Shifu (Master)

The name here in China for a master tradesman, someone who is very skilled at what they do is "shifu"...For those of you into Kungfu movies...there is always a "Master" who guides their young apprentice. Well I visited a very skilled Shifu yesterday. Years of playing Goals in Hockey and throwing myself around sometimes comes back to haunt me and a few days ago it visited in the form of lower back and hip pain that became so sore, it was difficult to walk. The time had come to face another "China Experience".
Yes, I've tried the foot massage but really that's just what the Chinese do to relax. This time I was going to see a Massage Shifu who has 40 years experience to back him up.
A little nervous "YES"...From my experiences here, the Chinese love any chance to massage, beat and hit, prod and pull, pick and poke. I also knew that this place not only did massage but also "Cupping"(sucking your skin up into little glass bowls) and "Scraping"(scraping with a piece of horn over your back, bringing all the blood to the surface)both of which can be very beneficial but 1)look a little painful and 2)leave you looking like you've just been beaten up.
Upon my arrival the Shifu rearranged his schedule to treat the "Waiguoren"(foreigner). This kind of preferential treatment does happen quite a lot here. Not many foreigners in "Yichang" and people love the opportunity to be with you. I 99% of the time don't mind the inquisitiveness and am always happy to talk. When I have someone with me who can interpret both ways, it's often fun for everyone:-)Nettie came with me and we all had a great laugh with the Shifu who was indeed full of character and stories and very funny. My Chinese can still only pick up parts of information and my vocabulary is limited so when visiting a place like this for the first time, a fluent Chinese/English speaker is a safe option :-)
ANYWAYYYYY The massage started with an apprentice working on my neck and shoulders before the Shifu worked on my back. Yes it did involve the usual hitting and beating (That even happens when they wash your hair in the hairdressers here)but my back feels sooo much better today than yesterday, much less pain and it really wasn't that bad.
It's always interesting to see how different things are here and this was no exception. Many people who do massage here in China are actually blind. This was the case yesterday. They believe they have a gift for this profession because their other senses are so heightened with their lack of sight. Makes sense!
So now I have also found a great place for natural Chinese massage and therapies.
Will I try the Cupping and Scraping? I think so? Some things the Chinese really do exceptionally well and I believe these treatments could be very beneficial...a little painful maybe??? You never know until you try.