So our performance on Monday went alright. I thought there would be a big live audience but it was mostly just filmed for TV. It was funny because as we were doing our tai chi form I could hear the announcer talking about all the foreigners and which countries we were all from in Chinese. My mandarin is getting a lot better. I still have a ton of room for improvement but I'm starting to understand more and more. The pronunciation is the hardest part. Well after that we did get our western lunch, I had french fries and a chocolate sundae, no big deal in Canada but here it was the most exciting part of the day. I was really happy to get back to Wudangshan though after spending time in a big city again.

I notice more and more construction here. Some things are a lot different from when we came here last year and there are new buildings with massive cranes and such. There was a TV crew here at the school for a few days 2 weeks or so ago too. It seems this little town and Wudang kung fu are becoming more and more popular. I have a feeling that it's headed in the same direction as Shaolin kung fu. Soon enough it'll be really difficult to learn traditional kung fu here, it'll all be performance stuff and modern wushu. I'm really grateful to be here right now because another 5 or 10 years could really change the way kung fu is taught here, I know our Sifu sees what's coming. That is a big reason why he decided to have this 3 or 5 year traditional program, he knows that if our style is to continue it's tradition it will have to leave China. It seems if there's any money to be made from anything in this world, it will be changed, streamlined, and commercialized. It's pretty sad but at least I'm playing a part in preserving this tradition. Hopefully someday I'll be able to pass it on to others too.