Originally Posted by
Lucky Bamboo
Hi, I think you made a lot of good points that can be addressed individually. For example, the people you mention that have unstable personalities. That is probably unlikely to be resolved by any outside source, especially if those issues are significant, as in going through a divorce or other personal issues, for example. Granted, being "unstable" is rather subjective but I don't think it's a fair expectation that any activity that doesn't directly address the issue will ever resolve it. I believe that martial arts training (Kung-Fu) is time consuming for the simple reason that achieving excellence is time consuming. In any endeavor, those who achieve excellence put in long hours over years. I think this is regardless of how the martial arts are presented in this day and age.
I think that marketing a so-called "traditional art" will always have it's challenges. Off the top of my head I can think of three Sifus, and two training brothers from my former lineage that have modified the image of their schools from the art they learned originally and the way they learned it (Kung-Fu uniforms, hand forms, traditional weapons, trapping, chin-na, lion dancing, learning Chinese culture and language) to a modern "kickboxing, san-da, mixed martial arts" image, incorporating words like "ultimate, or mixed martial arts" in their school names. It is a clear effort on their part to stay relevant and appeal to a broader public. Implying they feel their businesses could not survive teaching in the so-called traditional manner.
The way you are describing Kung-Fu clubs as they were in the Qing dynasty very much reminds me of the functioning and aim of men's lodges today. Granted I don't know much about them but I do know each one is it's own governing entity and members pledge loyalty to each other in some form. This includes helping a member that is going through financial hardship, in addition to charity work, helping the community, etc. Martial arts schools today are businesses, as it is an industry by definition. Just as with a job, one can loose touch with co-workers after leaving and one can stay in touch with others. Life does tend to pull individuals in different directions, even family, and it's work to stay close.