Which is the best kung fu academy in China?

I have decided to go in China and study kung fu, the language and everything else i can. But there is a mayhem on the web about Chinese academies.Too many! Thanks team!|||There are a lot of well established schools in China. A good start are the Wushu institutes that house the professional teams. Every large city in China will have one. Obviously these are the places to study contemporary Wushu and competition forms. Usually they will also have access to coaches that will teach traditional styles, such as Tai Chi or Xingyiquan. Here are the main places to learn from:





1) Shaolin Temple


Shaolin temple in Henan province is something of a martial arts Mecca at the moment, with some 2000 students studying in 8 schools dotted in and around the temple and in the neighboring town. One school is actually connected with the temple and is Buddhist. The rest are private businesses and are run independently of the temple. Moreover, a lot of what is taught there is contemporary Wushu. Because of the large number of western tourists that come here, living conditions are surprisingly good, with even a western restaurant near the temple. The monks living conditions are also not to bad, compared to say Chen Village The government has a lot of influence over what happens at Shaolin, so a lot of the skilled monks have left or been expelled.





2) Wudang Mountain


Wudang Mountain, the home of Wudangquan, is also a blossoming martial arts hot spot. Wudang Mountain is also covered in martial arts schools. Being in a rich province, the living conditions were not too bad. Ironically, Wudang Mountain is very near the Henan border, and the dialect they speak sounds a bit like the dialect they speak in Chen Village. One monk I talked to said that they are forbidden from teaching for money, so the government 'helps' them by taking all the school fees. I got the distinct impression that the coaches teaching, although from the temple, were far from the best. Taoists are renowned for keeping secrets.





Recently Premier Jian Zhiming visited Wudang Mountain and bestowed upon it the status of being a 'Special Economic Zone'. This gives the region special tax laws. With more and more involvement from the government, I expect Wudang Mountain to become very commercial in the future. A shame.





3) Chen Village


Chenjiagou, or Chen Village to give it its English name, also in Henan, is the home of Tai Chi. There are stacks of schools in the village, in neighboring villages, and in the nearby town of Wenxiang. Some of these schools are basically the backyard of some Tai Chi master, while others are large complexes including living quarters for students. Henan is one of Chinas poorest provinces, and in Chen village, a remote farming community in Henan, life is harsh.





Chen Xiaoxing run the main school in the village. Zhu Tiancai also has a small school in the village, though have only seen it open briefly when he returned from Singapore to attend the biannual meeting. Wang Xi'an used to teach in Wenxiang, but now has a school a kilometer or so from the village He has done some 鈥榗reative鈥?sign posting to make sure it appears that his school lies inside the village boundaries. Chen Shitong teaches from his house in the village. Chen Qingzhou, not actually part of the Chen family, lives in another village some 20km away.





Chen Zhenlei teaches in Zhengzhou city. Chen Xiaowang also has a house in Zhengzhou, but he is seldom there, spending most of the year time touring Europe and America, or in his house in Australia. However you can arrange to study with his eldest son whilst in Zhengzhou. Ladies, or for that matter men too, might like to study with the female teacher Chen Guixiang who could offer a different perspective to her male counterparts. All in all there are a lot of options, however I have yet to see anyone else fajing like the two brothers Chen Xiaowang and Chen Xiaoxing, so I would make the effort to see that side of the Chen family before making any decisions about who to study with.





If you want to study the Chen village style of Tai Chi, but you dot think you can take life in the sticks, then there is a Tai Chi teacher from Chen village teaching in Beijing who studied with Chen Zhaopei. His name is Yang Songquan.





4) Xi鈥檃n Wu Shu Institute


Xi鈥檃n has a famous martial arts school, and is also a historic town. The film star Donny Yen studied here. As well as contemporary wushu coaches, they have a 18th generation Tai Chi coach from Chen Village, Chen Quanzhong.





5) The Beijing Wushu Institute


The Beijing Wushu Institute, run by Wu Bin, is the home of the Beijing wushu team. The Beijing Wushu Team is known for its precise movements, and exacting standards. Jet Li the martial arts movie star learned his trade here. They often recruit teachers from The Chinese Wushu Association, also run by Wu Bin, to teach foreigners if there is something they particularly want to learn that is not available in the institute itself. The facilities here are also very good. Each room has a bathroom and aircon and TV, though you may need to share your room with a room mate. Also, the institute will pick you up from the airport and drop you off there too. They will also help you with other problems and occasionally organize trips out to the great wall during your days off. A lot of tourist attractions are a short walk away, while the rest are a short taxi ride away. Beihai park is literally outside the front door. There are usually a lot of other foreigners there, so it is easy to have a good time. The night life in Beijing gets better every year.





Living Conditions.


Conditions in the cities along the coast are not bad. Living in a four star hotel is an option if you can afford it, and even if you decide to slum it, you still can occasionally pop out for a western meal now and again. Away from the coast, things have progressed a lot slower, so be prepared for more of a shock. However every large city will have a posh hotel, no matter how out of place it may seem.





The best way to prepare for living in the countryside is to imagine you are going on a camping holiday, and pack accordingly. Constant water and electricity and a sewage system cannot be taken for granted, nor can heating in the rooms during winter. Even if you want to stay in a posh hotel, there may not be one within a couple of hours drive. However, some of the schools in the remoter parts of china have special rooms with mod cons for westerners to stay in, so you may be able to have your cake and eat it.





If you want to know more about travel in China, I would recommend reading a guide book. Good things have been said about "The Rough Guide to China". The entire text is available on line. Of course there is the ubiquitous "The Lonely Planet Guide to China" which is published in a number of different languages.


Theses days though, Wikitravel is increasingly the way to go.|||Seriously, you can't beat Hammy's answer.|||google it|||Give 10 points to Hammy for his knowledge.|||shaolin temple..