[Erics]

Hello,

I have never trained martial arts, but I have done research on different fightning technique. I have grown particularly fond of Drunken Kung Fu. In 13 days time I'm moving to Shanghai, and I would like to stat learning this style. Although I have not succeeded in finding a gym that teaches this style in Shanghai. I'm therefor hoping that some of you might know of one, or can point in the right direction to someone that might be able to help me.

Regards
Erics

[Wilhelm von Wankenstein]

Martial arts schools in the traditional sense don't exist in China anymore, per se. The only martial arts schools around teach competition wushu and are generally live-in schools for youngsters to learn a sport at a professional level and get an education at the same time. As far as traditional martial arts go, they are pretty much underground, simply because there is no money or future in them on the mainland. If you want to learn traditional martial arts there, finding a good teacher is going to be extraordinarily difficult. Your best bet would be hanging around public parks and other places where people take exercise early in the morning and looking out for old (or not-so-old) folks doing telltale things like backflips or body-hardening against trees and try to make friends, and then see where that takes you.

[Erics]

Oki, thanks for the reply and information. I have been searching the web for different schools that teach different arts, and I have come across Jeet Kune Do, Tae Kwon Do, Chinese Boxing, Karate, Wing Chun, Tai Chi, Shaolin, Xingyi and also The Chin Woo Athletic Association. Therefor I have to admit I am a bit suprised when it comes to you answere. I on the other hand have no experiance with this, so I can only take you word for it.

[Wilhelm von Wankenstein]

I also forgot to mention that most martial arts schools that purportedly teach traditional martial arts and are open to foreigners are generally martial arts tourist traps. The quality of instruction you get there is highly variable, but if it is state-approved, depend on it that it will be heavily influenced by competitive wushu.