Danjiangkou, Hubei 湖北丹江口

 

Located in Shiyan City of Hubei Province, Danjiangkou City is known as the cradle of Wudang martial arts. Wudang Mountain in Danjiangkou is the most famous and venerated Taoist site in China. According to an old Chinese saying, "In the North, Shaolin holds sway, while in the South, Wudang rules". The Wudang martial arts, a precious treasure of China's martial art culture, were founded by a semi-legendary Chinese Taoist Zhang Sanfeng who lived during the late Yuan Dynasty (1279-1368) and early Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). Zhang reputedly originated the concepts of Wudang Neijia Boxing-soft, internal martial arts- by integrating the traditional Shaolin wushu with the quintessence of such Chinese classics as the I Ching and Tao Te Ching. Wudang Neijia Boxing, as a combination of kungfu and health preservation methods, has millions of fans and practitioners all over the world. Dozens of Wudang Kung Fu research institutions have also been established.