Preparations
Before traveling to China, you need to prepare for Visa, flight tickets and packing...
Travel to the birthplace of Tai Chi – ChenJiaGou, learning the most traditional Chen Style Tai Chi and Chinese martial arts with the original Chen Tai Chi disciple masters. We have been assisting students from all over the world as they make their initial journey to ChenJiaGou, China.
Before You Come
There are several things to consider before moving to another country for a shorter or longer period of time. We have collected some of the things that are worth considering for you before you leave home.
All persons intending to enter The People’s Republic of China from outside countries must first have a valid passport (with at least 6 months validity) and a Chinese visa. We recommend you to apply for a Tourist Visa (L Type) or Study visa (X2 Type) at your nearest Chinese embassy. To get the visa you will need an Official Invitation and Admission Notice from the academy, we will send this to you when the reservation fee is received. Remember to apply for your visa in good time, preferably start the process 3 months before your arrival at the academy.
If you want to stay and training at ChenAcademy for a longer period than you planned, your visa can be extended easily and we will help you with that process. Our office translator will take you to the local Foreign Affair/Visa Office, and apply for an extension there. The cost of visa extension varies depending on your country but in general it is cheap. If you have any more questions about the visa please feel free to contact us.
Tai Chi is a fitness exercise suitable for everyone, there isn’t any age limit. But students who are younger than 13 years must be accompanied by an adult. If you are under 18 years old, your parents & guardian will need to confirm with us that you can come here on your own.
If you are over 60 years old, you need to provide a health check report (in English) from within one month prior to your arrival date; otherwise, we may refuse your admission upon arrival at the school.
There are no vaccinations required to enter China, If you are coming from an area with a special disease, you may be required to have certain vaccinations. You can contact the nearest embassy or your airline.
In China, local clinics and hospitals are well-equipped and have many western, Chinese and compound medicines. It is convenient to have a medical bag of your own, with things like sunscreen, insect repellent, band aids, painkillers for headaches, some cream or ointment for cuts and bruises, something for an upset stomach or nausea, any prescription or allergy medicine and multi-vitamins if taken.
In many countries martial arts are considered a dangerous sport and and extra fee might occur regarding this matter, you should consult your insurance company, or a professional travel agency before departure from your country. The academy assumes no responsibility for injuries occurring before, during or after training, while under the academy’s supervision.
We recommend you purchase a major medical/travel insurance to cover possible injuries(sports injuries), illnesses and home transport from your stay in China.
Travel To ChenJiaGou
For traveling to ChenJiaGou, China, you need to purchase the flight tickets on your own. You can find cheaper flight tickets and hotels on this traveling website.
There are many different routes to take to get to ChenJiaGou, China. From your home country, we recommend you to travel either over Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou or Zhengzhou. From there, there are 2 ways to get to the ChenAcademy.
By Plane
The nearest airport close to ChenAcademy is Zhengzhou Xinzheng International Airport (IATA：CGO，ICAO：ZHCC). There are daily flights from main cities like Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Zhengzhou etc.
It’s about 120 kilometers from Zhengzhou Xinzheng International Airport to ChenAcademy, we provide pickup service from the airport and cost is $60 USD per side. If you need the airport pickup service, you need to send us your flight ticker information in advance, also you need to confirm with us about your flight when you start traveling.
By Train (or Railway)
The nearest train station to ChenAcademy in JiaoZuo West Railway Station / 焦作西站 (about 39 km) and many fast trains stop here. JiaoZuo Train Station / 焦作站 is also near (about 41 km). Pickup service from both JiaoZuo West Railway Station and JiaoZuo Train Station costs $25 USD.
The train system in China is very reliable. There are 2 ways to buy a train ticket. You can purchase train ticket online on this traveling website or on China Railway official website. If you book a train ticket online in advance make sure you have at least 4 hours from your plane lands until your train departs.
The other option is show up at the train station when you arrive and buy the ticket straight at the station. Most likely you will just have to wait a few hours and then you will be on your way. NB this method will not work during Chinese national holidays (for example Labor Day, National Day and Spring Festival) where train tickets are completely sold out several weeks in advance.
Packing
This is not a complete list but it might help you when packing your suitcase. For clothes outside training 2-3 sets will be enough. Most students wear training clothes in the weekdays and regular clothes for when going to the city or on trips in the weekends.
It will be useful to bring a pair of good running shoes for jogging and stamina training. For regular training, students usually wear a type of thin-sole shoes, specifically used for Tai Chi and Kung Fu, that can be bought easily after arriving at the academy.
In Winter: It can be very cold in winter so warm sweaters for both training and free time, a warm jacket, thermal underwear or a track suit is recommended. Hats and gloves are very used items as well. A fat cream for protecting hands and face from the cold is recommended as well.
In Summer: Bring plenty of training t-shirts and shorts. It can get very warm and most students sweat through their clothes in every training so 2-3 sets of clothes can be used in a day.
Money
You should pay tuition fee by Bank Transfer, Alipay, Western Union or TransferWise (or WISE). ChenAcademy provides students full room and board, so it’s not necessary to bring a lot of extra money for spending unless you want to buy souvenirs, shop or plan to travel in China. All you need is some pocket money for food (snacks), a massage at the weekends, some clothes, etc. Students are likely to find that food and many other things are much cheaper to buy in China than in their home country. $100-200 USD per month for long term students and $200-300 USD per month for short term students are sufficient for most students.
Currently Cash payment is rarely used in China, Alipay is the most popular payment method in China, it will be very helpful for your trip in China. You should download Alipay App then add your Visa, Master or Credit card in it, so you can simply scan the Alipay code to pay when you travel in China.
Also you should bring your credit card or debit card to withdraw cash from the ATM’s at the local banks. There are many of them, e.g. Bank of China, ICBC, Bank of Construction, Bank of Communications, etc.
If you have any questions about preparations before coming to Chen Tai Chi Academy China, please feel free to email us directly.