TheSpiritofTravel AttheLindenCentreinYunnanProvince October 5-18, 2016 CoverphotobyCynthiaJohnson
The Spirit of Travel At the Linden Centre in Yunnan Province October 5-18, 2016 Believe nothing just because a so-called wise person said it. Believe nothing just because a belief is generally held. Believe nothing just because it is said in ancient books. Believe nothing just because it is said to be of divine origin. Believe nothing just because someone else believes it. Believe only what you yourself test and judge to be true. - Buddha No matter the background or faith, there is a universal feeling that Asia s traditional beliefs echo the sublime harmony found not only in nature, but also in humanity. Despite the ideological challenges throughout China s history, and its rapid openness to Western business and social paradigms, there still exist places of deep and divine connections with the earlier traditions. The exploration of how these customs and beliefs have been able to survive through the millennia helps the seeker to better understand the basic humanistic values that may be universal to all cultures. Nestled in the verdant vestiges of the Himalayas, the Dali region in China s southwest Yunnan Province, has been one of leading centers of Esoteric Buddhism in Asia since the seventh century. Located just below Tibet and near the Theravada Buddhist Kingdoms of Siam and Burma, Dali served as a major crossroad for traders traversing the Southwest Silk Road. This constant flow of visitors, many of whom carried with them their spiritual traditions and iconography, helped Dali take on a mystical quality among its neighbors- becoming a Buddhist 'Shangrila' where spirits intercede to uphold the virtuous. Travel with us on a journey into Asia s spiritual past- where daily lectures and thought provoking workshops are followed by visits to ancient temples, mosques, cathedrals, and sacred mountains where the traditions of Buddhism, Taoism, Christianity and Islam exist alongside the Bai ethnic group s indigenous Ben Zhu beliefs. It is in the Dali basin that the spiritual traditions from South Asia and the Middle East collided with the greater Sino-Tibetan religious beliefs. The result is one of the most vibrant spiritual environments in the world.
The Spirit of Travel takes place in a nationally-protected villa in the small historic village of Xizhou. The Centre is housed in the former home to one of the Southwest Silk Road's leading merchants and has been restored to its dynastic elegance by Americans Brian and Jeanee Linden. They are the first foreign couples to take over a Type A Cultural Relic in China, and their quest to preserve China s past has garnered domestic and international media attention and unprecedented government support. They lead only a few retreats a year to a select group of visitors who participate in the Centre's programming. Bradford L. Woo, M.Div., Psy.D. and Laurene Chan from San Francisco will be Travel Mentors on the Spirit of Travel program, accompanying the group throughout its itinerary and providing opportunities for group reflection and inspiration. Bradford is an ordained Presbyterian minister and Clinical Psychologist. Laurene is the Director of Youth Ministries at the Donaldina Cameron House community center and a national leader in the Presbyterian denomination. Both are popular teachers and professional trainers in leadership development, cross-cultural education and positive personal/spiritual development. They first traveled to China together with Jeanee Linden, C0-Founder of the Linden Centre, in 1987. Laurene is also a former student at Fudan University in Shanghai and Bradford s experience of China has been touched by his 20 years as an international adoption professional, during which time he has helped more than 600 families successfully adopt children from China and other countries around the world. Come with us and explore behind China's modern veneer and leave with treasures that will last a lifetime. As Nietzche said, "Of all the mines of treasure, one's own is the last to be dug up." Water everywhere over the earth flows to join together. A single natural law controls it. Each human is a member of a community and should work within it. From the Yi Jing, Book of Changes
PROPOSED ITINERARY October 5 18, 2016 Wednesday, October 5 : Depart from Los Angelest CA. Leave LAX on overnight flight and cross International Date Line to arrive in Kunming. Friday, October 7 : Arrival in Kunming All guests will be picked up at the Kunming Airport- one of Asia s newest and largest. We will check you into the renowned 5 star Green Lake Hotel which is located in the most elegant section of Kunming (population: 6 million). After a short rest in your rooms, we will leave the hotel at 3:00 and take a 20 minute walk along the picturesque Green Lake-Kunming s most charming park- and visit central Yunnan s most important Buddhist site, Yuantong Temple. Unlike other Chinese temples, which require visitors to ascend to the most sacred halls, this complex descends to its three spiritual chambers which date back to the 9th century. Our dinner will be within walking distance of the hotel. After dinner we will stroll through the Green Lake Park and enjoy the nightlife which is filled with the sounds and sights of the Kunming people dancing, singing and playing. Saturday, October 8 : To the Linden Centre After breakfast, we will board our bus for a 5 hour drive through Yi tribal villages to arrive in the beautiful Dali Valley. We will stop along the way where you can have a bathroom break and pick up some light snacks for lunch. Upon arrival to the Linden Centre, we will check-in and meet up for a historical tour of the Linden Centre. We will end up on the terrace to have snacks and drinks including a tasting of local Yunnan wine. Dinner is at the Centre. Throughout your stay we have optional reflection time led by Bradford Woo and Laurene Chan and a series of lectures on history, philosophy and spiritual traditions of China by Brian Linden. Times are posted while you are on site at the Centre. Sunday, October 9 : Getting to know Xizhou Village After a Western and Chinese breakfast, including bottomless cups of Yunnan coffee and tea, guests will be taken on a walking tour of Xizhou village, including a stop at the Jiu Shan Temple. The walk will take about 2 hours. After lunch, there will be about 2 hours of free time. Take this time to acquaint yourself with your home for the next week, wander the village, take a bike ride, or just read a book on the terrace. In the late afternoon we will gather in the kitchen to make the special breaded pizzas that are unique to this village. Called Xizhou Baba, we will share our secret recipe with you. After dinner, our local villagers will entertain us with a music performance of traditional Bai music in the courtyard.
Monday, October 10 : Zhoucheng Village This morning you are welcome to learn Liu Tong Quan a form of exercise that is comprised of 36 movements involving all parts of the human body. The movements aim to promote circulation of blood and strengthen the nerves and muscles. Jeanee will lead and engage our bodies in this technique as we enjoy sunrise on the terrace. Morning time we will have lecture/workshop. After lunch we will travel to the village of Zhoucheng, just north of Xizhou to participate in the making of our own traditional cloths using the tie-dye methods of the Bai people. We will also explore this ancient hillside village, tracing the traditional spiritual path from the old market square to the Ben Zhu temple. Tuesday, October 11: : Touching the Way- A Journey up the Sacred Taoist Mountain of Weibaoshan We will take a 2 hour journey south to the Taoist pilgrimage site of Weibaoshan. On the mountain, we have about 3 hours for visiting. You can visit a few of the closest temples or you can walk the entire mountain visiting all 22 temples. At Weibaoshan, one can drive close to the peak, thus the amount of vertical climbing is mainly limited to the beginning and is not too extensive. On the way home, we will stop in the ancient Tea Horse Road caravansary- Dong Lianhua. This is one of the most authentic Muslim villages in the region, and we will visit the mosque and a small museum introducing the history of the mosque. This is an all-day activity and we will return to have a later dinner at the Centre. Wednesday, October 12 Exploring Lake Er Hai and a Muslim Dinner Guests can continue to wake up and participate in Liu Tong Quan exercises on the r terrace before breakfast. After breakfast we will have lecture/workshop. In the : afternoon, we will ride ho se carts to the Jin Gui Temple and then head to the shore of Er Hai lake where we will stop to rest and enjoy the scenery. Dinner is with a local Muslim family next to Xizhou s mosque. Our local Muslim leaders will share stories about the history of the Muslim religion in Southwest China. Thursday, October 13 : A Pilgrimage to a Chinese Sacred Mountain For over a thousand years, Jizushan (Chicken Foot Mountain) has been one of the most important Buddhist pilgrimage sights in southwest China. It is located about 1.5 hours east of Xizhou. The mountain range, with three in the front and one range in the rear, gives the impression of a chicken foot, is visited by spiritual travelers, monks and nuns who come to pray and visit the mountain and temples.
The views are also beautiful at 12,500 feet. We will visit the most important temples. We can take an enclosed cable car to get practically to the peak. Lunch will be a simple meal at the top. Jizushan has been greatly influenced by Buddhist pilgrims from Tibet and Southeast Asia. Legend has it that one of Buddha s disciples, Mahakasyapa, actually arrived from India at this place and entered into a hidden stone gate on the cliff-side where he remains to this day in enlightened contemplation. China s most famous traveler, Xu Xiake (1587-1641), also carried his friend s ashes crossing 72 mountains, 15 hills, 10 caves, 38 wells and 25 rivers, tojizushan. This will be a day long trip, we will return to the Linden Centre for dinner. Friday, October 14 : Tea Plantation and Ancient Town of Dali After breakfast we will visit Dali s tea plantation, nestled on the mountainside above the 1200 year old Three Pagodas. We will pick our own tea and sample this year s tea crop while listening to the history of Yunnan teas. We then will descend to the old town of Dali and have lunch in one of the charming restaurants. Dali was the capital of the Nanzhao and Dali Kingdoms which dated from roughly 700-1300 A.D. Marco Polo was sent to Dali by the Mongol ruler, Kublai Khan, to help negotiate a peace treaty between the Yuan Dynasty and the local Bai rulers. Dali has wonderful boutiques, cafes, antique shops and traditional craftsmen. You will have 3 hours of free time here. Suggestions are take in a massage, go shopping, people watch in a café, take a look at the Bai Style Catholic church. We will return to the Centre around 5:30 pm, this is our last day at the Centre. Saturday, October 15 : The Buddhist Grottoes of Shibaoshan National Park Today we will pack up our bags and head north toward the Tibetan plateau. After breakfast we will drive two hours stopping on the way at the 1200 year old Buddhist grottoes in Shibaoshan National Park. We will have to walk about one hour up and down stone stairs to get to the grottoes. The Buddhist iconography is unusual, for the carvings exhibit a Hindu sensibility that demonstrates the cosmopolitan nature of old Yunnan where Chinese and Indian culture collided. Furthermore, the grottoes, which are geographically balancing the divide between Sino-Tibetan and Southeast Asian Buddhist traditions, are considered a middle ground between their respective spheres of influence. We will have packed lunches on the mountain. Afterwards we will drive about 30 minutes to the village of Shaxi. We will spend one night in the area in a renovated Bai style caravansary located on the market square.
Sunday & Monday, October 16-17 : Lost Horizons/Shangri-La After breakfast, our bus will make the dramatic three-hour climb through the mountain-dwelling Yi ethnic area on to the Tibetan plateau. Our destination, Zhongdian, also known as Shangri-La, was an important trading site between Tibet and Southeast Asia. It is predominantly a Tibetan region, and we will spend our two days here exploring the Tibetan spiritual traditions, including an extended visit to one of the most important Tibetan Buddhist monasteries in the world- the Songzanlin complex where we will learn about the history and beliefs of Buddhism. We will also spend time at a local Thangka school, learning about these spiritual paintings. We also will explore the restoration of the old city, which was devastated by fire in January 2014 but has since been rebuilt. Tuesday, October 18 : Thank You Sadly, today our journey ends. After breakfast, we will accompany you to the Zhongdian Airport in time for your flight to Kunming and beyond. Summary What 13 day Cultural tour exploring the spiritual traditions of Yunnan, China. When October 5-18, 2016 Who Those who wish to peer beyond China s modern veneer and touch the spiritual traditions that that have persevered for thousands of years. The traveler who hopes to experience many different cultural challenges and share their understanding with others. Cost------$4,995 Includes Round-trip, international airfare to Kunming from LAX, all domestic travel after arrival in Kunming, all accommodations, most meals unless specified, and all activities and cultural services. Single supplement is an extra $600. Medical evacuation insurance is included with round trip air ticket and tour price. Trip insurance is recommended and will be offered for purchase separately. All guests should be fit to travel at altitudes of 11,500 feet and should be able to walk at least three miles on uneven ground.
Group Size: This tour group is limited to 18 people to ensure that all participants receive more personal attention from the staff. Our minimum group size is 10 people; we reserve the right to cancel any tour if the minimum size is not met. All rooms are non-smoking. Not included: Guests are responsible for obtaining their own Chinese visa, costs related to alcohol, beverages not included in regular meals, laundry, personal items, souvenirs, and long distance telephone calls. Trip interruption and cancellation insurance is not included but highly recommended. The Lindens have been living in China since 1984. Their unique contacts developed over these thirty years will ensure that all participants see and experience aspects of China unknown to other visitors. For most of their previous guests, the experiences throughout these regions of China have been among the most memorable in their lives. Please come and enjoy an indigenous travel experience to one of the world's most storied cultures. Proceeds of this tour will go to Donaldina Cameron House whose mission is to empower generations of Chinese American individuals and their families to fully participate in and contribute positively toward a healthy society - www.cameronhouse.org/ How to reserve space for the tour: Contact us for Reservation Form and Contract or visit www.linden-centre.com to fill in and print your Contract. Call and/or email us to reserve space and mail your forms and a check for $500 or cc information. Initial and sign the Tour Contract and Contract Terms and Conditions. Keep a copy for your records. The Linden Centre Tour Itinerary 2015-2016