Smudge,
As you say, all flying is flying, the thing has wings and a tail: it matters little whether it is propelled by gravity, or pulled along with a prop, or pushed along by a giant blowlamp - it's all the same. The old stick and rudder works as well today as ever it did for the Wrights.
I'm afraid the fact that I landed "on the button" was pure luck. As for thermals, there were plenty around in '60, it was a good summer in Europe, but I cannot say more than that. I had them shown to me in GK, on finding one the trick seemed to be put the glider on its left ear and do a Rate 4 turn, pulling all the 'G' that you dared (short of ripping the wings off) in order to stay in the rising column.
But I am no authority on the subject, and have little to contribute on it.
Let's have a translation - is it in the sense of "Ingenious, these Chinese" ?
Danny.