• 04 Nov,2026

Tai Chi School China: Budget for a 3-Month Stay

What a Three-Month Stay Asks of You Before You Book

The most common regret we hear about is not the training. It is the budget. A student pays tuition, lands in China, and only then discovers that the visa category, the private lessons and the winter transport were never part of the plan. If you want to Learn Tai Chi in China for twelve weeks, the sensible first step is to cost the whole stay, not just the class fee. This article sets out a cost model you can fill in yourself. It also explains why a Tai Chi school in China is worth that planning effort, drawing on what we see at SJF Kung Fu School.

One thing up front. We do not publish fixed prices in this article, because lodging, private lessons and start dates change what a quote looks like. Ask for a written quote from any school you consider, and use the structure below to compare quotes honestly.

Why Twelve Weeks Suits Chen-Style Tai Chi

Tai Chi rewards patience. Chen-style, the oldest of the five primary family styles, is built on silk-reeling: spiral movement that starts in the feet, turns through the waist and finishes in the hands. The body must learn to relax and stay rooted at the same time. That does not happen in a weekend.

Master Shen Jiangfei, the founder and head instructor of SJF Kung Fu School, is the 11th-generation inheritor of Chen-style Tai Chi and a descendant of Liuhe Quan. He teaches that the first weeks are for the legs and the stance. Only then does the form begin to feel like one movement instead of a series of poses. That is why Zhan Zhuang, standing meditation, often sits beside the form practice. Holding a still posture teaches you where you are tense before you try to move.

• Best fit: students who can leave work or study for 12 weeks and want to move beyond a taster of the form.

• Reasoning: three months gives time to correct stance, learn the sequence and repeat it enough for the body to remember.

• Limit: if you have never practised any martial art and are unsure you will enjoy daily training, a shorter stay is the lower-risk way to find out.

A shorter trial is a reasonable first step. A One Week Kung Fu Course or a month of training lets you test the daily rhythm before you commit your savings to twelve weeks.

The Three-Month Total-Cost Formula

Here is the formula we suggest every overseas student write down before paying a deposit:

Total = Tuition + Lodging + Meals + Flights + Visa + Local transport + Insurance + Private lessons + Buffer

Competitor listings often show only the first term. A fair Tai Chi School China comparison fills in every term and asks what each quote leaves out.

Three mistakes that distort a budget

• Comparing a tuition-only quote with an all-in quote. The cheaper-looking number may simply leave out meals or lodging.

• Treating the tourist visa as the default. A 12-week stay may fall under different rules from a short visit. Check before you buy a flight.

• Adding private lessons late. If you decide in week six that you want daily one-to-one work, the cost lands on top of a budget that has no room for it.

What Three Months Looks Like When You Are There

Costs make more sense when you know what they buy. The training hall at SJF Kung Fu School is a 200㎡ indoor space, so practice continues in rain or winter cold. The school sits near the Shaolin Temple, with more than 30 cultural and historical sites within reach for rest days. Mornings are for form and stance. Afternoons often turn to Zhan Zhuang, weapons or breathing work such as Qi Gong.

Our students describe it in their own words:

• Hayley Noel (UK) completed a 120-day course in Tai Chi, Zhan Zhuang, Sword and Broadsword. Her family wrote to Master Shen that they had been worried when she flew out, but she loved it and had an awesome time. She plans to return.

• Klaes Risbjerg Simonsen (Denmark) trained for 30 days in Tai Chi, Zhan Zhuang and Broadsword. He wanted a focused place rather than a touristy resort, and he felt he was in the right place from day one. He noted that the Shifu adapted the training to his needs.

• Austin Erkl (USA) completed 30 days of Tai Chi and Sword. He admitted he did not love it at first, but after adjusting he praised the food, the accommodation and the master: "The master is a great guy that cares for his students."

Austin's honesty is useful. The first weeks can be hard, and a longer stay gives you time to move past that. These are individual experiences, not guarantees, and your own results will depend on your effort, health and starting point.

Private Lessons: When They Are Worth the Cost

Group classes teach the shared form. Private lessons correct you. Klaes noticed this when the training was adapted to him, and Master Shen's experience with more than 3,000 students means he sees patterns in how newcomers hold tension.

• Add private lessons if: you have an old knee or back problem, you want to prepare for a specific weapon, or you are returning to correct a habit you built elsewhere.

• Skip them if: this is your first month of any martial art. Group practice and rest will teach you more than extra sessions on a body that is still adjusting.

• Reasoning: extra sessions are most valuable once you have a form to refine. Before that, they mostly add fatigue.

Terms to Settle Before You Pay

Here is what we can state, and what you should confirm in writing for any school:

1. Enrollment size. Regular classes at SJF have no minimum enrollment. Group bookings need at least 2 students, which matters if you plan to come with a partner or friend, as Othmane Echaouki and his wife did for their 7-day Chen-style course.

2. Dates. Confirm your start and end dates and what happens to the plan if flights shift.

3. What the quote includes. Request an itemised list matching the table above.

4. Deposit, refund and deferral rules. We have not stated them here. Ask for them in writing before you pay.

5. Visa documents. Ask what supporting paperwork the school can provide and how long it takes.

Is Twelve Weeks the Right Length for You?

Use this checklist to decide:

• Can you be away for 12 weeks without financial strain once the buffer is included?

• Have you practised any Tai Chi or Qi Gong before, even a few weeks?

• Do you want the form itself, or the culture around it as well? Both are welcome, but the answer affects how many weekends you leave for sightseeing.

• Would a one-month trial lower your risk? Many students begin with the 30 Day Kung Fu Course and extend once they know the daily rhythm suits them.

• Are you thinking beyond twelve weeks? In that case, ask about a Long Term Kung Fu Course so your budget does not reset halfway.

Tai Chi was never meant to be rushed. The slow pace you will practise in the hall is also a good rule for planning the stay: count every cost, keep a small reserve, and begin with a clear mind.

Request Your Written Three-Month Quote

If the formula above gives you a rough figure and you would like to test it against a real one, we welcome the conversation. Send us your preferred start month, your passport country and whether you plan to add private lessons, and Master Shen's team will reply with the details of the plan. You can book a Three-Month Course inquiry directly, or use the contact form on our website to ask about dates, lodging and visa documents first. Whether you arrive for a week or a season, you are welcome at SJF Kung Fu School.