I had a short holiday in Guangzhou, China recently and visited Foshan which is about 28 km from Guangzhou. It was a free and easy trip as our main objective, my siblings and I, was to trace our roots and take a peek at our grandpa's village which is in Nanhai, one of the five districts that made up Foshan. The above picture is of a couple in marriage, right at the entrance to the 'Zumiao', Foshan ancestral temple. I was so engrossed in this that I'd forgotten to snap a picture of the facade of the temple.
Just after the entrance to the temple on the left is this Ipman muzeum. I'm sure I needn't have to introduce this martial arts expert to you as you must have heard of and seen the movies about this legendary hero.
A summary of the history of Ipman.
Figurine of Ipman, the Wing Chun expert. It's a form of martial art for self-defence.
These are the 'weapons' that the students use when learning Wing Chun. The most popular is the wooden framework.
This is the museum of another legendary hero Wong Fei Hoong sifu, also in the vicinity of the ancestral temple.
A kung-fu demonstration with the sword.
Another demonstration with the rod. I was wondering what was this red wooden container for. Then, I knew, it's a donation box and once you've put in some money you'll be given a red piece of paper with auspicious wishes, just like during the Chinese New Year.
The next demonstration ........ Lion dance
This is a statue of Wong Fei Hoong sifu in his signature stance.
Foshan is reputated to be the home of Cantonese opera and martial arts. This is a picture of the stage for a Cantonese opera which is no longer in use but well maintained.
Hope you've enjoyed these pictures and I'll be posting some food in the next episode!
so did you manage to steal a few kungfu steps?! i do not know that foshan is known for their martial arts but come to think abt it, there was a chinese kungfu drama..'fat san chan sin sang', right? i'll be looking out for the food you had in your next post.
ReplyDeleteWOW..all the kungfu masters in Fushan. I must visit these places when I go to Guangzhou. Can't wait to see your next post on yummy food!
ReplyDeleteLena
ReplyDeleteI was eager to learn Wong Fei Hoong's 'Shadowless kick'! Those young guys were good!
Ann
I've yet to sort out the food pictures as some didn't come out well!
i've not been there before. thank you for sharing this lovely photos (: look forward to you next post (:
ReplyDeleteReminds me of TV series "霍元甲" and "陈真" :-))
ReplyDeleteI look forward to your food report :-))
The Sweetylicious
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome, Jasmine!
Angie
Yes, those were Chin Woo heroes.
Wow, so many interesting things to see. I remember going to the cinema with my mum to watch the Wong Fei Hoong movies (I think it was called Once Upon a time in China, and there were many in the series). He he, I can hear the theme song in my head now...brings back memories! Sounds like you had a good trip.
ReplyDeleteCheah, is it true this is the home of Master Wong? Or just a display? My mom's dad went back to China when she's 8 or 9. She refused to follow him because he has a wife in China. Then she went to stay with her sister, my aunt. My aunt got married when she was 13. So, we didn't know if he's still alive or not.
ReplyDeleteKristy
Shaz
ReplyDeleteGives me an idea. Put the theme song in my blog! But need to google for it!
Kristy
Yup, it is, he hails from Foshan. Looks like Foshan had a lot of these kungu heroes.
Oh! another holiday? I have yet to head to Guangzhou for holiday. the food is good too right?
ReplyDeletePenny
ReplyDeleteYes, just a short holiday to trace back my roots! Food is not too bad but I notice that it's quite salty, be it in restaurants or eating shops.