Taoist Trail 2025
We started off this year’s Taoist trail in beautiful accommodation nestled in the mountains outside of hustle and bustle of Beijing. In the mornings we were up at dawn cultivating on the roof top as mist shrouded the mountains and cicadas sang through the fog.
We soon moved on to visit Weihai – a city with deep roots in the Li family arts. Thanks to Laoba’s longstanding friendship with the Weihai Wushu Association, we were welcomed warmly and introduced to highly reccomeneded TCM practitioners in heat treatments, massage and acupuncture with whom we could receive daily treatments. Alongside our training, we had time to wander through bustling local markets and unwind in traditional bath houses—experiences that gave us a chance to explore the city and its culture.
Before long we travelled west to the thick heat of Sichuan – and the vast broadleaf forests of Heming mountain. Here we visited many Daoist temples – some alive with hundreds of Daoists carrying out their daily routines, others quiet, ancient places hidden off the beaten track. It was truly awesome to practice and cultivate in these wonderful places under the tutelage of Laoba and Abbot Zhao – and to meet and drink tea with many generous and humble Daoists along the way.
It was a great experience to travel with others from Lishi, giving us the chance to connect beyond the training hall, and offering a broader sense of the community and culture that Laoba, Laoma, and everyone at Seacloud work so diligently to create.
And I couldn’t talk about the trip without mentioning the food. Every meal was an experience in itself—flavours beyond imagination, the variety of dishes and wholesome sustanence was inspiring and delicious.