Wudang and Shaolin are the best-known forms of Chinese kungfu. While Shaolin is superior in boxing techniques, Wudang excels in swordsmanship, which combines both hard and soft moves that change according to the reactions of the challengers. Traditional Chinese kungfu lost its practical value in the past century. However, Wudang is trying to bring the […]
Taller Chinese may have lived in China 5,000 years ago, if archaeological findings in east China are any indication. Graves in Shandong province yielded bones that suggest the humans may have been at least five feet 10 inches to six feet two inches tall and strong. Since 2016, archaeologists have been excavating the ruins of […]
Homegrown Jollibee fastfood chain now ranks third best among places to go for fried chicken in the United States. Food writer Constantine Spyrou rated only two other fastfood joints higher than Jollibee: Chick-fil-A and Popeye’s. “What makes it stand out beyond the rest, however, is a gravy packed with flavors of onion and celery that […]
Kong Yong (孔鏞 1427-1486) was appointed governor of Gao Zhou (高州) in Guangdong province in 1465 during the Ming Dynasty. Because of his predecessor’s bad governance, the people of Yao (瑶) ethnic group had no food to eat and turned to banditry. The city gate was closed to keep them from attacking. Upon assuming office, […]
Illegal drugs slipping past the Bureau of Customs, illicit affairs and hidden wealth, basketball players as intelligence officers, corrupt bank official absconding with bank money. Scandal after scandal have been bombarding our sensibilities. Yet, society appears so blasé about them, in the same manner it seems to have become numbed to the continued extrajudicial killings […]
Senior citizen Wellington Yao finished his 100th marathon on July 30. That’s more than one race for each year of his life. With a little help from his friends, Yao, 67, crossed the finish line of a 42.195-kilometer race at the 41st Milo Marathon’s National Capital Region elimination leg at Mall of Asia grounds in […]
For the first time since the galleon trade ended two centuries ago, a Mexican navy ship made its way to Manila on Aug. 4. The tall ship ARM Cuauhtemoc docked at Pier 15 of the South Harbor for a four-day goodwill visit. It was open to the public until Aug. 7. Since its voyage began […]
A life-size replica of an 18th-century galleon that plied the Manila-Acapulco trade route will be built for a new maritime museum at the SM Mall of Asia Complex in Pasay City. The plans were announced as delegates of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations marked the organization’s 50 anniversary last month. The replica of the […]
In Chinese culture, the 15th day of the seventh month (七月半) in the lunar calendar is Ghost Day and the seventh month in general is regarded as the Ghost Month (鬼月). During this period, it is believed that the gates of hell are opened to allow the spirits in hell, or ghosts from its lowest […]
A s part of their homework, my granddaughters, ages 9 and 7, were instructed to watch President Duterte’s second State of the Nation Address on television. The SONA would be discussed in class, they were told. The two girls asked me to sit with them so we could listen to it together. For the first […]