Journal of Chinese Martial Science 中国武学笔记

Cho Gar Wing Chun in Singapore

2011-09-17T02:43:00.002+08:00

This video taken by Eric Ling showcases the Cho Gar (Ban Chung) Wing Chun of Sifu Ku in Singapore. He no longer teaches and the classes are run by his senior disciple.

This is Real Southern Shaolin Kungfu

2011-09-17T02:19:00.002+08:00

This is the real deal, ancestor of Karate.. not Chi-gong mambo jambo.

"Chi-gong" Master at Southern Shaolin Wushu Conference 2011

2011-09-17T02:00:00.004+08:00

This middle-aged so called "Chi-gong" master gave a demo of his Chi powers at the recent International Southern Shaolin Wushu Conference at Quanzhou, China. Such a stupid show with cooperating "students" is really an insult to the hard, practical styles of Southern Shaolin. I think any 5-Ancestor, White Crane or even Hung Gar master can smash all the "Chi" out of this "master" with a single punch.

Li Teng Vs. Jomthong Chuwattana

2011-01-07T01:58:00.002+08:00

Sanda vs Muaythai 2010 in Shunde, China. Jomthong's excellent elbow and knee techniques are a good example of how to counter take downs from the clinch. Most important is that he has a good control position of Li Teng before he dealt out the KO knee.

Guo Hanghang VS Marcus

2010-12-22T23:41:00.002+08:00

Sanda vs Muaythai 2010 in Shunde, China. Canadian fighter Marcus KOs Guo Hanghang with a knee less than 1 min into the 1st round! A great perfomance!

Miao Yujie VS Nong Toom

2010-12-22T23:22:00.002+08:00

Sanda vs Muaythai 2010 at Shunde, China. The "Beautiful Boxer" takes on China tough girl Miao and is defeated; she is merely a shadow of her former self.

Zhang Kaiyin VS John Wayne Parr

2010-12-20T23:34:00.002+08:00

Sanda VS Muaythai 2010 in Shunde, China. Zhang is the superior fighter here.

Shaolin Monk KOed in Las Vegas

2010-12-18T11:22:00.003+08:00

Adrien Grotte, a middle-weight American Muaythai fighter KOs Shaolin Monk Yi Long with a left hook in the 2nd round. This proves what we knew all along - that traditional Shaolin Kungfu doesn't work in the Ring. If you want to fight against Kickboxers or Muaythai fighters you have to train in Sanda.

Kung Fu Wing Chun 2010

2010-11-19T01:28:00.004+08:00

Like the girl, not the movie though.. just another commercial film riding on the Wing Chun popularity bandwagon!

Ip Man - The Legend is Born trailer

2010-06-20T02:00:00.004+08:00

More Wing Chun movies in the pipe-line.. this is the latest about the adventures of Master Ip when he was young.

Ip Chun, the 84 yr old son of Ip Man.

China Thailand Russia Sanda vs Muaythai & MMA Challenge 2010

2010-06-11T02:02:00.002+08:00

News report of the fights that took place in Qingdao, Shandong province on 5/6/2010. There were 3 Sanda vs Muaythai bouts and 3 MMA bouts. Chinese fighters won 5 out of the 6 bouts.

Emei Sanda VS Muay Thai 2010

2010-05-13T23:13:00.005+08:00

The fighters doing a publicity shoot at the landmarks of Mount Emei before the event.

On 9/5/2010 top Sanda fighters from the Emei school of wushu takes on Kickboxing champions from US and Mexico.

Ip Man 2 Official Trailer

2010-03-26T01:55:00.003+08:00

Coming soon! Donnie Yen plays Master Ip Man again - this sequel depicts the trials that Master Ip went through to establish Wing Chun in Hong Kong in the early days (1950s). Sammo Hung plays a rival Hung Gar master.

My Gung Ji Subduing Tiger Fist

2010-02-19T00:39:00.002+08:00

Practicing the Hung Gar Gung Ji Subduing Tiger Fist at the badminton court opp Khatib MRT.

Baji International Training Center

2010-02-02T01:31:00.002+08:00

Kids training hard in Baji and Pigua at the center in Meng village of Cangzhou.

My Iron Wire Form

2009-12-06T00:00:00.000+08:00

Practicing the Hung Gar Iron Wire Form at the void deck below my friend's house.

WP Leader Lim Swee Lian learns Wing Chun

2009-12-05T21:25:00.002+08:00

It was reported in the papers today that Workers' Party leader Ms Lim Swee Lian has started to learn Wing Chun Kungfu from a Sifu, Mr Leong. She was inspired by Wing Chun after seeing the movie "Ip Man", where Master Ip taught Kungfu to the factory workers to help them defend themselves. Interestingly, WC was invented for the weak to overcome aggression by the strong, and in most cases the weak are women and children. Thus it is not my chance that the founders of WC are 2 women - Venerable Ng Mui and Madam Yim Wing Chun. But of course, Ms Lim is by no means a weak woman. I'm sure she will gain the mental strength of steel if she can persevere in the path of Kungfu. Good luck, Ms Lim.

"Shaolin Kid" Zhang Kaiyin likely to face Kaoklai

2009-12-03T00:00:00.001+08:00

20-yr-old Zhang Kaiyin is nicknamed the "Shaolin Kid" as he hails from the Ta Gou Wushu school near Shaolin Temple. Apparently he is the top Sanda fighter there. Although he is young, he has already won the World Sanda King 75kg champion and National Sanda Tournament 1st runner up in 2007. Zhang is also reported to have broke Sanda legend Liu Hailong's arm and defeated the "Mongolian Eagle" Baoligao a few years ago in competition. There is no doubt that this kid is extremely tough and if he does get selected by the Wushu Association to fight Kaoklai, I believe Kaoklai will find him a force to be reckoned with.

Emei Chief volunteers to fight the Thais

2009-12-02T01:38:00.004+08:00

Muaythai vs Kungfu challenge 19.12.09
As Shaolin has failed to take up the challenge of the Muaythai team on Dec 19th 2009, Master Wang Jian (above), leader of the influential Emei sect of Wushu volunteered on Nov 29th to send a team from his school to fight the Thais. However the Wushu Association of China had not accepted his application. They preferred to send the national elite Sanda fighters in rather than those from the traditional schools. Well at least Master Wang shows more guts than the Shaolin CEO.

Baji Step Sparring Set by Young Villagers

2009-10-16T22:26:00.001+08:00

The young stars of Meng Village performs a fast demo of the Baji 2-men set.

Baji Step Sparring Set by Villagers No 2 and 5

2009-10-16T22:25:00.000+08:00

Villagers No 2 and 5 show a step by step demo of the Baji 2-men set.

Baji Advanced Form by Villager No 7

2009-10-16T22:22:00.001+08:00

A powerful Baji advanced form demo by Villager No 7. His style is closer to that of Li Shuwen than of Wu Lianzhi.

Baji Big Form by Master Wu's son

2009-10-16T22:20:00.000+08:00

Master Wu Lianzhi's son performs the Baji Big Form. He had a memory lapse in the middle.

Baji Small Form Performance 6

2009-10-16T22:16:00.001+08:00

This guy is the upcoming star of the Meng Village. He has the best form among all the young people and shows great potential in Bajiquan.

Baji Big Form by Villager No 2

2009-10-16T22:15:00.000+08:00

Villager No 2 performs the Baji Big Form after doing the Small Form.

Baji Big Form by Villager No 4

2009-10-16T22:13:00.000+08:00

Villager No 4 demos the Baji Big Form after doing the Small Form.

Baji Advanced Form by Old Villager

2009-10-16T22:11:00.000+08:00

An old villager performs an advanced Baji Form. Notice the soft fluid movements as compared the the Small and Big Forms.

Baji Big Form by Villager No 5

2009-10-16T22:10:00.000+08:00

Villager No 5 demos the Big Form after doing the Small Form.

Baji Big Form by Villager No 3

2009-10-16T22:06:00.001+08:00

Villager No 3 continues to demo the Big Form after doing the Small Form.

Baji Small Form Performance 5

2009-10-16T22:04:00.000+08:00

Villager No 5 demos the Baji Small Form.

Baji Small Form Performance 4

2009-10-16T22:02:00.000+08:00

Villager No 4 demos the Baji Small Form.

Baji Small Form Performance 3

2009-10-16T22:01:00.000+08:00

Villager No 3 performs the Baji Small Form. Notice all the men in Meng Village can fight and each guy does the form with slight differences.

Baji Small Form Performance 2

2009-10-16T21:59:00.000+08:00

Villager No 2 demos the Baji Small Form at the Meng Village.

Baji Small Form Performance 1

2009-10-16T21:58:00.000+08:00

A small sized villager of Meng Village demos the Baji Small Form.

Baji Body Conditioning

2009-10-16T21:52:00.001+08:00

Baji master and student body checks each other to see who has the better conditioning! The student eventually surrenders after a few times.

Baji Step Sparring Set 2

2009-10-16T21:50:00.000+08:00

A master and student performs the Baji 2-men set at Meng Village. Meng Village in Hebei province is the birthplace of Bajiquan.

Baji Step Sparring Set

2009-10-16T21:48:00.000+08:00

Warriors of Meng Village performing the Baji 2-men set. Meng Village in Hebei province is the birthplace of Bajiquan.

My Kyokushin Karate Fighter Days

2009-08-18T01:15:00.017+08:00

A self portrait of myself when I attained 2nd Dan black belt many years back.

Standing in a Sanchin stance below the Kuwait Towers in 2000. I was there to fight in the 1st Liberation International Kyokushin Karate Tournament. Karate begins and ends in Sanchin, as Sanchin embodies the spirit of Karate. The same can be said for all the Southern Shaolin Arts.

Fighting stance ready, with the sea of the Persian Gulf behind me.

My friends and fellow fighters from Philippines and Japan.

Other fighters from Europe and Australia.

Fighting in the Singapore Kyokushin Open Selection in 2003.

Tough young opponent from Pasir Ris.

Dishing out the low kicks.
Punishing with the middle kicks.
Struggling against the 100kg Chris (I was only 65kg at the time).

Being congratulated by the Gurkha CO.

Hung Gar Unorthodox Weapons

2009-08-01T02:06:00.000+08:00

A peak into the well stocked armoury of Singapore's Hung Gar Master - Sifu Ong Ah Yong.

Hung Gar Weapons

2009-08-01T00:53:00.001+08:00

An intro on the various long and short weapon forms practiced in Hung Gar Kung Fu.

Baji Big Form Demo 2

2009-03-22T02:46:00.000+08:00

Performance of the big form by an older master from the Meng Village, birthplace of Bajiquan.

Baji Advanced Form Demo 3

2009-03-22T02:44:00.000+08:00

Performance of another advanced form by the villagers of Meng Village, birthplace of Bajiquan.

Baji Advanced Form Demo 2

2009-03-21T04:04:00.000+08:00

Performance of the advanced form by another older villager from the Meng Village, birthplace of Bajiquan.

Baji Big Form Demo

2009-03-21T04:03:00.000+08:00

Performance of the big form by the villagers of Meng Village, the birthplace of Bajiquan.

Baji Advanced Form Demo

2009-03-21T04:00:00.000+08:00

Performance of one of the advanced forms by the villagers of Meng Village, birthplace of Bajiquan.

Baji Basic Form Demo

2009-03-21T03:57:00.000+08:00

Performance of another basic form by the villagers of Meng Village, birthplace of Bajiquan.

Baji Small Form Demo

2009-03-21T03:45:00.000+08:00

Performance of the small form by the villagers of Meng Village, the birthplace of Bajiquan.

The Return of Liu Hailong

2009-01-15T02:52:00.008+08:00

27-year old Sanda Legend Liu Hailong came out of a 3-year retirement to take on Japanese Kickboxer Iga Koji on 10.1.09. The fight took place in Foshan, Guangdong. As expected, the Jap got thrashed; when will he have a bout with Cung Le?

Hung Gar Hunting Fork Form

2009-01-12T23:50:00.001+08:00

Hunting Fork Form performed during the Wushu Demo at Eunos MRT night market (11.1.09).

Hung Gar 5 Animals and 5 Elements Fist Forms

2009-01-02T02:01:00.001+08:00

A showcase of the 5 Animals and 5 Elements Forms by famous Kung Fu actor Qi Guanjun.

Hung Gar Ng Long Pakua Pole Form

2008-12-27T00:27:00.001+08:00

Superb Ng Long Pakua Kuan performed by Master Lee Yun Fook.

Hung Gar Gung Ji Subduing Tiger Fist Form

2008-12-27T00:12:00.001+08:00

This is the only complete Gung Ji Fuk Fu Kuen ever performed in the movies by famous Kungfu actor Chen Kuan Tai.

Hung Gar Tiger Crane Fist Form

2008-12-26T03:45:00.002+08:00

A very flashy Fu Hok Sheung Ying Kuen performed by Master Chiu Chi Ling.

Hung Gar Iron Wire Fist Form

2008-12-26T02:51:00.001+08:00

Excellent Tit Sin Kuen performed by Master Ng Ping Kuen of Hong Kong.

Secret Gate Mantis Fist Form

2008-12-25T03:05:00.002+08:00

Lighting fast performance of the Lanjie Form by Master Su Yuzhang, disciple of Grandmaster Liu Yunqiao and founder of Pachi Tanglang MA Institute.

Hung Gar Plum Flower Snow Flake Sabre Form

2008-12-21T23:16:00.003+08:00

Plum Flower Snow Flake Sabre Form performed by Si Heng Baoping.

Hung Gar Double Tonfa Form

2008-12-21T21:50:00.001+08:00

Double Tonfa Form performed by Si Heng Joel.

Hung Gar Dog Striking Staff

2008-12-20T23:34:00.002+08:00

Dog Striking Staff Form performed by Si Heng Chending.

Hung Gar Tiger Tail Pakua Pole Form

2008-12-20T03:46:00.001+08:00

Tiger Tail Pakua Pole Form performed by Si Heng Baoping.

Yip Man Memorial Hall

2008-11-10T01:00:00.012+08:00

Besides the Wong Fei Hung memorial hall, the Ancestral Temple in Foshan has one more memorial hall dedicated to another legendary Kungfu master, which is none other than Wing Chun grandmaster Yip Man (1893-1972). As we all know one of his disciples, Bruce Lee, went on to become one of the greatest martial artist and action star of the 20th century. Above is the entrance to the Hall of Yip Man.

Having also learned a little Wing Chun before, I posed a WC fighting stance beside the bust of Master Yip in tribute to him.

This panel lists the important events in Master Yip's life.

Photos of Master Yip in various WC training exercises.

The late Master Wong Shun Leung and Leung Sheung, who were among the most senior disciples of Master Yip.

Photos of the young Bruce Lee training with Master Yip in Hong Kong.

The weapons of WC - the long staff and butterfly sabers, as well as the most important training equipment - the Wooden Man. Thanks to the efforts of his disciples, the art of WC has spread all over the world, producing many great exponents. If there is a Kungfu style that commands real respect for its simplicity and practicality in the martial arts world, WC must be it. Master Yip would surely be a happy man even in the nether world.

*The latest Wing Chun movie "Ip Man" by Donnie Yen absolutely rocks! The best Wing Chun technique performed in the movies so far. Bruce Lee would have been proud of him.*

Wong Fei Hung Kungfu & Lion Dance School

2008-11-04T02:45:00.020+08:00

On 22.10.2008 I visited the Wong Fei Hung Kungfu and Lion Dance school located at Xiqiao Shan, about 45 mins away from Foshan city by bus. It is the birth place of Master Wong and used to be the Wong family ancestral hall. Above we see the main entrance.

A metal sculpture of the young Master Wong, flanked by 2 Lions, greets all visitors to the school.

The ancestral chamber is now a training hall.

Ancestral tablets of the Wong family still worshiped on the altar.

Besides the ancestral chamber is this huge Lion head, the biggest in the world.

The Lion Dance performance here captivated the tourists. They were of a much better standard than the one at the memorial hall in Foshan.

Lion standing upright.

Lion tethering on the edge.

The 18 types of weapons on display.

History of Master Wong chamber.

The souvenir shop. Very cliche, not much to buy other than tourist stuff.

They have a "Po Chi Lam" Chinese medical shop there as well.

Kwan Tuck Heng memorial chamber. He is honoured as the first actor who brought Master Wong to the big screen as well as being a patriot.

Photos and Paraphernalia belonging to the late Mr Kwan.

Master Wong's rest chamber in the past. Now its for the use of the students there.

The actual training school building. Quite a number of young trainees there.

It was very difficult to find any shops selling wushu equipment in Foshan city even though there were many people practicing Kungfu. But after asking many people, I managed to find the shop above "District Whole World Kungfu Supplies" at Songfeng Rd, quite close to Liang Yuan garden.Got this pair of Tonfa. Stuff there are quite cheap. Highly recommended!

Wong Fei Hung Memorial Hall in Foshan

2008-10-31T23:14:00.021+08:00

On 21.10.2008 I visited the Wong Fei Hung Memorial Hall in the Ancestral Temple (Zu Miao) of Foshan for the very first time. Being a Kungfu descendant of Master Wong, I was quite eager to learn more about the Grandmaster of Hung Gar as well as its history. Above we see the main entrance of the hall.

Showing the opening technique of "5 lakes and 4 seas" beside the bronze statue of Master Wong.

A portrait of Master Wong inside the Demonstration Chamber.

The replicated chamber of Po Chi Lam, Master Wong's Chinese medical clinic in Foshan.

Display of Lam Sai Weng (Butcher Weng), the most famous disciple of Master Wong performing the Iron Wire Form. Below are the old manuals of the form.

Master Lam performing the Gong Ji Subduing Tiger Form.

Master Lam performing the Tiger Crane Form.

The Video Chamber on the 2nd floor, showing the various generations of Wong Fei Hong Kungfu movies through the decades.

Display of the propagation of Hung Gar by Master Wong's Kungfu descendants all over the world, including USA, Europe and Southeast Asia.

A closer look at the spreading of Hung Gar in Singapore. It says that Hung Gar was first taught here by Song Chaoyuan, a 4th generation disciple of Master Wong at Lingnan martial arts club. Later his disciple Jiang Yanhong opened a Wong Fei Hong martial arts school inside the Gangzhou clan association.

The Masters of Hung Gar today in HK, Taiwan and Guangzhou.

The direct disciples of Master Wong (2nd generation).

Again Master Lam Sai Weng, his most prominent disciple and teacher of Hung Gar. He was awarded a silver medal of honour by Dr Sun Yat Sen, the father of the Chinese Republic for his efforts in raising funds for the Guangzhou orphanage.

The Lion Dance troupe performing in the outer courtyard of the hall.

Lion ascending the benches.

Lion standing upright on the top of the bench. The standard of the Lion Dance there was mediocre at best, aimed more at soliciting money rewards from the tourists.

Wushu performance in the inner courtyard.

Strangely, these wushu performers were doing mostly Northern forms rather than Southern Hung Gar forms. I thought this was inappropriate for the place dedicated to Wong Fei Hung.

A bronze sculpture of Master Wong outside the Ancestral Temple. The 4 words write "The Benevolent One is Invincible". This phrase sums up the whole legend of Wong Fei Hong in the most apt way.

Hung Gar Demo in Yishun

2008-10-10T02:48:00.008+08:00

Last Saturday (4-10-2008) there was a small Hung Gar demo at Blk 414 Yishun Ring Rd. I was one of the performers doing forms that evening. 2 weeks before that, there was already a major demo involving a number of famous lion and dragon dance groups. That was at the basketball court opposite Khatib MRT. The demo at 414 was on a much smaller scale compared to that. In any case, I was asked to do 1 short weapon form and 2 fist forms. For me I'm still a beginner at Hung Gar. After retiring from tournament fighting last year, I've decided to take up something traditional and less prone to injuries. I found that the Southern Shaolin Hung Gar art taught by Master Ong near by house most suitable for that purpose. Doing Hung Gar forms well require a lot of power and breathing, which make them an excellent exercise. No more beating people up or getting beaten up, ha..

Fascinated by the so-called "3 treasures of Hung Gar" since the days of Chen Kuan Tai and Gordon Liu's Shaolin movies, my forms of choice were of course Tiger Crane and Gong Ji Subduing Tiger. These forms brought out the best elements of Hung Gar and I could only do my best to show them to the audience. I have not learned the esoteric Iron Wire form though. I know some guys like to do very low horse stances in demos, but having been doing practical fighting arts for years, there's really no way I'll go that low, even if it's for show. So you can see my stances are only of moderate height.

The short weapon of my choice was the Tonfa, better known as the T-baton. It is the cop's weapon of defense and one of the most practical short weapons taught in Hung Gar. I only have one t-baton so I could only do the single tonfa form rather than the double tonfa form. Hopefully I can acquire one more to learn the double tonfa form. The rest of the Hung Gar performers that evening. And more pics. Semi-retired MA life has been fun so far.. until next time my friends.

One Finger Zen

2008-10-01T02:03:00.001+08:00

A couple of days ago there was this article in the papers about a 17 yr old middle school student - Lin Long from Fujian being chosen to learn the almost extinct Shaolin skill of One Finger Zen. His Master, Ven Liliang of the Southern Shaolin Temple in Quanzhou, will impart this secret technique to him. Right now Ven Liliang is the only one who had mastered this skill. As we can see above, it allows him to perform a handstand using the incredible strength of his index finger. Such power will not have problems penetrating a brick with a one finger strike, not to mention the human body. A master of One Finger Zen can perform pressure-point strikes on the body with complete ease. The secret of this skill is not just physical strength, but the ability to focus the whole body's Chi energy into one single finger.

Lin Long confessed he had no martial arts background prior to being the "chosen one", even though he admired Jet Li since young. He had only heard about One Finger Zen, but was not sure what it really was. Now that he had been accepted in the Southern Shaolin Temple, he would spend the next 5 years learning Kungfu and trying his best to master One Finger Zen. Whether or not Lin has the talent and determination to achieve this remains to be seen. His Master hopes he would not be distracted by the outside world and give up half-way. Ven Liliang, a native of Hubei, entered the Shaolin Temple in 1999 and was ordained as a monk in 2000. He too spent 5 years mastering this skill. Some hardworking practitioners can master up to Two Finger Zen, but only a rare few can cross over into the exalted level of One Finger. Will his new disciple Lin become one of those exalted few?