Interesting.. In Guilin there weren't any rules like this, but if you were disrespectful you'd get your arse kicked! And the master will hold back when teaching you. My Master loved it when people resisted. He would refer to the situation that followed as "jumping from out of one hole into a deeper one". This never ended well for that student..
I don't understand why Tongbeiquan isn't more popular. People that have never felt that power won't understand. Also one of the few arts that are straight forward from training to fighting. My Master taught me the essentials and it is one of the two things I learned that I cherish most.