SupYeeKiuSau
07-21-2004, 03:54 PM
Hello All,
I'm very new to this board; I've posted only once. I am a disciple of Master Frank Yee Chee Wai of the Tang Fung/Yuen Ling lineage of Hung Ga Kuen. I operate the Syracuse NY Branch of Yee's Hung Ga International Kung Fu Association. I have a background in a few other Chinese arts, but firmly believe in specialization, and so my time is spent on researching and perfecting what my sifu has given me so far.
I have a big interest in historical research however, and I have always been intrigued by the historical, fraternal and technical (?) similarities of our style and the Wing Chun families. Big brother Robert Chu's book "Complete Wing Chun" confirmed some of my own speculations and opened my perspective to other possibilities. As far as technical differences or similarities go, many of the differences (IMHO) are merely developments and extrapolations by later generations of personal preferences between classmates.
I think that an interesting and unique approach to researching the ties that bind us would be the fraternal connections. In that respect certain "irreconciliable differences" with the various "histories" can be resolved. In fact, when viewed in this light the "histories" and "legendary personas" across various styles and families begin to link in very interesting ways without much trouble.
For instance, I learned an old and rare style of kung fu/kuntao from Indonesia. The modern patriarch of this style had a Chinese, Indonesian and Dutch background, and it afforded him the opportunity to learn from the best of both the Indonesian and Chinese (in this case his uncle) sources of his day. One of the modern names used for this style is "Royal Kung Fu" because it is said to have been the style used by the Imperial Bodyguards of the Royal Ching Court. It has been remarked by many that the style has many similarities to systems diametrically opposed to each other, namely Bat Gwa Jeurng and Nam Tong Long Kuen. There are also similarities to my own style of Hung Ga, specifically the "bing ging" power predominate in that Kuntao style.
While a technical "mix" of these systems seems highly unlikely, from the historical/fraternal point of view parallels can be easily drawn simply from, say, the surname/title "Jyu." "Jyu" is known as the family name of the deposed Ming rulership, as well as Hung Hei Gwun's "original" surname. POLITICALLY speaking, the names "Hung Ga" and "Jyu/Chu Ga" are synonomous. In 1900 a man served the Empress Dowager as her Chief Bodyguard, escorting her out of the Forbidden City during the turmoil of the Boxer Rebellion. His name was Yin Fu, close disciple of Dong Hai Chuan and later member of the Ching Pong.
To me this is a fascinating area of research, but I also recognize that I might be merely chasing ghosts...
Regards,
Sharif Bey
I'm very new to this board; I've posted only once. I am a disciple of Master Frank Yee Chee Wai of the Tang Fung/Yuen Ling lineage of Hung Ga Kuen. I operate the Syracuse NY Branch of Yee's Hung Ga International Kung Fu Association. I have a background in a few other Chinese arts, but firmly believe in specialization, and so my time is spent on researching and perfecting what my sifu has given me so far.
I have a big interest in historical research however, and I have always been intrigued by the historical, fraternal and technical (?) similarities of our style and the Wing Chun families. Big brother Robert Chu's book "Complete Wing Chun" confirmed some of my own speculations and opened my perspective to other possibilities. As far as technical differences or similarities go, many of the differences (IMHO) are merely developments and extrapolations by later generations of personal preferences between classmates.
I think that an interesting and unique approach to researching the ties that bind us would be the fraternal connections. In that respect certain "irreconciliable differences" with the various "histories" can be resolved. In fact, when viewed in this light the "histories" and "legendary personas" across various styles and families begin to link in very interesting ways without much trouble.
For instance, I learned an old and rare style of kung fu/kuntao from Indonesia. The modern patriarch of this style had a Chinese, Indonesian and Dutch background, and it afforded him the opportunity to learn from the best of both the Indonesian and Chinese (in this case his uncle) sources of his day. One of the modern names used for this style is "Royal Kung Fu" because it is said to have been the style used by the Imperial Bodyguards of the Royal Ching Court. It has been remarked by many that the style has many similarities to systems diametrically opposed to each other, namely Bat Gwa Jeurng and Nam Tong Long Kuen. There are also similarities to my own style of Hung Ga, specifically the "bing ging" power predominate in that Kuntao style.
While a technical "mix" of these systems seems highly unlikely, from the historical/fraternal point of view parallels can be easily drawn simply from, say, the surname/title "Jyu." "Jyu" is known as the family name of the deposed Ming rulership, as well as Hung Hei Gwun's "original" surname. POLITICALLY speaking, the names "Hung Ga" and "Jyu/Chu Ga" are synonomous. In 1900 a man served the Empress Dowager as her Chief Bodyguard, escorting her out of the Forbidden City during the turmoil of the Boxer Rebellion. His name was Yin Fu, close disciple of Dong Hai Chuan and later member of the Ching Pong.
To me this is a fascinating area of research, but I also recognize that I might be merely chasing ghosts...
Regards,
Sharif Bey