everyone should live in china at least once

[Trick]

I recognize much of my own life here in China in how Maarten and Windwalker has experienced their living here. "Three years on a rock" is a Japanese saying which i believe mean one should try something for at least three years to se if that something is for you or not. I have now been in China four times three years so yes there have been many good moments. But as Maarten points out for those who want to come to China to experience gongfu training should probably do so ASAP, the younger generation here is not very interested in chinese martial arts, the older guy's that actually have skill are getting fewer, and the country policies seem to be changing, at least here in Dalian there is a feeling it will not be for the better for foreigners that want to work/do business in China, but that may just be rumors. Anyway, if to get a good glimpse of China, try the three years on a rock.

[grzegorz]

You nailed it!

This is exactly why one should live in China.

No, it isn't Thailand.

And although I did not become fluent in Chinese or even hit the three year mark the realities of China (to someone who can blend into a Chinese crowd) became clear very quickly and has changed me like nothing else.

I am one of the hardest working mofos I know and it entirely because of my experiences of living in China. Life is cruel and in China that is very clear.

Not to get too political but I believe my own country will be much like China someday where either how much you are worth will determine everything, in fact we are probably there already

Personally I don't blame the Chinese. The reason the Chinese are so obsessed with getting ahead and money is because they are all too aware of the cruel realities of the world and what poverty and starvation means.

I think it's quite ridiculous what some of you think about China. China is not some fucking fairy tale. It's a very extreme country. I've been living here for almost ten years and poor for the entire duration. I've been lucky, honestly, that nothing bad has happened to me (except when I was bitten by a viper and almost died or my scheming ex-wife cleaning me out and taking my child away or getting scammed by schools).

It's utter bullshit that foreigners can never understand China or experience China. I hardly have any Chinese friends not because I don't understand them or because I'm a foreigner but because I choose not to be a part of a society where everyone is constantly trying to use each other to climb a little higher up the social ladder and would do anything to get there. And because most are boring people with no hopes or dreams beyond buying more things to appease their and their extended family's face. I am really looking forward to leaving China and an uncomplicated life where everyone isn't trying to stab each other in the back over and over and over again with a smile on their face.

Also, Chinese people are just as, if not more delusional about martial arts (and most other things). People that know what they are talking about are the extreme minority here! I was able to find a real master after YEARS of hard work and determination, of living in fucking miserable conditions. It made me grow as a person and I'm getting ready to move on. I've enjoyed and hated my time in China. It's that kind of place. My photos should prove that I've seen a lot of beauty, but fuck me there is so much ugly here - so much pure evil. Any foreigner that has lived in China for several years and can speak the language and doesn't just hang out at expat bars AND has morals will know this. I have seen shit that you wouldn't fucking believe - or want to. In ancient times China was undoubtedly a bastion of knowledge, but today people are ignorant, immoral and worst of all; indifferent.

Was it worth it for me to come here and study martial arts? Before I came to China (and many times throughout my stay) I was contemplating suicide and there was nothing for me to lose, so fuck yes. I did a lot of exploration and eventually did end up finding what I was looking for (including myself), but my heart aches daily when I see the destruction of this ancient civilisation and the natural beauty of this area of the world - just how much has been lost. Anyone contemplating wanting to learn rare arts, that may not be better than other arts, but certainly effective in their own right, interesting and worth preserving, had better get their arses over here ASAP because they are on death's door.

But holy fuck you had better be prepared to sacrifice everything for your cause or you may as well just stay home or go somewhere else because this "ain't no Kansas". I strongly believe that I am part of the last generation of foreigners that will have a chance to learn real TCMA here in China, at the source, because there just won't be anything left and no one here is going to lose any sleep over it. And there is absofuckinglutely mysterious about this country except why no one gives two fucks about it.

P.S. Yes, everyone should live in China or India for a short period once so that they can go home and appreciate what they have and fight to save it!

[grzegorz]

I've lived in several areas of China over the past years and it's the same everywhere. No one has any social security (the feeling), so parents and society constantly pressure children to be little money-making robots. You need to constantly lie to give or safe face in China. They are really good at it. It's extremely difficult to gauge what they are actually thinking. Getting along with people during training is one thing, but getting to know them on a deeper level, depending on one another, is a different matter entirely. Generally, though, the main reason I don't get along with most locals is because they only think about work and aren't adventurous at all. My only Chinese friends are martial artists, but I've been burned there as well. Still, one can find a few strange ones here and there. They're fucked in China, though, if they think any different than anyone else.

My experience was the same. It wasn't so much that the Chinese were not adventurous, in my opinion, as much as they want to fit into with what is popular amongst the Chinese. For example a Chinese male and colleague gave me a hard time once for watching independent Chinese movies that the Chinese don't watch as if being different was the ultimate sin and the same for trying restaurants in the neighborhood which were not "famous." Adjusting to a society where most people want to be the same isn't easy which is why I too became more independent.

For all the good and bad the most interesting thing was that a lot of things I learned about people took years to understand and I am a much better person for it. All the jobs I have pursued since returning to the US have worked out well for me and it is in large part because of China taught me. If you can handle a Chinese boss you can handle any boss.

In the end it is not really about China as much as learning about dealing with people from a very different and proud culture.

[Michael]

In the end it is not really about China as much as learning about dealing with people from a very different and proud culture.

Yeah, that's one thing I've gotten out of it.