7 Best Martial Arts Schools in Beijing, China

Harai goshi (sweeping hip), a koshi-waza. photo by Gotcha2- Wikimedia

7 Best Martial Arts Schools in Beijing, China

martial arts are made up of various fighting skills mainly of East Asian origin, such as kung fu, judo, karate, and kendō.

The term martial arts was popularized by mainstream popular culture during the 1960s to 1970s. this was notably by Hong Kong martial arts films featuring Bruce Lee during the so-called “chopsocky” wave of the early 1970s.

In martial arts, there are the armed and unarmed arts. The armed one includes archery, spearman ship, and swordsmanship; while the unarmed one, which originated in China, emphasizes striking with the feet and hands or grappling.

As the capital of China, Beijing is continuously popular with foreigners who lives and work there. One other attraction other than learning Chinese is martial arts.

Beijing remains to be an important cultural centre in China. If you are going to visit soon and are looking to learn any martial art skill, check out the top 7 schools below.

1. Beijing Xinao Martial Arts School

Steven Ho executing a Jump Spin Hook Kick. Photo sourced from Wikimedia

This is the martial arts base of Beijing Sports University that seeks to improve skills for talents in civil and military, film and television stunts as a whole.

The trainers in this school are guided by science and offer a harmonious and beautiful teaching environment. Several people in China have had their training in this school.

Since it was established, the school has been continuously harbouring the teaching policy of “nurtures the social person with outstanding ability, creates the first-class well-known colleges and universities”.

2. Beijing International Art School

Students from all over the world and from different cultural backgrounds pick Beijing International Art school as their first choice. Several students that go here, have previous training and graduate as professional performers and artists.

Do not worry if you are a beginner as the qualified trainers here will train you without previous experience. All you need to have is a strong desire to equip yourself with a speciality and fulfil your dreams.

Their martial art major focuses on Chinese kung fu. The lead trainer is Master Men Hui Feng, one of the top ten kung fu masters in China.

When graduating, you are given certificates of Second Level Kongfu Master and above.

3. Beijing Shaolin Wushu School

Karate at the 2018 Summer Youth Olympics – Girls’ +59 kg – Semifinal 2. Annika Sælid (NOR) vs Negin Altooni (IRI). Photo by BugWarp – Wikimedia Commons

Founded in 1991, this is a Chinese martial arts school approved by the important authorities in China. It offers various levels of courses for students of different age groups.

The school is located in the downtown area of Beijing and pays attention to the improvement of the quality of teaching and management.

Its main martial art skill is in the field of Wushu. The trainers dedicate their time to helping people realise their dream of kung fu and culture at one of the most iconic locations in all of China.

There are exclusive programs that will enable you to get a taste of Chinese traditional life and traditional kung fu.

4. Yiquan Martial Arts Academy

This school first opened its doors in 1993 and has been offering various training courses related to Wushu. These courses are for people from different regions and countries.

The school has a team of experienced coaches that runs different courses according to the needs of different learners. Since it is an international institution, more people trust it.

Some of its training methods are Zhan Zhuang, shi li, shi sheng, buffa, fa li, tui shou, and san shou.  Several students that go here learn the basics.

You can also learn some knowledge from Confucianism, Taoism and Buddhism.  

5. The Milun School of Traditional Kung fu

Metin Kayar Kobujutsu mit Nunchaku, 2011. Photo by Marxer001 – Wikimedia Commons

This is another Chinese institution where students can continue the traditions of authentic martial arts training in an open, welcoming environment.

It is staffed with internationally recognized kung fu champions who teach martial artists of all ages and abilities from around the world. There are small classes to ensure personalized attention, a correct technique and rapid progress.

Their curriculum is focused on fully rounded martial arts training. This goes from the care of the physical condition and applied self-defence to the philosophical study.

There is all-year-round training no matter the weather. It takes place in a Ming dynasty courtyard.

6. Beijing Fangshan Shaolin Martial Arts School

Masters of the School of Kung Fu in the UAE (Khan and Tony Xue). Photo by Abdallah Kroosh – Wikimedia Commons

This school is sponsored by the Shaolin Temple and is able to help its students to learn the most authentic Shaolin Kungfu. Its main focus is to spread Chinese culture by offering various courses.

The courses allow the students to develop in a comprehensive way. All the Wushu courses are taught by the masters from Shaolin Temple, which is the main attraction.

A little backstory, Shaolin Temple is the birthplace of Chinese Kung Fu. The warrior monks and their disciples in the temple are the best specialists in Shalin Kung Fu.

By signing up in this school, you will get the ultimate guide on how to learn authentic Shaolin Kung Fu in China and abroad.

7. Maling Shaolin Kungfu Academy China

This Kung Fu school is a small-scale academy which exclusively serves foreign students. These students train in different martial arts programs. It was founded by Shi Xingjian who is the 32nd generation Shaolin Warrior Monk.

Each master gets to train between 8 to 10 students. In case of language barrier, they have an in-house translator.

Training equipment is provided for all classes, including Sanda pads, gloves, suit-guards for sparring, Sanda stands with the punch and kick bags, mats for acrobatics and take-downs, and wooden dummies for Wing Chun, Meihua poles for Bagua.

They serve great meals and comfortable accommodation.