Friday, June 15, 2012

CNNGo.com

CNNGo.com


Practice Shaolin Five-Form Fist under the Big Buddha

Posted: 15 Jun 2012 12:13 AM PDT

by Zoe Li, Hong Kong Editor

ngong ping 360Maybe the springboard has been Photoshopped out.

Learn kung fu from the masters of Shaolin and Wu Dang-style martial arts against a backdrop of the world's tallest seated outdoor bronze Buddha.

From July 1 to September 2, some 19 kung fu experts will jump, fly, kick and shadow-fist their way around the square at Ngong Ping Village, a complex of shops and restaurants adjacent to Lantau's Tian Tan Buddha Statue.

Demonstrations of killer moves that you'll otherwise only see in movies will take place throughout the afternoon. Watch out for the Shield and Knife, the Celestial Fuchen-brush Sword and the Eighteen Weapons Routine.

There will also be free 15-minute kung fu workshops at the square for acquiring the basics of Chinese martial arts. The Shaolin Five-Form Fist and the Wu Dang Foundation Fist Form will be taught to budding fighters who have registered in advance.

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Yet another round of travel rankings say Asia is so hot right now

Posted: 14 Jun 2012 11:19 PM PDT

by Max Kim

Global travel and tourism transaction processor Amadeus has ranked the world's busiest inter-city flight routes in terms of passenger volume.

The results, which numbered the world's top 10 inter-city routes based on travel transaction records from 2011, show that Asia dominated air traffic. Only three non-Asian domestic flight routes made it on the list, led by Rio de Janeiro-Sao Paulo, ranking second at around 8 million passengers.

At the top of the list was the Seoul-Jeju route, which some 10 million passengers flew in 2011. 

This may seem odd -- especially considering the fact that Jeju Island is relatively unknown to non-Koreans and even more so to non-Asians -- but then again, so was the announcement that Jinro soju was the world's best-selling liquor. Korea is really stacking up the global superlatives this week. 

Also on CNNGo: It's official: Jinro soju is the world's best-selling liquor

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Australian ski resorts see best-ever winter start

Posted: 14 Jun 2012 07:24 PM PDT

Last weekend's public holiday in honor of Good Queen Bess back in Blighty brought a welcome bonus to Australia's winter-sports resorts in the form of bumper crowds for the start of the ski season.

The June long weekend saw snow falls and some intense artificial snow-making at many of Australia's top resorts, including Perisher, Mount Buller, Mount Baw Baw and Thredbo.

And with the snow came the skiers, snowboarders and fans of the great outdoors, booze and all.

More on CNNGo: Tourism Australia campaign blasted over boozers

Snow Australia -- you've heard of it, right? -- hasn't tallied up the numbers yet, but individual winter-sports destinations are reporting record-breaking openings.

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Video: China's tastiest 'dragon boat dumplings'

Posted: 14 Jun 2012 06:13 PM PDT

by Tracy You

This video shows how Zhujiajiao grandmas wrap local rice dumplings, or zongzi (粽子). They can make one zongzi every 15 seconds. (Video by Jin Ge)

Every year around the Dragon Boat Festival, the same foodie debate erupts in China: where are the best rice dumplings made?

Know as zong zi, rice dumplings are a traditional food for Dragon Boat Festival, which is celebrated every year on the fifth day of the fifth month on the Lunar Calendar.

One of the best places for travelers to enjoy the bamboo leaf-wrapped snack is Zhujiajiao (朱家角), a watertown located 48 kilometers southwest of downtown Shanghai.

The 1,700-year-old town is well-know for the "grandma rice dumplings," or apo zong (阿婆粽) in Mandarin. Every year before the Dragon Boast Festival, dumpling hunters from downtown and nearby cities squeeze into the town's narrow streets for a bag, or a bus load of fresh apo zongs.

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The Korean fighter's guide to tae kwon do and other martial arts

Posted: 14 Jun 2012 10:40 AM PDT

by Max Kim

When it comes to tae kwon do and other traditional martial arts, thousands of people tend to fly around the world for the best training and competitions. 

Some 20,000 visitors will be attending the American Taekwondo Association's 22nd annual World Championship conference in Arizona next week, while 2,000 athletes from 30 countries will be flying in to Korea for the World Taekwondo Culture Expo in the North Jeolla province in July. 

The most spectacular tournaments will surely be at the London Olympics this August, for which Koreans have set the bar unnecessarily high for themselves by comparing failing to win gold medals in the sport as tantamount to treason. 

For the best way to learn about the culture of honorable fighting, it's best to head to the motherland. Here's where to train and defend yourself like a true Korean martial arts guru.

Tae kwon do's just the beginning. 

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