It wasn't everyday that ShenNongJia appeared in a general conversation so I was immediately interested when someone suggested that we check out this spot. I first heard of ShenNong while playing Sierra's Emperor : Rise of the Middle Kingdom way back when. ShenNong was some sort of ancient mythical legend who introduced agriculture and medicinal herbs to the forefathers. He could bless the fields with bumper crops in the aforesaid game.
While WuHan did not sound remotely interesting, WuDang was something else. In The Karate Kid, (starring Jackie Chan and the son of Will Smith) some scenes were shot at WuDang Mountain.
Furthermore, there was this old story about Zhang SanFeng, the founder of Tai Chi. He settled in WuDang Mountain and founded the WuDang Sect. Members of this sect were some of the defenders of the ancient pugilistic world. According to a fictional spin-off from this legend, Zhang MoKei (the son of Zhang SanFeng's disciple) played a pivotal role in helping Zhu YuanZhang (founder of Ming Dynasty) oust the Mongols who were occupying China at the time. How the Yuan Dynasty ended and the Ming Dynasty began was told in The Heaven Sword and Dragon Sabre. This is a story of allied forces from the various sect pooling their resources to overthrow a common enemy. (The Mongols)
It did not matter that Zhang MoKei was not a historical figure. That he was from WuDang Sect meant that I had to see WuDang Mountain to imagine how that part of the imaginary world was structured.
And finally, there's The Three Gorges. So much have been said about the Three Gorges that I need say no more.
Two hours later, we were on the flight to WuHan. A short and stout Chinaman on the aisle seat several rows behind me had four drinks (whisky). Being of the insatiable sort, he requested for a fifth which was promptly denied by the attending steward. Unbeknownst to one and all, he walked quietly to the back of the plane and helped himself to the liquor. Unfortunately he was caught red-handed. This resulted in a heated exchange between the insatiable man and the steadfast steward. I watched with attentive interest and was regretfully glad when the quarrel died down. A mid-air incident had been avoided.
Furthermore, there was this old story about Zhang SanFeng, the founder of Tai Chi. He settled in WuDang Mountain and founded the WuDang Sect. Members of this sect were some of the defenders of the ancient pugilistic world. According to a fictional spin-off from this legend, Zhang MoKei (the son of Zhang SanFeng's disciple) played a pivotal role in helping Zhu YuanZhang (founder of Ming Dynasty) oust the Mongols who were occupying China at the time. How the Yuan Dynasty ended and the Ming Dynasty began was told in The Heaven Sword and Dragon Sabre. This is a story of allied forces from the various sect pooling their resources to overthrow a common enemy. (The Mongols)
It did not matter that Zhang MoKei was not a historical figure. That he was from WuDang Sect meant that I had to see WuDang Mountain to imagine how that part of the imaginary world was structured.
And finally, there's The Three Gorges. So much have been said about the Three Gorges that I need say no more.
Transiting at Hong Kong Airport, I had nothing better to do than to check out the Roast Goose Drumstick as well as the famed Hong Kong Wonton Soup.
They weren't great.
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We landed in WuHan at about 2030. It was 21°C.
The Chinese Tour Guide was a soft spoken WuHan woman called Ms Helena. She was in her late forties. Her tattooed eye-brow arched all the way down her temple giving her a woebegone look.
At this point in the story, I beg your indulgence for a little digression. Tattooed eye-brows reminded me of an old friend (Ms Tattooed-Eyes) from way back when. Her husband was a bank manager and they were living a victorious life, both making tons of money from the then bullish share market. At the pinnacle of their success, this old friend had her eyes tattooed. She looked strange with the new eye-brow and eye-liner which made her eyes look frightful. None of us commented on her change in appearance except for Ms Nancy, a fellow colleague who could draw any conceivable conclusion from anything that happened around her.
"It bodes ill when one altered the look that Heaven bestowed upon us at birth. Mark my words. Bad luck will surely follow," whispered Ms Nancy to me one afternoon in a conspiratorial tone.
Coincidentally, Nancy's forecast about the "bad luck" came shortly after this conversation. The favored son died from a car crash, the husband lost his job, then his life to liver cancer. The detached house they lived in were sold and the family moved into a smaller unit. When it rains, it pours.
Ms Helena's tattooed eye-brow reminded me of this old story. Right! Let's move on!
Almost by default, Ms Helena started all announcements with a polite "Good Morning (whichever applicable), Ladies and Gentlemen" followed by yada-yada-yada. Should a short pause occur after this announcement, she'd continue to the next part of her talk with another "Good Morning, Ladies & Gentlemen" (depending on which part of the day we're at.)
We were told about WuHan being a part of the old Chu Kingdom. If you've watched The Legend of Mi Yue, you'd know that Mi Yue came from the old Chu Kingdom. It was an hour's drive from the airport to XiaoGan where our hotel was located. We listened to her slow monologue regarding Hubei, translating to "North of the Lake" among others. Upon reaching XiaoGan at the end of the hour, we oohed appropriately when she remarked that XiaoGan was "just a small city with a small population of 5.4 Million people". All 5.4 million of them had disappeared into the night and only a handful remained in the vicinity of the hotel.
At this point in the story, I beg your indulgence for a little digression. Tattooed eye-brows reminded me of an old friend (Ms Tattooed-Eyes) from way back when. Her husband was a bank manager and they were living a victorious life, both making tons of money from the then bullish share market. At the pinnacle of their success, this old friend had her eyes tattooed. She looked strange with the new eye-brow and eye-liner which made her eyes look frightful. None of us commented on her change in appearance except for Ms Nancy, a fellow colleague who could draw any conceivable conclusion from anything that happened around her.
"It bodes ill when one altered the look that Heaven bestowed upon us at birth. Mark my words. Bad luck will surely follow," whispered Ms Nancy to me one afternoon in a conspiratorial tone.
Coincidentally, Nancy's forecast about the "bad luck" came shortly after this conversation. The favored son died from a car crash, the husband lost his job, then his life to liver cancer. The detached house they lived in were sold and the family moved into a smaller unit. When it rains, it pours.
Ms Helena's tattooed eye-brow reminded me of this old story. Right! Let's move on!
Almost by default, Ms Helena started all announcements with a polite "Good Morning (whichever applicable), Ladies and Gentlemen" followed by yada-yada-yada. Should a short pause occur after this announcement, she'd continue to the next part of her talk with another "Good Morning, Ladies & Gentlemen" (depending on which part of the day we're at.)
We were told about WuHan being a part of the old Chu Kingdom. If you've watched The Legend of Mi Yue, you'd know that Mi Yue came from the old Chu Kingdom. It was an hour's drive from the airport to XiaoGan where our hotel was located. We listened to her slow monologue regarding Hubei, translating to "North of the Lake" among others. Upon reaching XiaoGan at the end of the hour, we oohed appropriately when she remarked that XiaoGan was "just a small city with a small population of 5.4 Million people". All 5.4 million of them had disappeared into the night and only a handful remained in the vicinity of the hotel.
It was 2130 when we checked into our hotel room. The night was young but the shops in the vicinity were shut.
My fitness tracker read 6112 steps.
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