Today, Master Yuan took us to one of the sacred mountains in Wudang. Wulong Gong Shan (Five Dragons Mountain) is located in a remote part of Wudang and has not been exposed to tourist like Mt. Wudang. It was such an honor and gift to have Master Yuan show us around the mountain range today.
It started early in the morning at 7am when 18 of us met at the entrance to the school. Master Yuan led us into town for a quick breakfast (dumplings or noodles or fried bread) and after that, hop on a bus for a 30 minute ride to Wulong Gong Shan. Let me tell you, I sat next to my friend Jacky (from Scotland) and we were both scared for our lives as the busdriver took sharp turns trying to reach our destination along the mountain range. There were guard rails on the side of the road and he came close to edge on every turn.
Soon after exiting the "bus of death", Master Yuan began to lead us up the mountain. Not sure what the elevation was, but I would guess it was somewhere around 1000 meters or so. We hiked for about 2 hours (with a few breaks in between) and arrived at Wulong Gong Temple. What a mystical site, especially on a foggy day like today. We were greeted by a Taoist monk who allowed us to sit and eat our snack by the temple. Master Yuan told us the story of Wulong Gong Temple. It was a story of a Taoist who had been praying for rain to continue growing his crops. One day the Taoist looked up in the sky and, in the clouds, he saw five dragons circling above. From the day forward, a temple was built in honor of the five dragons that brought rain to the locals. Hence the name Wulong Gong Temple or Five Dragons Temple. This is one of the oldest Taoist temples in Wudang.
For lunch, we were treated to an organic feast prepared by some of the local Taoist priests. After lunch we proceeded to hike up to the peak of Wulong Gong Shan. The scenery and views were breathtaking. We spent roughly 6 hours hiking the mountain and stopping at various temples and "rest-stops." I must say that today was an energizing day because being up in the mountains, especially the mystical Wulong Gong Shan, was a great way to cultivate the Qi. Below are the photos and video of today's hike.
Videos
Washington Star Dragon Reid (that's his english name) is a badass!
Here, Washington is performing a scene from "Fearless"
Washington showing off his skills.
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