Check out this latest Kung fu School review posted by Des from the Philippines. She studied at the school for 1 month this summer.
I studied at the Yuntai Shan International School for one month.
Training begins at 5:50 am and there are four to five compulsory meetings everyday. Students can only leave the school on Wednesday mornings and Sundays OR if you have a valid reason to (e.g., visa renewal in the city center). I begin with this information because, for potential students, this might be something worth considering. During my time there, we did have some people come in from Shaolin Temple who thought that Yuntai Shan was maybe a bit too strict. In my opinion, however, it was just right. As someone who considers myself a complete beginner, I thought the training was very good. The shifus and the rest of the staff are very welcoming and helpful, and that goes a long way towards creating what I felt was a very supportive culture within the school.
Food and accommodation weren’t that great, but they were decent. I was there during the summer break, so I’m not sure if there are more food choices at the canteen when the regular school term is underway. In any case, if what’s offered at the canteen isn’t satisfactory, you can always try the restaurant right across. Every room has its own bathroom and for non-Chinese students, if I’m not mistaken, you’ll at most be two people per room. Rooms do have air conditioning, but they can only be turned on at certain times of the day.
For those who want to sneak in some sightseeing, one of the benefits of the school’s location is that it’s located very near the Yuntai Geo Park, which is classified AAAAA by China’s Ministry of Culture and Tourism (that’s the highest rating they give). I highly recommend asking for a day or two off training to go see it. You can also ask the Shifus to help organize trips to nearby Shaolin Temple or Luoyang.
All in all, if you’re looking for value for money, you can’t really go wrong with choosing this school. I had a great month there and if I ever go back to China for martial arts training, choosing Yuntai Shan again would be a no-brainer.
Booking with StudyMartialArts.Org – I liked how much information there was and that was instrumental in helping me decide which school to attend.
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