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I currently live in Beijing, and am now quite familiar with how difficult it is to find good teachers in Beijing. Contrary to what one might expect, good Martial Arts teachers are not to be found in every corner of Beijing's beautiful parks. The Cultural Revolution put an end to that situation, if indeed it ever existed. So now you have a young generation in China who are almost completely disinterested in traditional Chinese culture (having joined the lemming parade in pursuit of American pop culture). A middle generation who were young during the Cultural Revolution and whose knowledge is now patchy at best. And an older generation that is rapidly dying off. The latter, unfortunately, is where most of the real stuff is rapidly going extinct.

In the service of those who come to Beijing looking for teachers, let me recommend the few that I know to be good, or whose reputation precedes them, and for whom I can give directions on how to find them:

• Beijing Yidao Traditional Wushu Club: Teacher is "Master Zhu Baozhen, born in Hebei Dingxing County in 1933. Since childhood, he studied martial arts, and followed masters such as Liu Zhenlin, Hu Yaozhen, He Zhongqi, He Zhongxiang, and Zhang Hongji, who handed down to him erlang quan, wuzu quan, Kunlun quan, xingyi quan, and taiji quan; he especially excelled at traditional Yin school and Cheng school bagua zhang and weapons." Zhu Baozhen mainly teaches Baguazhang, but also teaches Xingyiquan and "old" Yang-style Taijiquan (whose origin is supposedly Yang Luchan, not Yang Chengfu). He is very healthy for his age (a Bagua tradition) and seems to know quite a lot about application, though I didn't see a lot of fighting going on in classes. Some of his students (most of whom are foreigners) are very beautiful to watch. Classes are currently most evenings, 7:00 pm in the Southwest corner of Ritan Park (near Jianguomen subway) and cost a somewhat inflated 100 RMB/class for foreigners.
  
  
• ????????????: I don't know his name yet, I am afraid, but he is in his 60's and GOOD. Teaches traditional White Ape Tonbeiquan (白猿通背拳) and the air practically crackles when he throws a punch. Very scary short power, and when he demonstrates applications on students, it is very convincing and sometimes quite painful. This guy apparently has a reputation in Beijing as a "fighter". I believe it. You can sometimes find him mid-afternoon just to the east and north of Tiantan Park's West Gate, but it is tricky to find and he doesn't have a lot of students. You probably need to contact me if you want to find him.
  
  

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  Teachers I Want to Check Out

  (If anyone has any further information or links on these guys, please send it my way.)

• Ma Chuanxu: The linked article speaks for itself. I haven't met him yet, but his reputation is very high in the local community. Some say he can be mean. Some say he charges foreigners incredibly expensive fees, some say not. I was told by a Chinese student that he teaches every morning 6:00am to 8:00am in Zizhuyuan park just west of the Beijing Zoo.
  
  
• Tie Sifu (铁思富): I really don't know if I got his name right, I am trying to transcribe the hen-scratches of someone I met in Nanguan Park. This guy is supposed to be a 90+ year-old fifth generation Bagua guys who still goes out and practices every morning in good health, near the East gate of the Forbidden City
  
  
• Lu Shengli: I have not met this guy yet, but his close association with Wu-style Taijiquan's Wang Peisheng gives me hope. "Has been actively teaching martial arts for more than fifteen years at the Beijing Information Technology Institute," which is probably a good place to go looking for him.

Thumbs Down - Don't Waste Your Time Here