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* prices for double rooms are per person and are only available to students travelling together
Wudang Daoist Traditional
Kungfu Academy
Frequently Asked Questions
Questions on Enrollment
Click here to enroll for training now.
Enrolling for training is easy. First, you must decide when and for how long you want to come to train at WDTKA. Second, see what type of room you would prefer (with or without AC and private bathroom). Then, you only have to communicate this to the office staff through the link above or by getting in touch with the school at wudang.wushu.info@gmail.com.
If enrolling for classes during the peak training season(June - August), you may be asked to send a deposit in order to reserve you space at the academy. This can be paid by wire transfer.
To ensure that enough time is available to apply for your Chinese visa, make travel arrangements, and register for classes, we encourage students to begin enrollment at least one more before their intended arrival, two months for training during the summer months. Although, it is always best to get started as soon as possible.
While each seasons has its own benefits of training, you should know that training changes as per the season (click here). Typically, summer is much more busy and is more comfortable for training. The colder, and slower, months of the year are December - February. This means colder temperatures but also smaller class size and more time with your instructor. The best times are really the months in between when temperatures are not too extreme and student population is not too high, as in April - June and September - November.
While both rooms are private, individual rooms, a Single Room also has a private bathroom. A Simple Room does not. The Single Room has its own western toilet, sink, and personal shower. For the Simple Rooms, there are shared facilities with sinks, showers, and Chinese toilets. The rooms themselves have the same furnishings, bed, sheets, desk, chair, and warddrobe.
To be fair to all of our students, we are unable to offer discounts on our regular tuition rates outside of our regular long term student discount. We are also unable to offer work programs as this would violate Chinese Visa regulation. If a student is in China on a business visa, or any other type, they are welcome to join us for training. However, we are only able to assist with Tourist and occassionally Student visa applications.
If you are just changing your plans, please let the office know by clicking here.
There is no fee incurred by changing the dates of your travel and study. The money that you may have transferred already is your credit and can be used for training at any date. Even if you are within Wudang and an emergency occurs, you will not loose your remaining tuition. Simply let the office know as soon as possible and we can make sure to creidt your account until the next time that you come to WDTKA.
WDTKA has a policy of no refunds or returns on tuition paid. Once paid, however, the tuition can be redeemed at any time. In special circumstances and emergencies however, this rule can be lifted. Although all transfer fees will be paid from the remaining balance.
If you need assistance, please get in touch by clicking here.
Enrollment
Training
Questions on Training
You can study at WDTKA at any time! We are open year round and have training 6 days a week. The daily training is made to accept students of all experience levels. Once you arrive, we will help you decide on a curriculum path for your training and you will develop skills in martial arts that suit you and your needs.
We also have scheduled events that you can sign up for by following our Facebook page and getting in touch with us when you are ready to register.
Daily training adds up to a total of 7+ hours of training time in a variety of skills within the Wudang Internal and External System. From Qigong in the morning, to Basic Training Classes during the day, and Meditation in the evening, you will study many aspects of wushu during your time in Wudang. Daily practice is a combination of footwork, flexbility, kicking drills, light acrobatics, coordination, balance, strength conditioning, form training, taiji practice, meditation, posture correction, stamina, weapons practice, and more depending on the season and how long you can dedicate to training with us.
For more information, please click here.
No! We accept students from all backgrounds, experience levels, and age groups to join us for training. As long as you are ready to commit to training, you will have a great experience!
Internal styles that are generally refered to in this way are likely the "soft" styles of Qigong, TaiJi, and Meditation. These practice methods are done at a slower speed and emphasis is placed on posture, breath, and mental balance.
External styles are refered to this way to explain their "hard" nature. These systems of training are quick paced and focus on power, speed, and a mroe dynamic range of motion. Styles in this category would be things like the Basic Fist Form, Staff Form, and Dragon Fist.
No. Wudang Wushu is centered around increasing an individuals health and overall longevity. The practices are designed to complement old age. While practice intensity may lessen for an older student, the benefits that can be attained are still very much present. We encourage everyone to come and learn these health sustaining practices to improve their quality of life. It is never too late to begin!
Yes! If you have a specific area of interest, whether that is TaiJi, Qigong, a sword form, or anything else within the San Feng Lineage, you are welcome to communicate that to us and we will work with you to create a training program that helps you meet your goals.
While we enourage long term training when possible, short term students still have a lot to benefit from in the initial training. We normally advise at least one month to learn a complete form. However, a week or less is still enough time to learn a Qigong set like 5 Animals or Ba Duan Jin as well as getting initiated to all of the basic training.
Sometimes students will even opt to come and try training for a shorter period before they dedicate more time. This is also a good plan and encouraged.
The Wudang System is very large and comprehensive. Ranging from Meditation pratice, Qigong methods, Taiji Systems, short weapons, empty hand forms, and all of the basic training that goes with each, the Wudang system is a lifelong endeavor. We have some 30 different things to study at the academy including all of the above. In our experience, it takes one month to learn each style. Some students may train slower and others may train faster. Also some forms are much longer and more technical and may require a student to have extensive training in other methods. For example, if a student learns the Staff form, the movements from other long weapon forms will be a little easier to understand because of their similarity.
Training takes place mostly on the school grounds themselves. Students staying at the old school location will also practice next door in the courtyard of YuXu Temple. The new school location has plenty of space next to TaiJi River for practice. Both locations also have study areas, a meditation hall, and indoor training space for days where weather does not permit outside training.
The daily training classes are mostly overseen by Master Yuan's disciples. When his schedule allows, Master Yuan will also attend classes. However, each week we have a school wide performance/evaluation hosted by Master Yuan. This gives the students a chance to show what they have been learning and get feedback from Master Yuan.
Master Yuan also hosts a few special courses each year. Scheduled events are posted on our website and our Facebook account as well.
Travel
Questions on Travel
While there are many ways to get to Wudang depending on how you enter China, one of the most simple and most direct is to fly into China to Beijing and get either a connecting flight or train to Wudangshan. (Airport Code: WDS, or Wudangshan Train Station)
Details Here
Besides regular travel arrangements, one of the most important things you will need is a China Visa. You will get this by applying for a Chinese visa (most likely a Tourist Visa, but occasionally a Student Visa works as well) at your local Chinese embassy or Visa Services Center. An invitation letter can help with this process and we are happy to prepare one for you once you register for classes.
Otherwise, the best thing to have is a good plan. Travel is a simple enough matter in modern society, but it is a good idea to be prepared for things that may arise during your trip. Have a good idea of where you are going, how to get there, keep your personal items safe, and prepare for ways to communicate while traveling. This could be an international phone or even just a translation app or handbook to keep with you for emergencies.
To register, click here.
For more information, click here.
You will need to apply at your local Chinese Embassy or Visa Services Center. They will tell you the things that you need for the application process. You should allow time to process this well before your planned trip to China. The process iteself only takes 2-3 days unless otherwise said by your local embassy or if processed through mail. If you apply within the month before your travel dates, you should be fine.
A few basic things that you may need are passport photos, application form, passport (with at least 6 months validity), invitation letter, and any tickets that you may have already purchased. If you need an invitation letter, we can prepare one for you once you register for training and send us a copy of you passport. You can begin the process by clicking here. Make sure to check with you embassy or service center to get all of the required paperwork prepared.
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Most everything that you will need is available for purchase here locally in Wudang. Toiletries, clothing, food, souvenirs, and more are all easy to find here at the local markets.
A few good things to bring may be:
A good towel
Any converters if needed for electronics (most ungrounded devices will work fine, but it is a good idea to be prepared)
Shoes (if your shoe size is over 45 Euro, it may be difficult to find training footwear here)
Sunscreen (we spend a lot of training outdoors and if this is an issue for you is a good idea to bring with you)
After making the necessary preparations for tuition, travel, and any tourism you want to partake in during your visit, it is important to have a little extra money available. This could be for emergencies, or even just shopping around town for clothing, souvenirs, and the like. Students staying for one month or more will find that a simple budget will be about 100 USD (600 RMB) per month. Students staying for a shorter period may want to budget a little more as they are more prone to spend more money in a short amount of time if they want to buy things or visit places in the local area.
Also remember that if you are staying long enough that you have to get a visa extension, you should prepare accordingly and have the funds ready for such.
Weather is generally pretty mild in Wudang. It can a more damp environment as the season changes tend to have a fair amount of rain. Winters can drop to just below 0 degress Celcius while summers tend to be around 35 degress Celcius. Air pollution is not bad in Wudang as it is not a major city in China. There are a few days in the winter where the dry wind will bring in a slightly higher AQI index. Although this is not a usual occurence and the air quality where training takes place is fine.
The elevation of Wudangshan at the Golden Summit is 1612 meters (5,289 feet) above sea level and the base of the mountain range, where training takes place, is 200 meters (656 feet) above sea level.
Yes. Visa extension is a simple process that we can assist you with once you are at the school if you plan on staying past your orginal visa expiration date. A few things to keep in mind is that the visa extension will most likely be equal in cost to your initial visa application and it can only be extended up until one year from your original entry date into China. This may be done in 3 - 6 month increments which means you may have to apply for multiple visa if you plan on staying for one year.
For example, if you entered on January 1st with a 3 month visa and planned on staying for a year and a half you would need to apply for visa extensions on April 1st, July 1st, October 1st,and then leave the country before December 31st of the same year. When you leave the country, you will apply for a new visa which you once again extend until your time finishes in Wudang or one year comes. Most likely you can get 6 month visa extension however, so you may only have to extend your visa once or twice as opposed to once every three months. Either way it is best to be prepared.
While traveling in any country it is definitely a huge advantage to be able to speak the language. However, it is definitely not necessary. Our office staff and Master Yuan, speak English, and the coaches are able to explain enough in rudimentary English (with the exception of our western coach who does speak English as his first language).
For tuition, this best way to send tuition payments is by wire transfer through your bank. You may also be able to pay in person. For more info, click here.
For personal use, while these methods may be safer, they may not work for you because they require a Chinese bank account. What you can do it simply use an ATM card in the local banks to withdraw funds when you need them. There is also a Western Union, but these methods are not very convenient because the closest one is in the next city. There is a 2500 RMB daily limit in the local ATMs and they will automatically exchange the withdrawl balance in your native currency while you receive RMB. This seems to be the easiest way as long as your clarify with your card holder the fees and details pertaining to your account.
No, you do not need any vaccinations to travel to Wudang.
China is very western friendly. Any time you travel you want to be conscientious of where you are and keep you valuables on your person and safe, but it is not a dangerous place as most areas are well traveled and clear. Chinese people are friendly, but you should still be aware and do not take people at their word just in case you do find yourself in a scam. Like buying an expensive dinner for someone you don't know, or paying up front for anything. Although this is easily avoided if you stick to your plan, make sure your taxis are using the meter, and regular travel details are arranged through professional mediums.
Other Questions
The school food is vegetarian and vegan friendly. We normally have seperated servings of at least 4 dishes for each meal. There is normally a meat dish, an egg dish, and 2 or 3 vegetable dishes. They are cooked separated and students pick which ones they want so it is no problem for vegetarian or vegans alike to maintain their discipline.
Most all devices are fine to plug into the Chinese style outlet (pictured below). However if you have a ground on your charging cable or, for example, your laptop, it may be a good idea to buy a reliable adapter before traveling.
Here is an example of a regular chinese wall outlet:
For training purposes, it is best if you have athletic, low cut, comfortable shoes. It is possible to buy training shoes here in Wudang as well. Although it is difficult to find large shoes over size 45 European. So if you can, come prepared with shoes that are appropriate for outdoor physical training.
Yes. We have double rooms (with separate beds) that can be shared with people traveling together. The tuition cost will still be per person but there is a discount for each. The double rooms also come available with AC (heating and cooling) if preferred.
Training is a combination of individual and group training. We take our meals together as well as practice Qigong, learn basic training, and share meditation with each other. Although the second half of each main class (see here for schedule) is where students will separate and learn one on one with their coach in their specific interest.
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