We are shortly going to be hopping on a plane to China, to go to Yong Tai to study with Tiger Master, Master Lin. I cannot stress how important and enriching it is, to both your own world view and to your skill and understanding in kungfu, to go to the country of its origin and learn from a genuine Master.
In China we are there to train, and to absorb the Chinese culture. Nothing else. While you may think these two things are separate, they are intrinsically linked; you cannot truly understand your kungfu if you do not understand the Chinese history, culture, and mentality.
On our trips to China, we train for three to four hours each day, intensively, working hard all the time to keep pace with what we are being taught. We are able to focus solely on learning our style of martial arts.
However, we do manage to go out sightseeing here and there, and we explore our temporary home every day, getting lost in cities and towns, finding nooks and crannies and narrow winding alleys, temples by the dozen, waterfalls to photograph and mountains to climb.
Not forgetting the Chinese people themselves; there is a lot of people-watching to experience in busy, bustling China! Their culture and traditions, thoughts and views, are all there to find out more about.
And last but definitely not least, the food. Oh, the food!
To sum up, start saving, pack your bag and come to China with us. You will have the trip of a lifetime, you will learn more kungfu than you thought was possible in a week or two, and you will gain valuable insight into the workings of Chinese culture, which is the only way to really understand kungfu.
Darren Trottman.
