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@jm75784 ай бұрын
I lived in both Taiwan and mainland China. The type of training you will get in those two places are distinctly different. Now I do want to say that most people would believe that mainland China is teaching only contemporary forms and martial arts, but this is not entirely true, if you go to the Shandong province, you will see that many people, praying mantis, almost identically to what you will see and experience in Hong Kong or Taiwan. If you go to the so-called temples in the Henan province of China, you will end up learning acrobatic contemporary forms that were created post 1960s. Therefore, you have to be careful of that. In Taiwan, they teachers the traditional forms, but sometimes if the teacher is good, he’ll move you along if the teacher is not so good. He’ll have you doing arbitrary nonsensical things.it’s way too loaded of a topic here in the comment section. But overall, I did have the privilege of studying traditional arts in the two different regions.
@MonkeyStealsPeach4 ай бұрын
Thanks for sharing! I’ve only spent a short time in Taiwan, so good to hear your experience
@jadenng75693 ай бұрын
Hi Will, I'm actually trying to obtain a discipleship under a teacher in Zhangzhou during this summer. I contacted a local author and martial arts event organiser who promised to help me establish a time to meet with this teacher in the next few months. Hopefully the master accepts me as his student (most of his former disciples have given up their training even though he trained them since primary school, and from what I've heard, he's been lonely and somewhat depressed ever since. As such he might not accept me for fear of the same thing happening to him again). If he does, I'll dedicate most of my spare time to training in his art since he's basically the only living teacher left and it would be a shame to let his knowledge die out. Wish me luck!
@MonkeyStealsPeach3 ай бұрын
That's sad to hear, but a good opportunity for you. Zhangzhou... so is it White Crane? I look forward to hearing about it!
@jadenng75693 ай бұрын
@@MonkeyStealsPeach Not White Crane, but the author who I contacted is a White Crane teacher. I'll tell you more once I manage to confirm a time with the teacher
@jabnewmedia4 ай бұрын
Most systems are lost in history. Curriculums are fractured. Burnt scrolls etc.
@woozskee4 ай бұрын
A lot of systems must have been lost during the cultural revolution and the boxer rebellion.
@blockmasterscott4 ай бұрын
@@woozskee Oh the Cultural Revolution was DEVASTATING to pretty much everything traditional in China.
@GooseGander3 ай бұрын
Universities have changed drastically since I was there. Age restrictions, access to canteens, campus access. Teaching English has also changed drastically.
@MonkeyStealsPeach3 ай бұрын
I’m planning a trip back next year, so I’ll be interested to see how things have changed since Covid
@blockmasterscott4 ай бұрын
What's ironic is that a lot of Westerners take the practical applications and training of traditional Chinese martial arts a lot more seriously than the people in China itself.
@fujitafunk4 ай бұрын
Very true. You often hear this from teachers themselves unfortunately... It's also ironic that some of the less popular styles within the Chinese martial arts-sphere actually have better preserved traditions and curriculums overseas in Chinese diaspora communities. San Francisco, NY Chinatown, Vancouver, Australia and the UK, actually have some teachers who may be older but still understand the practices better than their younger more modern counterparts in HK and Mainland China. You just have to look and search.
@DarrinKemp-lr1cz4 ай бұрын
Countryside. Most city teachers are modern wushu.
@GermanSausagesAreTheWurst4 ай бұрын
I think there's 3 reasons westerners are obsessed with applications.. First, one of the first Martial Arts to come to the west was Karate, and Karate is an empty hand system. So when other TMA came around, people compared it to what they were familiar with, and assumed that they are all just like Karate. Second, sometimes an teacher would go to a new country and introduce Martial Arts. Maybe somebody would ask why they would want to learn, and to simplify things, the teacher might say something like "for self defense." Maybe saying something like "discipline, culture, and manners lead to a healthier, more productive lifestyle and spiritual growth" was a little too complicated to say in a new language. Third, many people seem to think that sports is the ultimate test of a Martial Art, but they fail to understand that the traditional styles were never made for neither sports nor self defense. So in some cases it's misunderstanding, and in others it may be a cognitive bias.
@jadenng75693 ай бұрын
I live in Shanghai and it kinda depends imo. People in the West have a lot more reason to focus on applications because there's literally almost no need to use it in China now since most places are relatively safe, and also because a lot of the kids growing up are forced to just focus on their studies and use more accessible sports i.e. table tennis as an outlet for their stress. On the other hand, more and more practitioners have revitalised their systems to be more appreciative of their traditional roots so that sparring with gear is much more commonplace now.
@lgv30514 ай бұрын
It's kind of a game? It's definitely a game. And if you know how to play the game they will respect that you know enough on how to play the game. That same strategy is the way you learn. Ask the correct questions and treat people the correct way. Then there is no end. Those teachers will want to take you to the even better teachers. Just to clamor that you are their student. That's the most fun thing about training in China. But you need to stay there for a while. A couple days, weeks, month.... Not going to be enough
@stevenedmund56804 ай бұрын
I was fortunate enough to learn from seniors from China who don't have a classroom or get paid to teach.
@davidlee94934 ай бұрын
Start with a realistic self-assessment of your own readiness before undertaking any quest of this nature. The right match of a good teacher and a good student is highly rewarding to both, and can be life-changing. Otherwise it can be a waste of time for both.
@StimParavane2 ай бұрын
Also, these masters will be testing you to see if you can take instructions. They will have a way of doing things within their tradition and their higher-level techniques will build on the foundational ones. If you are not prepared to learn the basics then you aren't ready to receive the more advanced stuff.
@lgv30514 ай бұрын
If you don't live in China or you don't have an invitation to train with a good teacher, you probably will not find a good one. If you just want to take a trip and have fun, go for it. It's a great country full of diversity and some of the nicest people in the world. Forget about becoming a gongfu master and just have a good time. If you are serious about training...... Plan to be there for many years
@MonkeyStealsPeach4 ай бұрын
Agree totally!
@StimParavane2 ай бұрын
I can recommend the Five Immortals Temple on Wudang Mountain. A terrific range of courses are available in a great setting.
@daviderusso1238Ай бұрын
I had only one training experience in Taiwan in 2009. It was very useful and great, but with a lot of strange attitudes and feelings. We stayed only with students and relatives of the masters, but only masters could teach us new things. Also, it's impossibile to separate the philosophy of martial arts from the religious point of view, expecially in supersticious aspects. It was hard to understand that by some of us.😊❤
@PhilDancer3 ай бұрын
One of my regrets is not sticking with the degree i was doing even if i didn't like it, just to have a degree. I did not know 3 years ago that China judges your social economic value and competency on whether you have a degree when it comes to teaching English in China. Still saving up so i can go and learn as much as possible but getting a part time job to keep the purse topped up is practically impossible.
@MonkeyStealsPeach3 ай бұрын
Yes most countries require a university degree or equivalent to get a work visa to teach.
@ronaldwheeler11533 ай бұрын
If I may take a Crack at this. And Keep in mind, this is just my personal opinion. For me as someone who's received like 99% of their training here in the United States, with the bulk of that being in the East Coast, let me say this. If you Don't have the patience to learn from a reputable Sifu/Shifu here in America, going to China ain't gonna make it any better. Also, you gotta remember that theirs a Language component that you have to consider, if you don't speak either Cantonese or Mandarin. Their are too many people that believe that going to China is going to make them this Super Humanly Skilled practitioner, which is not even close to happening. If you're Skill is Bad here in the states, it'll be bad there. The key is to find a Reputable Master here, train Really hard and be Disciplined in your Training both in and out of class, then if you decide to go you will Absolutely benefit from a trip Abroad ‼️🤪🤪🤪
@MonkeyStealsPeach3 ай бұрын
Agree totally Ron
@thetruemorg4 ай бұрын
This video is the advice everyone needs about going to the PRC for training.
@thetruemorg4 ай бұрын
If you have no language skills, You're not very experienced in martial arts or life, or you don't know for sure what you're looking for: The commercial schools are the right place to be. My advice is 24 years old now LOL but I would still point everyone who has a weakness in any of those things to go to a commercial school to at least get your head on straight about what you want to do. If nothing else, it'll get the fantasy out and you'll bring up your basic levels of language and physical ability. Enough that you can actually do something if that's your path. If you're interested in combat sports find a place that does combat sports and don't waste everyone's time With the fantasy that traditional arts are going to translate to the ring or octagon or whatever. You wouldn't go to a McDonald's and ask for sushi or a pancake House for a Michelin meal: they're very different. Teaching English and learning Chinese at a university are two very good paths of getting you up to speed. I don't know if this is still true but back in my day there were also these things called white monkey jobs And I would be willing to bet. Bet that there's still some version out there of those kind of jobs. It definitely falls into a weird category. Let me tell you a quick story... There was a brand new fake Italian restaurant in Changchun That felt that it would be passed if they had some Westerner sitting in front of The entrance to the mall eating pasta... It wasn't just one plate but continuously... Every Friday night for 3 or 4 hours I would sit there consuming spaghetti with tomato sauce and no cheese. I remember the money was good because I didn't have to go look for a second job for a month and it was only on Fridays. And to be clear, that was one of the less weird/ illegal Of the jobs that I had while there. NEVER RELY ON THIS KIND OF WORK BUT ACCEPT IT WHEN IT FALLS IN YOUR LAP.
@wade81303 ай бұрын
It may be that methodology is all there is anymore and a student must basically self-teach after absorbing what they can find. This is a bit of a heartbreak if you're dreaming of becoming a teacher yourself. I would love to go to China and meet someone who has actually mastered system to the point of becoming a genuine teacher of it - just to see if it still happens.
@MonkeyStealsPeach3 ай бұрын
That’s the traditional way of teaching in Confucian culture. You’ll find it pretty similar across East Asia, and not just in martial arts. In the west, the emphasis is put on how good a teacher is at imparting knowledge, in the east, its the opposite.
@smokingjazz50673 ай бұрын
Good idea learn Chinese and kung fu , getting a student visa
@MustAfaalik4 ай бұрын
It would help if you can speak some level of Mandarin & have your Sifu's letter of recommendation to live & train in China or preferably Taiwan where the Kung Fu clubs are better organised.
@daniel-zh9nj6yn6y4 ай бұрын
Sifu's letter of recommendation: "Pay no attention to Wimp Lo, we purposely trained him wrong... as a joke."
@MonkeyStealsPeach4 ай бұрын
I think Hong Kong is more accessible for westerners than mainland China or Taiwan.
@camrendavis66503 ай бұрын
You could not have uploaded this at a better time. I'm planning a one-year trip to Wenzhou China (Zhejiang Province) next year. A city known for it's own style of crane fist and five ancestors fist, as well as some descendants styles that combine the two methods. I plan on learning either or maybe both I know that the city has its own University and I'll definitely check if it has a English teacher program. I also know that some of the local Masters teach seminars at that particular University so I can definitely get into contact with them I've spent the better part of three years training in Wushu and Sanda kickboxing so I feel I already have a good intermediate understanding of Kung Fu's principles. And I'm trying to teach myself the mandarin so I can better communicate with the locals and whichever master I study under. I got the idea to travel from one of my classmates here in America who spent a year in Sichuan province learning Bajiquan and h telling me about how life-changing it was. It inspired me. Thank you so much for making this video as it's helping me to put the finishing touches on what I am planning to be my future 🙏
@MonkeyStealsPeach3 ай бұрын
That's awesome. I'm sure you'll have an amazing time. Do you have any contacts there to find a teacher?
@camrendavis66503 ай бұрын
@@MonkeyStealsPeach no direct contact, only that one master in particular does seminars at Wenzhou Unversity. There are photos of him on their official website. I know his name is Mu Quantong and he teaches Wuzuquan. There's videos of him and his school on KZfaq. I tried emailing the university in hopes receiving his contact information but they never got back to me. There is also a county in the city called Pingyang, where the Crane style is practiced. This style has two variations, Leidu Baihe Quan and Xiaonan Baihe Quan. From the documentaries I've watched and websites I visited, Pingyang county is said to be full of Crane schools. There's even a Chinese proverb that translate to something like "every house in Pingyang has a teacher." I don't really know about all that but there are gyms and schools that teach both styles. Though I haven't been able to find anything on them specifically. I just had the idea to visit the county and see if that proverb was true, ask around and find out what the people say
@MonkeyStealsPeach3 ай бұрын
If you are there for a year, and have some language skills, I’m sure you’ll find them. Let us know how you get on, if there’s really lots of people practicing there, maybe I’ll have to come for a visit!
@camrendavis66503 ай бұрын
@@MonkeyStealsPeach Really?! That would be the best! I'll do some more research and keep you posted 👍
@jadenng75693 ай бұрын
@@camrendavis6650 Wenzhou is one of the most underrated places in China for martial arts in my opinion. Aside from their local Wuzu Quan, they have Gangrou Quan, Wuzhi Quan, Feixiong Quan, Chenrou Quan, Wugui Quan, and others that I probably haven't mentioned yet. Heck, they have a whole *museum* in the city's Lucheng District dedicated to the history and culture behind the local martial arts in Wenzhou.
@user-zr1dr7nz8e4 ай бұрын
Short term visit I'd say go to feel the spirit of your art and get as much contact with the master as possible, so you've got a standard to refer to, and learn enough Chinese to be polite and pronounce the most common words your teacher uses pertaining to the art. Long term visit really try to learn in the Chinese way and assume they are correct when they tell you you don't know anything, and learn as much Chinese as you can. Either way drink the tea and try stinky tofu at least once. But definitely for sure go, yeah.
@MonkeyStealsPeach4 ай бұрын
Great advice!
@robertalterman67914 ай бұрын
There is an awful lot of talent away from China. Training can happen anywhere. I’m more alarmed at students who don’t take training seriously.
@roundpointtaiji4 ай бұрын
Great topic. A little bit of language skill goes a long way.
@5324TuiG4 ай бұрын
I practiced for 9 years in China with my teacher from Hebei. He taught me baji , pigua, tongbei, Hebei xingyi and zhan Zhuang. My other teacher taught me his family style huo quan, mantis, Sanda and bagua My third teacher from henan taught me Chen Taiji. All together was the best thing I ever did.
@YangYiQuan.KungFu4 ай бұрын
I want to train in China, what teacher would you suggest to study XingYiQuan and Bajiquan? And lots of Qin'na.. for sure. You have really insightful content. thank you brother.
@MonkeyStealsPeach4 ай бұрын
Probably any of the teachers I featured on my Xingyi series. You could always reach out to Byron Jacobs who runs the channel Mushin Martial Culture too
@jadenng75693 ай бұрын
Taigu County in Shanxi Province has many good teachers and some good schools if you're interested in Xingyi. Your best bet for Baji would be to head straight for the Mengcun Baji Quan International Training Facility since they accommodate foreign students and have different courses for each individual.
@YangYiQuan.KungFu3 ай бұрын
@@jadenng7569 I really appreciate that. Thank you! Great options.
@jadenng75693 ай бұрын
@PaMuShin For that he could go to Taipei and find Master Lin Zhongxi to teach him Wutan Baji Quan.
@bigwavesun4 ай бұрын
What you sad about the fractured training methods are true. It is very frustrating for those expecting a structured curriculum. You have to be self motivated at all times
@freestylebagua4 ай бұрын
Nice trad tea cups there
@vingdragon4 ай бұрын
So true
@NoverMaC4 ай бұрын
How did you find a suitable master?
@MonkeyStealsPeach4 ай бұрын
Spent a lot of time talking with people who had been to China to train before me. There used to be a forum called Mantis Quarterly, I got to know the western Mantis community on there and people pointed me in the right direction.
@zaneivy4 ай бұрын
...of late there have been a lot of N. American English teachers LEAVING China...so it's a good time to apply for univeristy jobs. On the other hand, with the "new law" if you've ever said or posted anything on-line that Chinese officialdom takes issue with, you can be arrested...it's already happened to a few S. Koreans in China apparently. Take care.
@MonkeyStealsPeach4 ай бұрын
You do have to be careful for sure. That said, I have a few friends still living there who are very vocal in their criticisms online, and they have had no trouble (so far).