There is a common perception among most Westerners that only a person from the East is capable of becoming a true master of martial arts.
Somehow they are imbued with some inherent racial characteristics that enable them to develop powers beyond the ken of modern science and the wit and abilities of Westerners.
Maybe it has something to do with the supposed long tradition of the arts in their countries of origin which leads people to believe that they must therefore be superior.
I am sure Tim Henman would be gratified to know that he must be considered, by this same token, the ultimate master of Tennis, as he is the best practitioner that the home of that noble game has been able to produce.
The English Cricket and Football Teams should be held up as paragons of their respective sports, whose peerless mastery must be the envy of the world.
During my travels in China I met various Westerners who mentioned an old Tai Chi Master that I had to meet, whose skill was amazing. I did indeed go to see this man only to discover that he didn't know Tai Chi and considered it only as exercise for old people to do in the parks. If I wanted to learn Kung Fu I would have to learn his Shaolin style. He only called his art Tai Chi because that is what the Westerners wanted to learn, and most were too ignorant to know what it was they were being taught. So amazing was this mmaster's teaching ability he was able to issue certified instructor's certificates after only a fortnight of training to grateful Westerners. The capacity of people for self-delusion is nothing short of astounding.
It is easy for people to give themselves titles and honorifics and hide ignorance under a veil of inscrutability. True mastery has no nationality, it is simply recognition of ability by one's peers.