Xuan Ju · Francestown, New Hampshire
Teacher Training
Each spring and autumn, Master Zhou teaches residential teacher-training intensives at the Daoist Gate Center. Here is what the two sites say about the program, gathered quietly in one place.
Drawn from daoistgatecenter.org and daoistgate.com (read 2026-10-22). Details can change; the center's own pages are the final word.
What it is
Each spring and autumn the center offers progressive teacher-training courses, a core part of its educational system, in Tai Chi, Bagua, Xingyi, Qigong and Kung Fu (empty-hand forms and weapons). — daoistgatecenter.org
Master Zhou's stated vision is to pass on the traditional Wudang healing arts by training more Taiji and Qigong teachers. — daoistgatecenter.org, “Teacher Training Vision”
A separate certification path is described on daoistgate.com: study, a personal statement, a test, and teaching in the community.
A quiet room: wood floor, window light, no one in it. The center says its school is open to all, whatever their age, background, ethnicity or belief. Stillness asks for very little — a floor, a window, and time.
Who can join
“Whoever you are: a budding teacher, an instructor who is already teaching, an acupuncturist, or a therapist who wishes to include the credential of Taiji and Qigong as healers, can come and train with us at Xuan Ju.” — daoistgatecenter.org
New and returning students are both welcome at the autumn 2026 intensive. — daoistgatecenter.org
For the certification path, daoistgate.com states: “Instruction and practice from Master Zhou or Wudang Daoist Gate certified instructors are required before the certification process begins.”
TBD — pending Master Zhou’s confirmation. No minimum age, health, prior-experience or English-level requirement is stated on either site. Please ask before assuming.How it works
In person at Xuan Ju: five hours a day with Master Zhou, Monday to Friday, plus self-practice; weekends are free. — spring 2026 page
Spring runs in April and May, with stays of two months, one month, two weeks or one week. Autumn runs in October, for one or two weeks.
Autumn 2026: October 19–30 (check-in October 18, check-out October 31), as listed on daoistgatecenter.org. Dates for 2027 are not yet published.
Between intensives the center has offered online classes by Zoom (in 2026: Bagua on Wednesdays, Xingyi on Thursdays, 8–9 PM Eastern).
A training hall with a wooden ceiling and a bare black floor, waiting. The center’s hall holds twenty practitioners at a time, and each spring and autumn it fills with the slow footwork of teacher training. Today it is only space, and the sound of nothing.
The place
The training grounds for the teacher training. This is Daoist Gate Center, Xuan Ju, the center Master Zhou founded; the spring and autumn intensives have been held here since 2021.
The grey building and the Daoist Gate Tea House, across the gravel yard on a clear autumn morning.
Photo: Tatiana Beltran
The main house at the center, seen from the yard. Licence plates are blurred for privacy.
Photo: Tatiana Beltran
Oak and white pine beside the gravel drive, with a ring of boulders at the bend.
Photo: Tatiana Beltran
A picnic table and a deck at the center, beneath maples in autumn colour.
Photo: Tatiana Beltran
The certification path, as stated on daoistgate.com
1. Tell Master ZhouLet him know of your interest.2. Complete the hoursStudy and complete the required hours and classes.3. Write a personal statementTyped, double-spaced, no more than three pages.
4. Take the testPrepare and schedule the test with Master Zhou.
5. Teach in the communityPut teaching into practice in the community or online.Stated hours: Tai Chi, Xingyi and Bagua — 216 hours (about two years), or 108 hours (about one year) for those with prior experience elsewhere; Kung Fu — 332 hours; Qigong — 100 hours of meditation plus 108 hours of qigong. Master Zhou may make exceptions. daoistgate.com
Costs, as listed
Autumn 2026, all-inclusive (tuition, food, shared room): two weeks $1,500; one week $900. Deposits: $200 and $100.
Certification tests: $300 per test for each category; recertification every three years, $300. — daoistgate.com
Prices as listed on daoistgatecenter.org and daoistgate.com, 2026-10-22. Not yet confirmed by Master Zhou or the center for this site.
TBD — pending Master Zhou’s confirmation. The autumn 2026 page calls the deposit non-refundable and also mentions a full refund up to 30 days before. The refund rule is to be confirmed with the center.
Registration
Registration is on daoistgatecenter.org: a place is reserved by paying the deposit on the event page. No application or interview is described for the intensives.
Open the autumn 2026 event page
The center also lists a tuition scholarship, with its own emailed application. daoistgatecenter.org
Source: daoistgatecenter.org
Questions, answered from the sites
No FAQ page exists on either site. These answers are assembled only from the program pages, and each one names its source.
Do I need experience?
The pages welcome new and returning students, and instructors from other disciplines. No minimum is stated.
Sourced: daoistgatecenter.org · daoistgatecenter.org
How long can I stay?
Spring: two months, one month, two weeks or one week. Autumn: one or two weeks.
Sourced: daoistgatecenter.org
What does a day look like?
Five hours of lessons with Master Zhou, Monday to Friday, with self-practice; weekends are free (spring 2026 page).
Sourced: daoistgatecenter.org
Are food and lodging included?
The all-inclusive price lists tuition, food and lodging in a double room; single rooms cost extra and are first come, first served.
Sourced: daoistgatecenter.org
How do I reserve a place?
By paying the deposit on the event page. The deposit receipt is the confirmation, the balance is invoiced separately, and full payment is due four weeks before the start.
Sourced: daoistgatecenter.org
What if I cannot afford it?
The center lists a tuition scholarship, applied for by email.
Sourced: daoistgatecenter.org
What if I cancel?
The sites word the cancellation rules differently. To be confirmed with the center.
Sourced: daoistgatecenter.org
Can I train online instead?
Master Zhou has offered online classes by Zoom (2026: Bagua on Wednesdays, Xingyi on Thursdays). The certification page says online learning is an option where no certified instructor is nearby.
Sourced: daoistgatecenter.org · daoistgate.com
How do I become certified?
A five-step process; tests are $300 per category, and recertification every three years is $300, as listed on daoistgate.com.
Sourced: daoistgate.com
Can I bring my dog?
Yes, with prior notice; dogs stay in the barn room, not the house.
Sourced: daoistgatecenter.org
How do I get there?
By car; Manchester, NH airport is about 42 minutes away.
Sourced: daoistgatecenter.org
If you would like to talk first
This is not a requirement of registration. If you would like to ask whether the program is right for you, tell us a little about where you are in your practice.