9/15 Friday - Our group leaves out of San Francisco
International Airport (SFO) around 2:00 pm. (we accommodate our travelers from Canada and
abroad, making arrangements to all meet in Beijing on Saturday 9/16 as we pass the International
Date Line)
9/16 Saturday - Arrive in Beijing, China in the early
evening, greeted by Master Wan Su Jian and his students and get escorted to the 4-star Fragrant
Hill Hotel, nestled in the mountain foothills at the Western edge of the city. This is where
we'll stay for a few days, in comfortable accommodations. After a sumptuous
welcome dinner, we receive a healing Qigong tui'na treatment and foot bath/massage before
retiring for the evening.
9/17 Sunday - We start the day with a buffet breakfast at
hotel, and then head to Master Wan's Institute by bus Master Wan officially welcomes us
at the Opening Ceremony with Taoist music played by his students, as well as Kung Fu and
Qigong demonstrations. After the ceremony, your personal Qigong treatment and foot massage.
Lunch, and then a unique Taoist Qigong calligraphy healing session (where you will receive
as a gift to take home, an artwork scroll painted for you to promote healing) and a traditional
Tibetan Qigong healing treatment. The second part of the training will include a traditional
Taoist Tea ceremony and Tibetan Buddhism meditation at the Guan Yin Hall. Tonite is our welcome
party at the Institute with a festive Chinese banquet followed by a Taoist "good luck" ceremony
in the Lao Zi hall.
9/18 Monday - Early morning Qigong training on the magical,
forested 3,000 acre grounds of the hotel, followed by a Chinese buffet breakfast. We head
back to the Institute by bus and then attend a Qigong lecture by Master Wan. After this,
we receive our personal Qigong treatment and foot massage and then enjoy lunch at the Institute,
cooked by the resident Master chef and Qigong practitioner. After lunch, we have Zen practice
at the Institute's Zen Meditation Hall and Qigong training in the courtyard around the central
Tai Ji tablet. Dinner will be a healthy and delicious, gourmet Chinese meal at the center...
and then we head to the Beijing Rail Station to catch our overnight, luxury sleeper train
to mystical Mian Shan, southwest of the capital.
9/19 Tuesday - We arrive in Mian Shan in time to have breakfast at the
4-star Yun Feng Ye Yuan Hotel where we'll be staying. Built into the side of the sheer rock
walls of a unique mountain canyon, this remote hotel is part of an ancient temple complex
that is like nothing you've ever seen. Next we visit the beautiful Taoist temple at Da Luo
Palace by bus, and return in time to check into our hotel and have lunch at there. Afterwards,
we'll enjoy our personal Qigong treatment and then receive Qigong cultivation training at
Yun Feng Temple (Dragon Cloud Temple). We'll have dinner at hotel and then enjoy the night
views of the Taoist temple and receive Qigong training by Master Wan and his senior students.
9/20 Wednesday - After early morning Qigong training and breakfast at
the hotel, we leave Mian Shan and head to Ping Yao by bus to visit the Wang family
courtyard folk house museum. Ping Yao city is a place frozen in time, with most buildings
over 500 years old and pedal carriages replacing cars. We'll enjoy a local meal on the old
Ming/Qing Dynasty street, and then enjoy sightseeing and shopping time. This town is full
of very inexpensive Chinese treasures and a shopper's paradise for those who like authentic
(and replica) antiques and unique gifts. Next we go to Ji Chi, the town where Master Wan
grew up as a child. This place has a lot of meaning to him and as such, we will receive the
benefits of his stories and connections. We check in to the 5-star Ji Chi Nation Hotel.
This is a brand new, luxury resort, replete with a world-class spa and rooms appointed with
every amenity. We are honored to be the first foreign guests at this private facility built
for Chinese heads of state. We'll enjoy a gourmet dinner at the hotel, and then return to
our rooms for private Qigong treatments.
9/21 Thursday - Morning Qigong training with Master Wan's
students on the exquisite grounds of this resort, breakfast at our hotel and then a Qigong
lecture and training by Master Wan in the beautiful hotel facilities. After a gourmet lunch
at the hotel restaurant, we walk over to the 500 year-old Ming Dynasty temple that the resort
shares grounds with. We practice Qigong and enjoy the ancient relics and serene water features
of this temple that has strong feminine energy, including a sacred area with statues where
women have come to ensure their fertility for centuries. We have dinner at the hotel and
then receive or personal Qigong treatment. For those interested, we will do some Qigong training
next to the stream that runs through the resort.
9/22 Friday - We start the day again with group Qigong training, have
breakfast at the hotel, and then take a short bus ride up the mountain to visit the Buddhist
cave at Tian Long Shan (Heavenly Dragon Mountain) There is a giant, four-story high Buddha
statue carved into the mountainside that is amazingly powerful... and a temple was built
around it to protect and honor the statue! We have lunch at the hotel, and then participate
in various activities including a Qigong theory lecture by Master Wan and Qigong training.
After dinner, we enjoy our treatment, and then practice Zen and Taoist meditation before
retiring for the evening..
9/23 Saturday - Morning Qigong training,
have breakfast at the hotel, then visit the Shan Xi Province museum and the famous Double
Pagoda. After lunch, we will continue our Qigong training at the hotel which includes a
lecture on working with Qi and working with pressure points. We'll have time for quiet contemplation
on the hotel and temple grounds, and then meet up for dinner and end the day with our individual
Qigong treatment in the comfort of our elegant rooms for the last night at this resort.
9/24 Sunday - Morning Qigong training, and then after breakfast, we go
visit Wu Tai Mountain, a sacred location for Buddhist throughout China. We'll enjoy lunch
at a local restaurant and then check in the Wu Tai Hotel. We'll enjoy some spectacular sightseeing
and receive Qigong training from Master Wan up on Wu Tai Mountain. We return to our hotel
for dinner and then rest in our rooms as Master Wan and his students come to give us our
daily Qigong treatment.
9/25 Monday - Qigong training, breakfast, and then back up Wu Tai Mountain
for more sightseeing and Qi cultivation training. Next we take a ride through the country
by bus to Da Tong city, the home of Master Wan's parents (his Mom is a famous Tradition
Chinese Medical doctor and acupuncturist with her own small clinic, and his Father, a retired
Western hospital director, helps her in the clinic.) Da Tong food is uniquely delicious and
we'll enjoy lunch and sample some of the unique local dishes. After checking in to the grand,
4-star Da Tong Hotel (where famous dignitaries stay) we go visit
the Buddhist Yun Gang Cave - one of the great sites of China (you can see shots of
the amazing statues there in our PBS Qigong documentary). We'll be treated to more Da Tong
cuisine for dinner at the hotel, followed by our Qigong treatment in our hotel rooms... which
will be most welcome after a long day.
9/26 Tuesday - Early morning Qigong training, back to the hotel for breakfast
and then return to Beijing by bus. We'll be at Master Wan's Institute for lunch,
and then receive our Qigong treatment and foot massage. We then check in at the Fragrant
Hill Hotel and have dinner at a favorite, local village restaurant. For those interested,
we'll have a Qigong training at the powerful earth point of Fragrant Hill.
9/27 Wednesday - The day starts with Qigong training at the magical Fragrant
Hill Lake, after which we walk back to the hotel for their tasty buffet breakfast. You can
enjoy free time for activities around Fragrant Hill (hiking, chair lift to the top of the
mountain, shopping, etc.). We'll return to the Institute for lunch
and then we'll get our individual Qigong treatment and herbal foot soak/massage. There will
be a Qigong lesson at the Institute, and then we'll go into Beijing city to visit the Temple
of Heaven. Dinner will be the local favorite, Beijing noodles at a very local and authentic
restaurant. Evening entertainment will be a treat - the reknown Chinese Acrobatics in downtown
of Beijing.
9/28 Thursday - Group Qigong practice near the Fragrant Hill Hotel ponds,
then our buffet breakfast. Today we'll visit Tian An Men Square and the Forbidden City, followed
by lunch at the Emperor's Restaurant -serving the same menu that was served to the Emperor.
(for those who have been to these sites before, we'll have an alternative for you to do this
afternoon.) Next is shopping at the famous Wang Fu Jing street and amazing Silk Market...
good deals abound. We then return to the Institute for our formal Closing Ceremony and send
off party replete with a fabulous banquet, entertainment and music by Master Wan's very
talented students, and of course, Chinese fire works.
9/29 Friday - Early morning Qigong training at Fragrant Hill, and our
final, big buffet breakfast at the hotel will help send off as we head to the Beijing International
Airport, leaving at Noon and arriving in San Francisco at 8:23 am... completing our wonderful
China journey, grateful for the gifts we have received.
All-inclusive cost: $ 3,795 US
Please note:
As this trip is sponsored by our non-profit Kahuna Valley organization, 40% of your trip
can be written off as a tax-exempt donation since you will be helping to support Kahuna Valley
with your participation.
You are responsible for any personal incidental and gift purchases of course, as well as
laundry services and telephone calls incurred while in China. The trip price is based on
double occupancy, but if you would like to have a private room during this journey, the extra
cost is $595 US. You are required to have a valid Passport and China Travel Visa to join
this trip (we will advise you on how to acquire this - it is relatively easy and will cost
you about $75 US.
A $500 deposit is required to secure your place on this limited participant trip, which
fills on a first-come, first-served basis. Final payment balance is due by July 1, 2006.
Our cancellation policy is based on trip director discretion and we do our best to help on
a case-by-case basis. As the departure date nears, it will of course be more difficult to
provide full refunds due to fees and fares that we pay in advance.
Please bring two passport-sized photos with you for use on the Certificate of Training from Master Wan Su Jian
that you will receive upon completion of your studies on this trip. Trip directors Francesco and Daisy Lee-Garripoli
will provide information through their emailed China Travel Tips to help you prepare for this study trip every
month or so as the departure date nears.
Click here
to see the 2004 China Trip Image Gallery
Click here for a Word "Rich-text" version
of this Itinerary for printing...
Click here for an Adobe
Acrobat file for printing...
.. 
...
... 
