... 
We were told we were the only foreigners ever to visit this luxury resort,
no less practice Chinese Fan Dance...
...complement this with a beautiful Tibetan Buddhist meditation, arranged by
the abbott of the temple
... 
Another major highlight was meeting the 102 year-old Taoist Master Tang. We
hiked to the temple on Heavenly Dragon Mountain and were honored to meet this teacher of
Master Wan when he was a child. Temple caretakers said they hadn't seen the old Master for
a while, but this wise Taoist said that he "sensed" we were coming and came out of the mountains
to see us, putting on a "new" outfit for the occassion he said!
...
Our adventurous Qigongers walking to the ancient Buddhist grottos in Datong...
and then practicing Qigong inside. Notice the "Qi Balls" in the photo on the right. These
were not on the photos I took before or after this one... many people capture this phenomenon
in their images during Qigong practice at powerful spots. Very interesting...
... 
How can Chinese architecture not transport you to more poetic times... and
the craftsmanship of these 1,500 year old statues located inside the Datong Grottos are exquisite
examples of the human spirit. The holes you see are where wooden dowels were inserted to
secure the plaster coating that originally covered these 15 meter (45 feet) high statues.
... 
Francesco Garripoli being greeted by the director of the Shanxi orphanage...
and holding one of the 800+ orphan infants abandoned by families because they were an unwanted
girl or had a deformity... or both like this angel. These trips support this amazing work
by some of the most caring foster families I've ever seen.
...
Master Wan Sujan goes to this orphanage each month, bringing much-needed
medicine and with his students, administers Traditional Chinese Medical treatment including
unique herbal injections that have helped countless babies with brain damage. Each year we
have several doctors joining our group for training experience like this... as well as loving
hearts like Carol Jackson's (who has come on 5 of our trips so far) to remember what the
essence of Qigong is all about...
... 
I was honored that our group was so generous in donating to the orphanage...
here, Master Wan and I are giving the director a gift and money to support their continued
good work... The old man with his grandson squatted nearby, watching...
... 
... 
...lots of good Qigong practice together in amazing power spots - from caves
to temples...
...and of course, what would a trip to China be without scaling the Great Wall!
... 
When the busy days come to a close, everyone looks forward to their herbal
foot soak/massage and the Qigong energy treatments. Participants get to experience different
styles of treatment and training in those modalities throughout the trip...
These are just a few of the photos I took on this trip... there's about 800
more! I hope you enjoyed them... maybe you will be able to join us on a future Qigong Study
adventure... Peace... Francesco Garri Garripoli
Click here to contact us about joining future trips
Click here to visit the main page for
our China Study Trips
... 
... 
