A guide for foreigners who plan to visit a Chinese martial arts school. Many wushu practitioners from Europe and America asked me how to find the right wushu school and how to avoid getting cheated in China. I hope this article helps answer your questions. If you have more questions, feel free to contact me. On the wushu main page, you can find a couple of wushu online instructions.
General Information
Set a Goal
First of all, you have to set a goal. Do you want to learn modern wushu, which is very acrobatic and requires a lot of athleticism, or do you want to train traditional wushu? Most Chinese martial arts schools specialize in modern wushu, but if you contact them, they will tell you whatever you want to hear. Modern wushu is generally not suitable for beginners over 20 years of age without martial arts or gymnastics experience. If you start at zero with poor athleticism and flexibility, it will take at least 4 years to reach a top level in this sport.
If you are in China and train modern wushu, don’t get frustrated because you train the same few kicks and jumps every day. In the first year, you will only learn the basics: one form for children and some simple weapon movements. If you want to learn monkey-style, double sword, or other traditional styles, note that Chinese wushu athletes usually practice those only when they are injured, sick, or during breaks. Modern wushu also causes a lot of stress on the joints due to the jumps, so older students will have difficulties learning the acrobatics.
However, in some special cases, 25-year-old beginners reach a very high level of wushu skill in only a few months. To get an overview of wushu acrobatics, and if you are too old to learn these things, visit my wushu section. All the basics are listed in the order they are practiced twice a day at every modern wushu school in China. Traditional wushu is suitable for those who travel to China only for a few weeks.
The Contact Persons of Chinese Wushu Schools
Normally, the contact persons of Chinese martial arts schools are English teachers who know less about wushu than you. If you go to China, those people are your employees, so don’t let them control you too much. They will promise you everything to get you to come to their school. Once you are there, they will try to make you dependent on them to show the headmaster the importance of their work.
The only way to avoid this is to learn Chinese—again and again. When I was in China, I met people who were told they could work in China to pay the school fee without a work visa. Even if they got paid under the table, they would earn only about 60 USD per month. Don’t be shy to ask whatever is important to you.
The contact persons often say things like: “We are close to Beijing,” “Best school of all,” “Best grandmasters,” etc. Don’t accept “close to…” as an answer. Ask them exactly how close. China is huge, and for the Chinese, 700 km is not very far. Tell the contact person how long you plan to stay in China, but let them know you have other schools on your list that offer better deals. Pay monthly, not your entire stay at once. If they try to force you to pay in advance, tell them you might go to another school.
Here’s my best advice to avoid problems: print all the emails from the contact person, go to a Chinese restaurant, and ask someone to call the school to ask the same questions again—location, number of students, modern or traditional styles, etc.
What Will the Training Look Like
Training at Chinese martial arts schools is pretty much the same across all wushu schools in China. At 5:30 AM, all students must stand up for morning exercises. After one hour of training, they can have breakfast. The next training session is from 10 to 12, and another from 4 to 6 PM. That’s 5 hours of training in total.
Chinese students also attend general knowledge lessons. The level of these lessons is very low, but I still recommend attending them if you stay in China for more than 2 semesters and want to avoid a contact person who constantly hovers over you. Chinese is a very easy language, and you will learn faster than you think.
In winter, most schools change their timetables. Some reduce training to 3 hours. Most Chinese martial arts schools train 7 days per week. There are no weekends, but at the end of each month there are usually 4 to 6 free days (normally from the 26th to the last day of the month). However, as timetables can change daily, holidays might also change. All wushu schools I know claim to train 7 days per week, 52 weeks per year. Some students may always be training in corners, but you won’t get full training every day, especially if you take private lessons.
Private Lessons or Training in a Class
Avoid private lessons if you want to learn modern wushu or save money. Private instructors often won’t show up because they are not paid by the school. The headmaster may force them to teach you, but they usually only show up for the first few days. Schools push private instructors to justify high fees, prevent contact with Chinese students, or avoid liability if a foreigner gets injured.
Private instructors usually only teach traditional wushu. If you are already good at modern wushu, you can learn traditional forms in 2–3 hours. Beginners in poor condition may need more than a week.
Your Room
Be prepared to meet rats and mice. The contact person may promise a top hotel, but the headmaster will decide otherwise. Ask about room, food, and school fees. Try to pay separately. Chinese students usually don’t have proper toilets.
The Food
Make sure your school fee doesn’t include food. Tell the contact person if you have allergies and must cook for yourself. Beef and eggs are very cheap in China. Chinese students often don’t get healthy food, and hotel restaurants may make you wait. Tap water can cause diarrhea.
How to Pay the School
Pay only in Chinese currency (Renminbi). Be careful if they ask for US dollars—Chinese are not supposed to pay in dollars in China. Ask the contact person the monthly cost in RMB. Paying in Renminbi prevents scams. If you know some Chinese, pay only monthly, not all at once. Problems with food and room may require changes later. Never pay in advance. If you cannot train due to illness or injury, you will not get your money back. Try to arrange weekly payments.
Chinese Language Preparation
The more Chinese you know, the better. If your Chinese is perfect, you might pay the same school fee as local students (15–70 USD, excluding food and room). Usually only one person speaks English at the school—the contact person.
If you don’t have time or money for classes, visit www.zhongwen.com. Chinese is one of the easiest languages, especially if you don’t learn writing. Those who claim Chinese is difficult often just want to appear smarter. The language “Han Yu” is structured like a computer language such as BASIC: logical, with almost no grammar. Don’t waste time; start learning now. Every minute counts in China.
Physical Preparation
To attend regular classes, you should be able to run 10 miles per day and perform the front splits. Without this, you will be sore for at least a month and unable to learn acrobatics effectively. Learn all basic kicks, jumps, and exercises described in the wushu section. Techniques are listed in the order practiced daily across China. Knowing the mechanics and run-ups helps a lot.
Money Issues
Sometimes, using my VISA card was more expensive than Western Union. Western Union charges ~10%, Visa should charge 4%, but I was charged 17%. Sending money via post transmission is often cheaper and more reliable. Another good method is opening a Bank of China account.
Traveling Costs Inside China
Taxi from Beijing airport to the city center should not cost more than 100 Yuan. Shuttle buses are cheaper and cleaner (16 Yuan / 2 USD). Public buses cost 1–2 Yuan. Train journeys (~500 miles) cost ~60 Yuan, beds cost ~120 Yuan extra. Rickshaw rides in rural villages cost 1 Yuan per mile. High-speed buses are faster and cleaner than trains but more expensive.
Health Issues in China
Most schools have a doctor, but they earn only from selling medicine. Be cautious with antibiotics—they are prescribed excessively. Get immunizations for tetanus, hepatitis, etc., 3–6 months before your trip.
Racism in China
Yes, there is some racism, but not as bad as in other countries. It stems mainly from national pride among the Chinese people.
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