Here are a few of the most frequently asked questions I get via email. I thought I'd put them all up here. If you can think of any more common questions you'd like answered, email me, if other people are asking the same thing, I'll put it up here.

Is this the official page for the Beijing Wushu Team?
No! It is a fan page dedicated to wushu in China (specifically the Beijing Team), and international wushu competition, but its not an official anything. (in case you were confused).

Is there a wushu teacher near me?
You should check out the Wushu Instructors Directory. It is a somewhat comprehensive list of contemporary wushu instructors throughout the US and in some foreign countries. (Is your instructor in there? If not email me).

Are you going to do anymore animated wushu forms?
Creating animated wushu forms is very time consuming, and therefore lately I have chosen to devote my energy elsewhere. It has been over 5 years since I last did any, and seeing as the broadband revolution has made downloading hi res videos easy, there's little reason to put that much time into something (and besides, the compulsory forms have already changed!)

The Animated Wushu Clips go too fast, how do I slow them down/print them out/view them frame by frame?
First of all, why are you trying to learn this form off the internet? You really should find a qualified teacher (check the Instructors Directory for a coach near you). OK, that said, your best bet is to use a GIF animation program to edit the files and break them apart to separate frames if thats what you want. Try "GIF Construction Set." I will not send you all 176 frames seperately, even if you ask nicely (kind of like the 'will you send me a video tape?' thing, I just don't have the time or the desire to go through that much trouble for all the requests I get).

Can Raffi send me wushu video tapes?
After 6 years of doing a wushu website, I decided in August 2001 to start making my own wushu competition videos available for sale. In this case, I started with the 9th All China Games, a competition that I shelled out quite a bit of cash to go watch, and a lot of people wanted to see, so making VCDs of it seemed like a mutually beneficial choice. Click here for more info on those and other videos available for sale.

Where can I get wushu weapons, uniforms, books?
There are a number of online sources for these types of things nowadays. I recommend former Beijing team member Li Jinheng's online site at WorldMAS.com, another option is Fistsports.com or www.tigerclaw.com. For books, you can also try your local Chinese book store (if you have a local Chinese book store, that is). Try Eastwind Books, run by a friend of mine here in Berkeley, its where I buy most by wushu books.

The video clips on the video page won't work on my computer, what should I do?
Do you have Quicktime properly installed on your computer? If not, get it from Apple Computers. If you have Quicktime, but its not working, try reinstalling it. Even if you do, you might need to upgrade the CODECs to view all the clips (download the latest version!)

If I email Raffi, will he email me back?
I'll try. I get at least one email a day from complete strangers saying "good job," etc or asking me for more information. I try to answer everything, even if its just briefly. I actually really like getting email from visitors, it gives me an idea about what kind of people check this page out, what country they're from, etc. So feel free to email me and introduce yourself - Angry psychos, hateful people and crazed internet stalkers need not apply, Wushu practicioners and Jet Li fans preferred. If you write in your email that you are an attractive female who loves hot internet wushu studs, I guarantee you I'll write back. ;) (ps due to the amount of spam I get, please make sure the subject header of your message is something clear like "wushu website comment" or something along those lines, otherwise I might erase it accidently. If you don't hear back from me within a few days, please try again).

Why does Raffi maintain this web page, what is his purpose?
I do it because I like wushu and I like making web pages (sort of my method of self-expression). I've had a wushu related site since 1995, when most people didn't even even know what the web was. Since then a lot of wushu websites have come and gone, but this one has only grown. In addition to promoting wushu to the world, it also serves as a great place for wushu athletes from around the world to get to know eachother and share knowledge (mostly on the message board). I also try to keep people abreast of the current happenings, both good and bad in our community, this unfortunately includes a lot of ugly politics. But knowledge is power so I try to use this website to expose the truth behind situations and promote change.

Unfortunately some people who disagree with my opinions on the aforementioned political situations have on occasion tried to attack me personally for my opinions. This is really unfortunate, but luckily I've grown a thick skin and I know the positives of promoting wushu knowledge to a wider audience outweigh the negativity.

What if there is an error on this site?
Let me know! I try my hardest to be as accurate as possible, but sometimes I make mistakes (I'm only human). But I realize that although this is a totally unprofessional endeavor, as a web publisher, I do have a certain degree of journalistic responsiblity. Let it be known that I still like to exercise my freedom of speech, as with "professional" journalists, one's own opinions and biases will find their way into any writing, no matter how hard you try to be "impartial." But if you find a factual error, or disagree with me on a point, let me know! I'm a pretty reasonable guy, and will try my best to accomodate you and your viewpoint. But please don't threaten to sue me, since that is pretty rude.

Can I submit pictures or an article on wushu?
I always appreciate submissions, there aren't that many articles here written by others, but there's no reason why that has to be. If you have a good article on a tournament experience or training in China, etc. Please email me. Also if you have pictures or links to results from an event, please let me know.

Is it true that Raffi knows Ace Wong personally?
I have had the honor of training along side Ace Wong for some time now. In all this time, his wushu abilities have never ceased to amaze and delight. But as often as he is sighted, he manages to remain a mystery. I've seen him driving at least three different cars on different occasions. I've heard at least three different stories about what he does for a living (besides for wushu, of course).

Is Raffi really awesome at wushu?
Ha, obviously you haven't gotten to the tournament results pages yet. I'll save you some time and answer this one: No, actually I'm pretty bad at wushu considering how long I've been training. Let's just say I'm not that flexible nor am I the natural athlete that some of the other people you see on this page are.

What's up with that damn blue sweatshirt?
Some people may have noticed how many pictures there are of me wearing the same blue Cal sweatshirt. I've had that faithful sweatshirt for a number of years and its ended up in a lot of pictures. Don't worry, I wash it frequently. Here are just a few of its greatest hits:
March 1995 - Berkeley, CA
April 1995 - Huntington Beach, CA
June 1997 - San Francisco, CA
July 1998 - Mono Pass, Sierra Nevada Mtns, CA
March 1999 - Columbus, OH
July 2000 - Orlando, FL

Update: Blue sweatshirt was laid to rest in late 2004. He lived a full life...