Wudang Academy
Traditional Sanfeng Cultural Heritage
Welcome to the Wudang Academy
Our Wudang Academy website is dedicated to the Wudang arts and the continuity of the traditions. Always carry the Wudang teachings in your heart. If this is your first time here make sure to read the links in the top header navigation to understand more of what this website is about.
Hold your horses here! If you want a traditional school, you have found it! It is not usual in traditional schools to tell you everything from the beginning. Why should the master even teach you? Just because you paid a lot of money? That is not how tradition works in China. In the San Feng lineage, one must prove himself to be of good personality and dedication to the lineage to improve oneself. Whining about your lessons by demanding it will not help you when the master has no interest in teaching you that may be a sign to get your “things” (almost said a bad word) together.
Ba Gua, the eight trigrams, are denoted by symbols named 爻 (Yáo). 爻 is drawn as an odd diagram (奇畫, also referred to as the Yang symbol, 陽爻) or even diagram(偶畫, also referred to as Yin symbol, 陰爻). Combined in pairs represent 四象 (this can relate to the four directions or the corresponding mythical beasts, or each corresponds to two of the eight trigrams, 太陰, 少陽, 少陰, 太陽, grouped by the composition of Yin and Yang). With an additional symbol, the diagrams consisting of three symbols make the Ba Gua. The three symbols correspond respectively to “sky above, earth below, and human in the middle.”
There is only a second place for those who are unwilling to learn, the first place is reserved for those who are determined. There are no surprises ahead, and the improvement of ourselves is not bound on a mere event or situation, it is a constant development – a race going up the hill – for nobody but yourself – only you will arrive there first as long you continue you will find yourself at the first place over and over again. This timeless racing is the doctrine of living diligently and with virtue.
The comprehensive understanding of the internal martial arts and providing the right methods for developing the work with yin and yang itself. Someone may study for decades, but without the correct method, it is hard to improve. What is Taiji and how can we use it in our daily life and our practice? It is the most exciting part in the internal self-development to understand the freedom of oneself and to improve weak points and to overcome existing health problems.
We had the opportunity to ask all kinds of wild questions regarding internal arts at the end of our seminar. This interview is an entirely unbiased video, and the students threw many questions at Master Chen Shiyu. This video is brought to you by our Wudang Academy!
You are in a traditional martial arts school of San Feng family, which means there are specific rules to consider. Most of them are self-explanatory, but some rules may be new and unknown, also try to practice your Chinese, I am sure master Chen Shiyu will appreciate your dedication and effort.
If possible the Hongbao is preferred to contain RMB, but other currencies should be a viable option to if you are unable to obtain RMB. Depending on your identification with your lineage the Hongbao should include different amounts of money. For a complete stranger, the Hongbao is a very respectful approach, and less money is expected – depending on the occasion the envelope contains around ~50 Euros. If the person is closer to the Shifu (in a student – Master relation), the red envelope may contain between 100 and 300 Euros. These are rough estimates and are not an ultimate rule.
In the Wudang martial arts, the fundamental understanding of a fight is very different. Lao Zi tells that an idiot can be highly regarded as a genius without luring too much trouble. The winner has everything to lose, and the winner always requires a loser. It is much better to get out of a fight unharmed than declaring a winner. Wudang martial artists are chosen by their personality, tolerating, and reasonable to achieve balance in the nature of men. If you only want to show off your strength then you already failed the first stage of Wudang martial arts training.
In a secluded village called Hui Long Guan (Returning Dragon Temple) Master Chen Shiyu is living the ancient Wudang traditions after the San Feng Pai lineage. Daoist music, calligraphy, chanting, Gong Fu, Tai Ji, Qi Gong is all part of his schedule. Preserving and living the culture is what you can learn here!
Watch the San Guo 2010 series (Three Kingdoms All Episodes) The San Guo (Three Kingdoms) period was one of the most important in Chinese history, defining the foundation for many cultural changes. There were many technological accomplishments, tactical success, and political intrigues. Watch the Three Kingdoms all episodes now:
There is no ultimate formula without meeting the master personally. But you should understand that the connection between master and student is not similar to what we are used to in the west. Because you pay money, it does not mean the master has to teach you. It is a bond of trust and dedication similar to that of a family. Instead of planning your trip to a specific Wudang school you should first travel to Wudang as a tourist and check out different locations. When you see videos and documentaries Wudang is shown from a perfect angle.
The Wudang martial arts have always been closed to outsiders and are now open to the public a few decades ago. The political situation was complicated, and without having too much politics here, it is now allowed to talk about Taoism, and the Wudang temples were reconstructed, even though half of them were burnt down and some are still ruined.