4.22
Action Camera
I bought an action camera online this morning.
I need one because every time I show my hiking videos to my friends, I cannot properly express the feeling of walking in the mountains.
The videos I’ve taken in the past were almost taken from one standpoint. The only change I could make was moving the camera with my hands, not my feet. Because once I started walking, the video would become jittery. Thus, the videos missed many beautiful views and it looked as if I just enjoyed the scenery and flowers cozily, like in a garden.
I’m a little excited and looking forward to receiving my package and trying the camera on my next hike.
4.18
More about Baduanjin
As I wrote in the last entry, Baduanjin the Eight Trigrams Boxing is easy, brief and efficient.
It was probably kept this way since 1200 years ago. Its main postures were found in the Han Dynasty artifacts. Then Taoists developed it in the Song Dynasty, approximately 800 years ago. That’s why it’s a little similar to Taichi, the most famous form of Taoist Kongfu.
I think there are three reasons why Baduanjin become more and more popular.
The first one is that after COVID-19, many people have some lingering physical problems. Those problems may be not easy to recover from or too tiny to use medicines. So people try to get some help from exercise.
The second reason is that after practicing Baduanjin, some people found it useful. So they told their friends about it and encouraged them to try it too.
And the third one – which I think is an essential one for myself – is that the only change you need to make in your daily life is to get up 15 minutes early.
Time versus gain; It’s a bargain!
4.16
Eight Trigrams Boxing
While traveling in Mount Lu, one of my best friends showed me Eight Trigrams Boxing which she practices every morning.
We both had some little problems after getting COVID-19, but, apparently, she recovered much better than me, even though I worked so hard to help myself.
So, I started practicing the Eight Trigrams Boxing on the first day I returned to Shanghai.
It’s amazing!
I feel so good and in great spirits after boxing every day, and the most amazing part is that my heart rate stayed around 80 the whole time while I was sweating and felt hot from the inside out.
I think this practice is really suitable for office workers. It’s a little like Taichi, but far more simple. It’s also a system of deep breathing exercises, and it just takes 12 minutes to practice.
In short, it’s easy, brief and efficient.
I’ll tell you more about its history next time.
4.15
A short caption for the video of Lianxi
(The video is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Noy-P1nCKAM )
The name of this stream is Lianxi. It’s a famous stream around Mount Lu. It got its name in the Song Dynasty from a famous scholar, Zhou Dunyi.
If you only have half a day at Mount Lu and want to throw yourself into nature, I highly recommend the Lotus Cave Forest Park, where this stream is located.
It’s beautiful and wild as you can see, but not too popular or crowded.
4.14
Sunday Routine
Today is Sunday. It’s my day of relaxation and preparation.
Normally I make bread and prep vegetables to put in my fridge because I don’t have much time to cook during the week.
Sometimes I also need to buy some household supplies. Even though shopping online is so convenient in China and we can buy those things anytime, I prefer to check stock at home before ordering new items.
Sometimes I meet friends on Sunday, but not today. After the trip to Mount Lu, I needed a rest.
I usually check my schedule for the next week on Sunday evenings. After doing that, I’ll feel peaceful and well-prepared. Then I’ll go jogging and enjoy the time before sleep.
PS: I uploaded a video about the stream I mentioned in my last entry. You’re welcome to watch it.
4.11
A stream called Lianxi
Today, I want to tell you a story about a stream. It’s a famous one around Mount Lu.
Lianxi is its name, and it got this name in the Song Dynasty from a famous litterateur, Zhou Dunyi. He was also a great philosopher and a capable official at that time.
His thoughts and ideas affected lots of people for hundreds of years. It was said that he theorized the former Confucianism in more detail.
As a classical officer in the Song Dynasty, he also tried his best to teach young students. His famous academy was built at the source of this stream.
He loved this stream very much, so he gave it the name of his hometown, Lianxi.
4.9
Three Ancient Trees
I saw three ancient trees in the town on top of Mount Lu.
They stand together as a scenic spot. The direct translation of the Chinese name is Three Treasure Trees.
The oldest one is a ginkgo tree. It’s 1600 years old now, which means it may have been seen by the famous poet Bai Juyi in the Tang Dynasty and my favorite poet Su Shi in the Song Dynasty. They both visited and loved Mount Lu so much that they wrote many beautiful poems about it.
The remaining two are Liushan. They are 600 years old, so they were planted in the Ming Dynasty.
No wonder the locals call them treasures.
4.8
Sick
I’ve been sick for three days.
It was in a hotel at an altitude of 1024 meters. I suddenly woke up at midnight and found myself sneezing with allergies. At the same time, I had a stomach ache.
My friend gave me some pills. They stopped my sneezes but not my stomachache.
I could not fall asleep again until almost 5 in the morning.
It’s terrible to get ill during a trip.