Quote Originally Posted by zhangxihuan View Post
i'm of the feeling if you can't speak some chinese well, then you should NOT be able to teach kung fu. I know that may sound "cruel" or "unusual" but I think to maintain cultural integrity a "white person" who wants to teach should at least know the language properly. I think its sad when people who know little about chinese culture or language run a school. Usually the school lacks discipline, and the teacher doesn't have respect either for the students or the art itself. Chinese is NOT hard to learn (at least basic pre-school level)... Its rather pathetic when a teacher can't even count properly in Chinese (as my first "sifu" butchered the language)...


I think the whole "monk" thing is ok...just depends. I think if Americans have respect for the art they will respect their students and treat them as good as a foreign teacher would. The problem is many people lack basic respect. I'm not biased for or against "monks," since I dont personally know any. A lot of people say monks only train in wushu, or that wushu is crap, which is false by any standard. Many people who train in modern wushu also do traditional and know applications to the moves.

Wearing orange uniforms is a bit odd, but if that is what the owner wants, thenthats that.

I feel though that if you do not know basic Chinese history, language, or culture you should not be allowed to teach something as historically and cuturally important as Shaolin-kung fu.

wow. lol. A punch in the Face and kick in the Crotch knows no language.

How did the Chinese ever learn Buddhism? Did they have to all learn sanskrit? Pali? Hindi?

I agree that if one is gonna make attempts at uttering in another language , then they should know it, but I also know first hand that language is no barrier to learning martial arts. You can get good training without ever speaking a word.

As for monks...well, people gravitate to that, they wanna feel like they're somewhere doing something that fits their own preconception. Are they really for real? People still debate that. Is the training of any use? Sure it is, it is useful if that is what you want and that's all that matters isn't it?