Name: Rafa Macdonald  Nationality: British 

Email: raffsmac@gmail.com

Arriving date: March 27th 2024 

Leaving date: May 14th 2024 

Planting flowers together in school garden

1. I choose to study Shaolin kung fu in China to experience the Chinese culture while learning kung fu and to learn under masters who had studied kung fu their whole life. 

 2.Through studying here I've grown stronger and more flexible, become more discipline and determined while also being more connected to my body than ever. 3.The person who helped me most in my time here would be Victoria, she pushed me to work hard and showed me Shaolin Kung fu forms.moves and conditioning, so I could learn faster in class.

Rafa Training Kung fu at Kunyu mountain.

The daily life is exhausting but rewarding, Shifu Zhang (Master Zhang ) is top notch. You can tell he has been doing martial arts his whole life but he has not lost any passion for his craft. The translators are awesome and fun, and get involved with the teaching and sparring training, they are always available for any questions you have regarding kung fu or anything else.

 The surroundings are beautiful and picturesque with many natural and cultural wonders, and many hikes available to you.

 Yours Sincerely, 

Rafa Macdonald 

=======================

Name: Moses Hengl  

 Nationality: Austrian ( Six months course till June 2024)

 Email: Moses.hengl@1492.org Facebook: Moses Hengl 

 My sister was here in 2019 and had a very positive experience, which is why I decided to come here as well. The greatest gain I have from learning martial arts is personal discipline and finding motivation for things that are hard to do. My greatest help came from my classmates and the people who had been here for a long time. 

It really feels like a community supporting each other in everyday activities and training. I arrived in winter when it was still  cold, but the training was nicely adjusted. We did proper warm-ups and a lot of different activities, making the training very interesting. The summer also got  hot, yet the weather was still entirely nice for training.

My Shifu is just old-school,I appreciate him and his teaching  and his training methods work if he sees your effort he will show you the secrets of Shaolin Kungfu. 

The translators for the rest of China are actually really good for the most part. You can usually understand what's going on in class, and they always have a good attitude, really trying their best. 

The surroundings in Kunyu Mountain are very beautiful, with lakes, rivers, and mountains. I am quite used to this because I am from Austria, but I still appreciate it, especially considering the Taoist origins of the area. Yantai City is about an hour or more away, but it is a nice city with good options for going out and enjoying some food. It also has a nice beach. Overall, it was a very nice stay in Kunyu Shan.