About Us

ChinaWushu.org is the website for the Songshan International Chinese Martial Arts Center, which is a registered organization of Henan Province in China with the primary objective of increasing the accessibility of Chinese Martial Arts on an international level.

Why We Exist
Training martial arts in China is a dream shared by many, and it is a very powerful dream – some who do go to China to train martial arts trade a nice career and cushy lifestyle for brutal training and sub-standard living conditions. Why is this dream so powerful for so many? It depends from person to person—whether they are after the intense training, the mind-blowing cultural experience, or just to take a break from their “normal” way of life for a while. Whatever the reason, most people who do make the trip to China find it to be one of the greatest experiences in their lives, not just for the martial arts experience and knowledge gained, but also for the cultural experience and the great people they meet.

But of all the people that WANT to go to China to train, there are relatively few who make it. The main reason is the difficulty and complications involved in getting set up in a country that you don’t understand, in a language you can’t speak. Some schools cater to foreigners and are able to take care of them in this way, but the schools may not be what the potential student is really looking for.

The Songshan International Chinese Martial Arts Center was established to help remove some of these barriers. Our aim is to provide, via our website, a comprehensive amount of information about Chinese martial arts (collectively called Wushu), and information about living and training in China. But information is not always enough, and so our organization offers services for those travelling to China to help them out where translators, local knowledge, and good connections are needed.

What we Do
We are passionate about the Chinese Martial Arts (CMA) and want to be able to compile and share as much information about CMA, to help spread this great gem of Chinese culture to the people of the world. We believe that the best way of spreading CMA throughout the world is through the exchange of people—whether it is foreigners coming to China to train, or Chinese masters going overseas to teach, or Chinese demo teams going overseas to inspire people to learn.

We have been establishing martial arts connections throughout China in an attempt to gain access to as many knowledgeable people and sources of information as possible. We have gathered a team of translators who are working hard to help people from around the world get access to news, articles and information that previously was only available to those who could read and speak Chinese. We are visiting and working with many schools, to help allow foreigners to train at these schools, and we are actively generating new training opportunities (such as training one-on-one with a master in their hometown or in an exotic setting) that previously never existed. We are busy documenting via photo and video the history, present, and future of Chinese Wushu. We are also working with travel companies to create travel experiences catering to those with an interest in the martial arts.

Most importantly (and of most benefit to you, the visitor to this website) all of this information on this website is free, and always will be free.

Why Use Our Services?
One of the primary services we offer caters to those who will come to China to train martial arts, whether it is for a few weeks, a few months, or even a few years. Using our website, you can find the best training opportunity that meets your needs and desires, and keeping with the free philosophy of this website, we gladly provide contact information so that you can arrange things yourself if you like. However, if you allow us to take care of things for you, you get the following benefits:

• Simplicity – we can arrange everything, from your flight, to sightseeing before or after your training. Arrange training with the school or master of your choice, take care of living arrangements, mobile phone, visas and paperwork. We can take care of all the complicated stuff so you can keep your focus on your training and having a good time. We are also legally qualified to officially invite foreigners to China, something individual schools cannot do.
  
• Peace of Mind – schools and masters that we list on our site have all been thoroughly checked out, and we provide neutral, factual information only about each school (as opposed to some of the marketing-driven erm... ‘half-truths’ you may find on the schools own websites). Because you’ll have the strength of our organization behind you, it means you’re also a lot less likely to be taken advantage of by the school (as schools who treat foreign students poorly will be dropped from our list of schools, and the schools are aware of this!).
  
• Support – With dozens of local, English-speaking contacts throughout China, when using our services you get access to translators and local knowledge you might otherwise have to go without (what if you got stopped by the police and didn’t have your passport with you, and didn’t speak Chinese—could you convince them you had a valid visa through sign language, or do you think having a local contact who could talk to the police and go pick up your passport for you would be good too!)
  
• Price – Because of our negotiating power, we are usually able to get you a price at a school that is cheaper than if you were to go there yourself. This is especially true if you are not an experienced negotiator (in which case you may easily end up paying double what you actually should pay!).
  

Who Are We?
The number of people who help and contribute to the ChinaWushu website is many, including translators, writers, and other people. At the core of the Songshan International Chinese Martial Arts Center however is a team of four people:

• Richard Shi – Hailing from Puyang in Henan Province, Richard Shi is an experienced in the ways of Chinese business (which, for the uninitiated, means having a high tolerance to Chinese liquor). His role in the organization is to help forge relationships with other organizations in China and internationally to help gain access to information, resources, and people. Previously being a professional interpreter also means he helps to translate Chinese works into English for the website.


• David Achtemichuk – A Canadian wushu pilgrim currently living and training in China. Inspired by the difficulties, frustrations, and lack of English information about wushu in China, this website has become an opportunity for him to help others have an easier time. Being a web developer and all-around geek by trade, David’s roles include creating and managing the website, as well as photography and video duties. David also regularly contributes articles and information from his own experiences as a foreigner training in China to the site.


• Ding Wei – Living and working in Zhengzhou, the capital of Henan province, Ding Wei is in good proximity to many of the Henan-level wushu organizations, and helps to forge relationships with them. Also a professional translator, her main roles include translating content for the website.


• Cui Xuguang – Mr. Cui is the head of the Henan department of physical education, which administers of all of the Henan province wushu schools. His contacts and extensive knowledge of the industry ensure access to the best resources for the benefit of the organization and the website.