, and also of good luck.
34:33Make a wish while throwing a coin, and if the coin lands on the dragon's head, the wish will come true.
34:40West Unfortunately, if are the ones that the most remote as you are in these variations didn't exist,
34:42we discructive, since it's so impartially hard.
34:44What is the most important who resolvers?
34:48So good is the herofrage.
34:55I don't even know that nature of the port in the trap including the 우와 from the pesticida staff.
35:02too.
35:35According to Kung Fu Masters, the energy around us influences one's inner energy and therefore one's mastery of Kung Fu.
35:47Working within the confines of a temple courtyard has a positive influence on one's inner energy and helps one progress.
39:44And subsequently, the techniques for using it too.
39:48But over the years, Kung Fu masters developed techniques for using everyday objects, like the fans used by nobles or the oars used by fishermen.
40:44The majority of Wudong's inhabitants live in the foothills.
41:13Only a handful of monks or a few masters and their pupils live in the mountains.
41:20The atmosphere in the town is quite different.
41:23There are markets in the little alleyways, the familiar traffic congestion, crowded restaurants and, of course, urban pollution.
41:30There's a striking contrast between the peace that reigns in the mountains and the hustle and bustle of the town.
41:36The town's restaurants, the there are some, but we're all here.
41:41The town's restaurants are known as a small town.
41:42The town's restaurants are outnumbered by its plethora of street food stalls.
42:11Street food is an institution in China and throughout Asia.
42:41One of the town's most entertaining spectacles is watching popcorn being made.
42:46A small amount of corn kernels is heated up in a vessel similar to a pressure cooker.
42:51And when it's ready, the whole lot is shot into a bag.
42:58There's a lot of corn kernels.
43:08It's a lot of corn kernels.
43:10Come here.
43:10The family has come to the town
43:40square to spend some time together. The square is like the beating heart of the city where
43:46everyone can meet up. Kids can play and meet their friends while their parents relax or
43:52have a picnic.
44:10Local inhabitants mingle with those pupils from the martial arts schools who have chosen
44:21to live in the town rather than in the mountains. Thanks to the great number of Kung Fu schools
44:27established in the town, it's easier for youngsters to get into Kung Fu without having to trek up
44:32and down the Wudong mountains to get to training.
44:48At this age, rather than fighting moves or weapons handling, the apprentices are taught the stretching
44:53and limbering exercises necessary for learning Kung Fu's movements.
45:23Pupils start at a very young age in order to develop a supple body, as this is the stage
45:31of their life where the body develops most. Mastering certain figures requires great flexibility,
45:38especially when being able to do the splits is one of the integral aesthetic aspects of
45:42Kung Fu's acrobatic demonstrations.
46:12children this age, with their restless spirit, are unable to concentrate on meditation, so their focus is on stretching and limbering up and learning some of the basic
46:17skills that they can do.
46:19combat moves.
46:29children this age, with their restless spirit, are unable to concentrate on meditation, so their focus is on stretching and limbering up and learning some of the basic combat moves.
46:42combat moves.
47:13some of the older pupils can start learning how to use weapons.
47:29but before they are allowed to learn to use the sabre or the lance, they have to learn how to use the stick.
47:42The town is full of life, both day and night.
48:04Shops and street vendors stay open late into the night to cater for the tourists who have visited the city.
48:10the region.
48:12order to care for the tourist who have visited the region.
48:40The town has very little in the way of entertainment like cinemas or discos.
49:05However, the locals like to come and dance the night away in the town square.
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