Temples in China: Worth it or tourist trap?

Discussion in 'Kung Fu' started by Dai323, Aug 25, 2016.

  1. Dai323

    Dai323 New Member

    Haha :) Thank you for your encouraging words. Are there some respected guys you could point me in the right direction towards that are actually the real deal in Wing Chun and JKD?
     
  2. Knee Rider

    Knee Rider Valued Member Supporter

    I'm not sure where in the world you are and I'm not a JKD guy, but I'm sure Hannibal (who is) or Simon (who I think is) can help you out.
     
  3. Dai323

    Dai323 New Member

    Just added all my details to my profile. I live in Dresden Germany. Thank you all so much for everything so far. Really glad I found my way here and looking forward to your suggestions.
     
  4. huoxingyang

    huoxingyang Valued Member

    I'm confused. You want to find a temple in China which teaches you spirituality, meditation, Buddhism and JKD? :p
     
  5. Dai323

    Dai323 New Member

    I want to learn Kung Fu. JKD is just something I took in parallel due to lack of good schools here .

    And I'm not setting out looking to become a Buddhist either, although I do find it extremely fascinating.
     
  6. Velothi1

    Velothi1 New Member

    Wudang Daoist Traditional Martial Arts Academy and Chen Shiyu: Bad Experience

    Hello All,

    I wanted to post my experience at the Wudang Daoist Traditional Martial Arts Academy at Wudang. Here is the site: www.wudangmartialarts.com

    My wife and I looked at this school and originally decided to study there for a year. We have practiced Kung Fu here in the states for 6 years and wanted to see some of the traditional experience. We paid for 6 months up front (because it would be cheaper than paying month by month), and planned to pay the other 6 months once we got there and saw that it was legitimate and what we wanted. We also emailed the teacher to ensure that a refund was possible. He said yes.

    Once we arrived at the school however, there were a lot of unexpected costs that were not listed on the site: uniforms, towels, bowls, all of the materials for the cultural "classes",(which were not taught by Chen, just students who volunteered their time, some of them begrudgingly), deposit, ticket to get up and down the mountain, etc. After a week of constantly being sick from the food, (which the locals also got sick from, so it wasn't just being exposed to a new diet), we decided to leave as the training was more performance focused,(never saw any sparring or live practice), despite the site talking about how they do traditional Kung Fu which most foreigners don't have access to.

    The head instructor, Chen Shiyu, doesn't teach very much at all. He has two assistant instructors which teach the "basic classes", and these guys were very helpful and engaged in our training. Chen said that he taught the taichi class and the more advanced material, but I only saw him teach for 5-15 minutes at a time during a 2 hour session. The rest of the time he either disappeared somewhere or sat around talking and drinking tea.

    So there wasn't enough value for us to stick it out for a year.

    We also had an issue with the refund. As I stated earlier, we had asked Chen in an email before we went about refunds. He said they were difficult to do, but he didn't say they wouldn't do them. Once we decided to leave, we asked him about it, he said that although most schools won't do a refund, he agreed to give us one. We negotiated on a refund amount, which he wrote in an email that he agreed to give us. So we left and after a few days we emailed asking about the progress of the wire transfer, and he responds with: "we didn't know you left" and "our site says we don't give refunds, but you're welcome to come back for more training", going back on his word, both in person, and in writing. We still have not received our refund. His website also did not say anything about refunds until after we left and after he agreed to provide the refund.

    I'm not trying to just incite anger toward him, and I can't speak for any of the other "traditional" schools in China, but Chen is using the culture of China and the prestige of Wudang to get as much money as he can from people. This man has no integrity. I recommend not going to this school.
     
  7. Mianbao shifu

    Mianbao shifu Just standing around

    Bottomline is unless you speak the language and have solid connections do not go to China to train and never go to a "monastery" to train. In general they are flat out money making businesses.

    And as mentioned above, good luck getting your money back if you pay up front and then leave for whatever reason
     
  8. Dai323

    Dai323 New Member

    Thank you for sharing! I'm sorry to hear you had such issues. The retreat in Thailand I am still debating on going seems to have a very good reputation, as I have learned from many that China is sadly not an ideal place to go. In debating trying for one month here:

    http://kungfuretreat.com

    If I manage to make it I ll post the experience here. Plan is to try one month first.
     
    Last edited: Oct 31, 2016
  9. ceyeb0rg

    ceyeb0rg Valued Member

    I think the best you could do for now is linking up with a legit teacher in your area and start training the art and reading books to get the best basics as possible, and then when you feel like you're ready to travel and take your training full time, ask your teacher about it.
    A lot of teachers actually visited the original countries and have trained there, and if you're lucky you can get some contacts and tips through him.
    This is the best way to get legit info and to bypass tourist traps.
    Anyway, my point is : find a teacher and start your training part-time wherever you are right now and start saving money, then re-evaluate your options and resources in a few months.
     

Share This Page