Longest Staircase on Earth (Shaolin Temple Part 2)

A little rock n' roll history for your troubles, the picture to the left was taken at the exact location from which the phrase "Stairway to Heaven" originated. In 1968, Jimmy Page spent a summer in China's Henan province and at the foot Song Mountain's longest set of stairs composed the piece that would later become Led Zeppelin's most celebrated, well-know song.................. just kidding.

On to Part 2 of our (# yet to be determined) part revisitation of my week at the Shaolin Temple. While I absolutely loved learned gongfu, I would have to say the most memorable experience I had was climbing Song Mountain. This mountain range, on which the Shoalin Temple sits, is the central of China's Five Great Mountains. These five, Tai Shan, Hua Shan, Nan Heng Shan, Bei Heng Shan, and Song Shan, are said to be sacred under the Taoist religion, and in the past have served as destinations for pilgrimage. I'm not entirely certain of the role these mountains play in today's Taoism, but the views from the peak and the general scenery certainly seem deserving of the label "sacred".

As evidenced by the picture, I say that we climbed Song Shan in the climbing stairs sense, not the whole rope and carabiner routine. But walking up what I imagine must have been thousands of stairs was no small task, especially having practiced gongfu for six hours the day before. There was a distinct humbling aspect about this experience, as I watched 60+ year-old Chinese women keeping pace with me and the rest of our group, not to mention the absense of sweat on their faces and clothes (I looked like I had jumped in a pool fully-clothed by the end of it). From what one old gentleman told us, it isn't uncommon for him and his friends/family to make weekly trips up and down the mountain. As I spend more time here, it's becoming more and more clear how China has managed to kept obesity in check, despite the efforts of American fast food joints.

As exhausting as the whole process might have been, the landscapes I witnessed on Song Shan made it all worth it. I have no significant complaints about growing up in the Midwest, but that part of the United States doesn't really offer up any great opportunities for witnessing the true power and beauty of nature. To say the least, the views at the peak of Song Shan rendered me speechless. It's still difficult now to put into words my feelings as I stood thousands of feet above sea level, looking out over the mist-shrouded landscape. Contrary to my initial reaction (one of dismay), the foggy atmosphere just added to the almost surreal nature of the surroundings. For those of you who have climbed mountains, I'm sure you understand what I am trying to convey, and for those of you who have not had that opportunity I encourage you to check out the rest of the photo album on my Facebook. As they say, a picture is worth a thousand words, or as I say, a picture is a good way to distract people from my inability to use words as an effective was of describing my experience...

Anyway that's all for right now. It's actually Sunday afternoon right now, and I'm about to start my third to last week here in Beijing. At this point, as the Light Fellowship people promised, time is really starting to fly by, and I'm going to try my best to really take advantage of the time I have left. Hope you guys enjoyed Part 2 (which may or may not be the last part of the Shaolin trip posts), and I'll see you next time.

明天见！

Jamey