Yes, you can get a discount if you go to Song Jiang with a friend or in a group, if you want to share a room with another student, or if you speak very good Chinese. That said, discounts at Song Jiang are very unusual and quite hard to get.
Li Chen is responsible for all foreign students at the school, and if you ask for a discount, he has to go directly to the headmaster to request it in person. Keep in mind that if you do get a discount, the school will save money somewhere else. Click here for more information about wushu training in China.
More: How to Get a Discount
The school saves some money if two foreigners live in one room. So if you go to Song Jiang with a friend and want to share a room, you can ask for a discount of around 500 to 900 yuan per person. If they don’t want to lower the price, you can demand two separate rooms instead. However, don’t expect a discount if you don’t ask in advance—and if the answer is “maybe,” you can safely count on a “no.” Ask in advance.
Now let’s say you want to live in a room with Chinese students, usually a 12-person dorm. First of all, they don’t like foreigners living with Chinese students because the living conditions are very poor and they want to protect their reputation. Second, you would never have privacy in the bathrooms. Chinese toilet rooms often don’t have doors, just hip-high walls between stalls. You could also end up showering only a few times per week—and if you’re unlucky, maybe only once.
Another serious issue is security. Finding a safe place for your passport and credit cards would be difficult. You have no idea how fast personal belongings can disappear in a room with 12 Chinese students. That said, if you are willing to live under these conditions, speak Chinese, or look Chinese, there is a chance they will allow it. Ask in advance.
If you plan to stay for a long time, you can ask them to split the total fee into school fee, room, and food. This way, you might save money by living outside the school or by eating cheaper food.
If you speak fluent Chinese or look Asian, getting a discount is usually not a problem—but remember that paying less also means getting less service.
Advice: How to Get a Discount
If you want a discount, ask in advance and clearly explain your situation.
Learn as much Chinese as possible before going to China. You can change wushu schools at any time. Going to a wushu school in China is business. Don’t pay in advance, and make sure they understand that you could leave at any moment if you’re not fully satisfied. This advice doesn’t apply only to this school, but to all schools—and pretty much everything you do in China.
If they don’t want to give you what you want, stay friendly and go to another school. For example, Cao Zhou Wushu School (only 90 minutes from Yun Cheng) or one of the schools in Deng Feng near Shaolin. They need to understand that competition exists.
Don’t pay more than one month in advance.
Whenever you ask for something and the answer is, “I will ask the leaders tomorrow,” insist on a decision now and accompany Li Chen to the headmaster’s office. Stay friendly, but make it clear that you are ready to leave at any time.
Read this if you plan to work while learning wushu in China.
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