Originally Posted by
zhangxihuan
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.