Dude you have to post here when you get back, I’m going at the end of the year. I have been planning a trip to Asia for ****ing ages!! It just keeps getting pushed back and back, but it’s still happening.
Good on you. Er, with regard to your questions, I’m completly useless man.
The Shaolin Temple is pretty far from Beijing actually. I think its about a 16 hour train ride to a town called DengFeng. From there its about a 1.5-2 hour bus ride to the Temple. When I went, it was in the middle of winter and the place was absolutely dead, there were no performances or anything. Still, was glad to go since I finally got to see the Shaolin Temple. I read in the guide book that it can get busy in more hospitable seasons though. Have a good time,
The train ride isn’t that far. For me it was an over night train from Beijing To Zhengzhou & then about an 1.5 hour bus ride to Shaolin village going thru DengFeng. Or you could always fly to Zhengzhou from Beijing in about an hour or so.
Chen… in Beijing, go to Tian Tan Park (Temple of Heaven) & Jing Shan (Coal Mountain) Park. Those are good places to find martial arts (Taiji & Bagua that I saw, along with lots of Qigong) being practiced. Jing Shan is just north of the Forbidden City & Tian Tan is south of Tiena’men Square. Those were two places I went & was happy with seeing. Also, the Great Wall at Badaling is about an 1 -1.5 north of there, along with the Ming Tombs being south of it. Then the whole Forbidden City/Summer Palace tour area.
Also, you’ve got to get to Quan Ju De Roast Duck Restaurant for dinner one night, obviously for duck. It’s south of Tiena’men Square at the corner of Qianmen & Dongxinglong