Dear friends,
As probably many of you interested in Qigong and Taoism, for years I have been thinking about what could I learn in China.
I've heard many stories: as you probably know, the most illusion-breaking version is that everything traditional got lost, and that the existing sources of knowledge are directly controlled by the government, or simplified and ready-made for inexperienced foreigners.
For example, I have been told that Wudang Shan, once a holly Taoist site, became one of these money-making centers. I don't know about Emei Shan, or other notorious Taoist mountains, but i read that during the Cultural revolution, all that was worth got lost, burned, or banned.
Another brighter version says that with enough luck, you might make friends with people whose family passed teachings for ages, who are willing to teach you.
Well, since I am learning Mandarin in a free university course, there is a chance to get a scholarship to go study in China. If I get this chance, I would do my best to find something worth learning, avoiding wasting time and money on charlatans or on superficial ready-made teachings.
For those of you who might have relevant experiences in regard, i ask you to give me an advice, since I am very sincere and dedicated in my studies, and I do not want to lose time, energy, but neither a possible chance to learn.
P.S. What do you think about Wang Liping and his Dragon Gate academy? Here are some testimonials referring to his 10 days intensive seminar http://dragongate-academy.org/Success_Stories.html