I have been studying under Wei Shifu for over one year now, I am 29 years old and have previously never studied martial arts. I initially planned to come to China for two months but quickly realised that the more you learn the better you want to become, and the longer you wish to remain. The main factor in me staying was the teachings of my Master, both physical and mental.

Whilst I am here I feel that every day I have achieved something that I would never have done had I remained at home in England. As well as learning new things every day there is also the fact that every day brings new sights, sounds and smells that to me are absolutely unique, the academy is based in a very historic city in China and having spent some time over here before, I can say that it is truly the authentic life that I am living alongside the local people. 

Every day has it's challenges and some are very hard to overcome but once you have been through the pain and come out the other side the sense of achievement is fantastic! I will say that it is not for the faint hearted, it does not matter how much experience you may have (beginners are more than welcome, as I said I have never had any experience in martial arts before) but how much effort that you put into your training. You will be awake at sunrise and will be training until sunset, five days a week and will be staying in fairly basic living conditions. However what you would learn in a month out here would take far longer to learn in another country where the experience would be less authentic.

As well as learning traditional Kung Fu, I am also learning Chinese language which the translator at the academy will be more than happy to teach to anyone. I have found a truly unique and special experience that I cherish and I feel has made me a better and more complete person all around.