Help me preserve Chinese martial arts!

Help me dedicate my life to preserving Chinese martial arts!


My name is Nathan Rosen. I'm 23 years old, and I live in Dijon, France. It is my dream to dedicate my life to learning, practicing, and preserving Chinese martial arts. I have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to train full-time for 5 years at the YMAA Retreat Center, but I need your help!


Chinese martial arts are about more than fighting; they are a way of passing down Chinese philosophy, culture, medicine, and history. But the traditional arts are dying. Fewer and fewer people are willing to dedicate the time and effort that it requires to master them, and so we run the risk of losing these incredible arts.


My master, Dr. Yang Jwing-Ming, has created one of the largest martial arts associations in the world: Yang's Martial Arts Association (YMAA). YMAA has over 60 schools in the world, and Dr. Yang has been named one of the most influential Chinese martial artists of the 20th century. Dr. Yang has traveled across the world to teach, but he found that the modern world is not conducive to rigorous, traditional training. He worries that too many Chinese martial arts masters die without being able to fully pass on their knowledge, and that these arts will die with them. That's why he decided to create the YMAA Retreat Center in northern California. At great personal cost, Dr. Yang built this center in the mountains so that a few dedicated students could live there and train year-round, free from the distractions of modern life.


Five years ago, Dr. Yang recruited his first batch of students for a 10-year training program. Of that group, 3 have persisted, and they continue to train up to 10 hours per day. This is the kind of dedication it takes to preserve traditional Chinese martial arts. Dr. Yang is now selecting students to train at the Retreat Center for a 5-year training program.


I have already trained at the center and experienced the lifestyle: waking up at 5:00 am, meditation, Tai Chi, Shaolin training, Chinese language lessons, cooking for the other students, physical conditioning, and so on. The application process was extremely difficult and selective, but I have already been accepted!
This is a tremendous opportunity to dedicate my life to a greater cause. I am willing to make the sacrifices that this sort of training requires, but I need your help. The 5-year training program costs $10,000 USD per year, which includes housing, food, utilities, and miscellaneous living expenses. The Retreat Center is a nonprofit organization; the $10,000 simply covers the cost of supporting another student at the center. You would be hard-pressed to live anywhere for only $10,000 per year, much less while receiving world-class martial arts instruction. What's more, I have already found $8,000 per year. All I need is $3,000 more per year! That's why I have created this page.


Now it's up to you! Help preserve traditional Chinese martial arts and make it possible for me to pursue my dream! Click donate!