Ben @ the peak of Hengshan

It’s New Year time in China once again and this time I’ve decided to do something a little different. For the Year of the Snake my girlfriend and I are spending 3 days in a quiet, snowy mountain town in Hunan province called “Heng Shan”. It’s one of the 5 “sacred mountains” of China, although this could just be a marketing ploy by the locals… Anyhow, it’s importance to Taoists and Buddhists goes back all the way to 25AD, so there must be something desirable up there!

People in Southern China looking for snow don’t have to go far because this mountain is only 30 minutes by car from a high-speed train station called “Hengshan West.” From Zhuhai it only takes us 3 hours total by high-speed train… which is much better than driving 8 hours! The rest of China is getting easier to navigate as more of the latest high-speed train tracks slither across the entire country at record speed.

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First snow in years!

I’ll continue this article now that I’m back from this trip. Boy… I’d like to say that this was as charming a visit as the one I took here a couple years ago… but I’d rather be honest. This mountain has become a money pit and full of tourists. Chinese New Year is also probably the worst time to go because of all the people visiting to “Bai Nian” or say prayers for the new year. Because of this, the mentality of money making has turned this mountain town upside down.

Hotels and food, for example, have a once-per-person take on customer service: just imagine if every Chinese came here just one time! Even if they don’t come back, someone else will and the money to be made is limitless. We might call it unethical, but many Chinese consider this “a good business” model run by a “smart businessman.”

Aside from the negatives of this kind of mountain during the Chinese New Year, I will say that Jenny and I still made lemonade. We have loads of pictures to show for our visit and had many, many laughs. And although we went there so that she could touch snow in 2013, I made her promise that we can get tan on a beach outside China next year… she said, Yes!

Happy year of the Snake!

Let’s start with the West Lake (杭州, 西湖):

West Lake in Hangzhou

West Lake Night Scene with a Full Moon

Relaxing West Lake Walkway

Yellow Mountains in Anhui (安徽, 黄山):

Beautiful Scenery in the Yellow Mountains

Huangshan Mountains in Winter

Walking around West Sea Canyon (Huangshan)

Zhang Jia Jie in Hunan (湖南, 张家界):

Godly Pillars of Zhang Jia Jie

Floating through the Mountains (ZJJ)

Inspiring Pandora's Hallelujah Mountains

Spring Blossoms in South Korea:

Bursting Cherry Blossoms (Korea)

Countryside Road Cherry Blossoms

Jeju Island Park with Blossoms

Ancient Town of  Feng Huang (湖南, 凤凰):

Feng Huang Old Town River

Stump Crossing in Feng Huang

Night in Romantic Feng Huang

Yoyogi Park and Meiji Jingu Shrine in Tokyo,  Japan (日本, 东京):

Peaceful Park Gate in Tokyo

Wedding at Meiji Shrine

Sake Donation Barrels at Meiji Shrine

Luckily, I’ve had the chance to see all of these places. The memories of these visits have not only been engraved  in my mind, but also they have been imprinted on my soul. They are the kinds of places we need to respect and enjoy while we are in this world. I just hope I’ll be able to see and experience more before this ship sets sail…

Which parks, mountains, or scenery have you fallen in love with around Asia? Please share with a comment below:

Mt. Heng Summit

Staying in the Florida of China for months makes winter a little less bareable each year. So, before leaping into the unforgiving frost of Tibet in Winter (as I’m told its quite chilly up there), I decided to pay a visit to Heng Mountain; the Southern Mountain and one of Chinese Five Sacred Mountains of Taoism. Heng Shan is a 150 km-long mountain range  with 72 peaks.

My post today is coming from a small hotel in the foothills of this historically important mountain. Of course, it’s also a pretty charming spot to visit if you are in the Hunan area. (Southern China-2 hours bullet train from Guangzhou/ +2 more hours light rail from HK) Last Chinese New Year I visited Song Mountain, which is the home of the Shao Lin Temple. It’s considered the Central Mountain of the Five Sacred Mtns. Someday I’ll get to the rest of them! (Northern, Western, and Eastern)

What’s important about this place? Besides beautiful landscapes, it was visited by a swath of great emperors, hosted over 100 sacrifices (human perhaps?) and welcomed Tao/Buddhist pilgrims since the first Taoists came in the late East Han Dynasty (25AD-225AD); it also contains countless poetic stone carvings and over 1000 species of wild plants.

The Shou (Longevity) Culture is also strong here. It’s based in the earliest study of Astronomy in the world (by Xingjing). Basically, it matches the location of Mount Heng to the Zhen Star, which is “in charge of the life span of being in the world,” as reported by the Hunan government.

OK, enough about WHY this place is special, and for some pictures of this beautifully peaceful mountain.

Map of Heng Mountain

Southern Mountain - "Nan Yue"

Summer Heng Mountain

Sea of Clouds - Mt. Heng

One Plant: All (leaf) tea comes from the same species of plant. Just like apples all come from apple trees… Varieties exist among all species and those varieties include:  Green, Oolong, Black, White, Yellow,and Pu’er. Processing and growing techniques are other ways that teas get their distinctive colors, flavors, and characteristics. For specifics on processing, check out the image on the right. The following disambiguations are listed from lighter to darker tea varieties.

Green Tea Leaves

Green Tea- A highly popular tea variety in Asia and is produced mainly in China. It contains caffeine and often more so than coffee. Drinking green tea is associated with reduced heart disease and reduces cardiovascular risk factors. It also has some affect on reducing blood pressure, body fat, and cholesterol, but it certainly isn’t a magic bullet if you have these conditions. In 2009, it was cited that women who add more mushrooms to their diet and drink green tea regularly can seriously reduce occurrences of breast cancer[*]. It may also play a role in eye diseases, including glaucoma.
I find that green tea is the most delicious tea option; especially the special sub-variety called “Long Tan” (Henan Province) which can cost around $50/100g. The most famous brand of Green Tea is “Long Jing” (Zhejiang Province).

Oolong Tea

White Tea- This tea is allowed to wilt while being just slightly oxidized. It is made from younger leaves (and buds) than other teas, but contains about the same caffeine. Health benefits of White tea are similar to those previously mentioned, but perhaps due to lack of processing, contains more anti-viral and anti-bacterial qualities than green tea.[*]

Yellow Tea- A less common tea which is only different based on the slower drying method employed to produce it.

Oolong Tea- Between Green and Black tea is Oolong tea which is only slightly oxidized (fermentation stops when leaves slightly change color). This is commonly found in Chinese Restaurants (especially those of Southern China, Cantonese style). I would say that “Tie Guan Yin” is perhaps the most famous sub-variety consumed in China. Many Oolong sub-varities can be found growing in Wuyi Cliff (Mtns.) in Fujian province, although other tea varieties are grown at Wuyi Mountain. Health benefits are practically the same as standard green teas, but the caffeine is slightly less.

Black Tea

Black Tea- Or “Crimson Tea” is more oxidized than Green, Oolong, and White tea. It’s production is led by companies like Lipton and Twinings, and is more popular in Western countries. As with less oxidized varieties, Black tea  has similar health benefits. I find that the flavor of this tea causes me to add sugar and other flavorings. To do so makes the tea no better for you than drinking coffee in the morning. It has probably remained popular in the West due to its longer shelf life.

Pu-er Tea Brick

Pu’er Tea- The best known post-fermented tea is Pu’er [pronounced "Pooh-R], which is even darker than Black tea. I find it to be the coffee of Tea, based purely on its color after steeping. It has become classified by a system similar to wine, which uses regions and year of production to judge quality. This tea is highly popular in Guangdong province after meals, but it is famously grown in Yunnan province. It is commonly said to help with digestion and weight loss. It isn’t a weight loss plan by itself, however, it aides cholesterol reduction and can speeds up metabolism. Recent studies tell about its “antimutagenic and antimicrobial” abilities.[*]

Remember: I’ve sourced some of the claims above, but a lot of medicinal food properties were provided by word of mouth. As a form of Chinese medicine for over 4000 years, (leaf) Tea is a long-standing pillar in the Asian lifestyle, which shouldn’t take a scientist to convince you of its very real benefits to your health.