Hung Gar In Hong Kong
by Stephen Chew

As a student of Hung Gar here in the U.S., I was curious to know the state of Kung Fu in Hong Kong. I have studied Hung Gar with Sifu Kwong Wing Lam for four years and wanted to get a flavor of our art from the same place that he learned as a young boy. I happened to find a relatively inexpensive airline fare and decided that this was the time to go.

When the time came to leave for Hong Kong, I knew it would be a great trip but I was not optimistic about finding Kung Fu. After much previous research on the internet, it seemed that perhaps Kung Fu was dead in Hong Kong. The only real lead I had came from Sifu Lam in the form of a letter of introduction to his teacher, my Si-Gung (my teacher's teacher), Lum Jo. But since Lum Jo was a famous teacher and now in retirement, I wasn't sure if he would have any time for me.

THE FIRST ENCOUNTER

We arrived in Hong Kong at 7:00pm on Friday. I knew that Lum Jo opened his Kwoon on Friday nights and though we were jet-lagged from the flight, I convinced my wife to attempt a visit. I had the address of Lum Jo's school and took public transportation to the general area. We caught a taxi which basically made a U-turn and told us we had arrived!

After knocking on the door of the school, a gentleman answered and we asked if Sifu Lum Jo was available. He looked skeptical and asked why we wanted to see him. We told him we had come from America and had some gifts for him. He then asked if Lum Jo knew us. We said he did not but that we were students of Kwong Wing Lam. He responded, "why didn't you say so in the first place," and let us in.

Si-Gung Lum Jo came out to greet us and said he was in the middle of a Mah Jong game so he couldn't talk to us. In Chinese culture, Mah Jong games can last all night and it's hard to leave once they have begun. Since I knew the game could last a long time, I said we just wanted to drop off the gifts and didn't want to bother him. He said that we could sit and wait if we wanted to. So we did.

We found out that the gentleman who greeted us at the door was named Wong and was a To-Suen (student of a student) of Lum Jo. That made him my Si-Hing (older Kung Fu brother). Wong Si-Hing showed me around the school. The first thing I noticed was how small the room seemed. In the US, most Kung Fu schools are the size of small businesses. This place was the size of a small living room. In fact, it was a living room when it wasn't used as a work-out area. Students would move the chairs to the side and put the coffee table on top of a shelf. I later found out that Lum Jo's practice area was considered large for a Hong Kong Kung Fu school.

The school walls were covered with pictures. Some of the pictures date back to Lam Sai Wing's original school on Hong Kong island. They also had many photo albums. It was great looking at the old students and performances. While we continued looking through photo albums, Wong Si-Hing started his workout. After some stretching, he did Fu Hok Sern Ying Kuen, the famous Tiger-Crane form of Hung Gar. I complimented him on his form and he asked if I knew this form. Since I did know it, he asked me to demonstrate for him.

Sifu Lam always mentions that you should be ready to do Kung fu at anytime. This rang truer now then ever before. Luckily, this is a set I know fairly well and when I was done, Wong Si-Hing said it was slightly different but good overall. We spent the next half hour showing each other the sets we knew. We quickly ran through the meager repertoire of my 4 years of Hung Gar.

LESSONS IN LUM KWOON

While we worked out, another person named Chan came in to the school. He is the current instructor at Lum Jo's school since Lum Jo is now in retirement. He started training with Lum Jo after Sifu Lam so I called him Chan Si-Sook, which means younger Kung Fu uncle. When Chan Si-Sook came in I was working with butterfly knives so he asked me to do a move and hold it. He then started to give me corrections and applications. I was getting instruction at Lum Jo's school! It was more then I could have hoped for.

Both Chan Si-Sook and Wong Si-Hing were very helpful. Between my limited Cantonese, their hands-on correction and my wife's translations, I picked up a lot of fine points. I had learned most of this information from Sifu Lam but the experience drove it home. The instruction from Chan Si-Sook was very detailed. He explained where the power was generated and how to apply the techniques in various applications. It bridged the miles when they tested each posture just like my Sifu does at home.

We continued practicing in this way for 2 1/2 hours. I was jet-lagged and hungry but I was also in a surreal zone. My body wanted to stop but I wasn't going to let a rare opportunity like this slip by. We covered Butterfly Knives, Gung Gee Fook Foo Kuen and Fu Hok Sern Ying Keun.

It was now a little past 11:00 and Lum Si-Gung had finished playing Mah Jong. He came out and thanked us for coming by. We thanked him and the others for letting us stay and work-out. We said we only wanted to visit and maybe hear some stories. His daughter suggested that we call on Monday and see if Si-Gung would be available for "tea." Of course we promised to call.

When we left Lum Jo, I felt so blessed. The Chinese language has a concept called Yuan Fen for which no direct translation exists in English. It is a combination of destiny, effort, and lady luck. Having Yuan Fen means that the efforts you expend, when combined with a little luck, will produce great results. You can have good luck but never realize it because you don't put the effort in. You may put much effort towards something but without fate, you won't achieve it. I felt I had good Yuan Fen that evening.

TEA WITH THE MASTER

Luckily, on Monday Si-Gung had time for tea. He met us at the Kwoon dressed in a three-piece suit and looking very sharp. This was a huge contrast to Friday night when he was in a tank top and normal pants. Looking at the old photos of Lum Jo, you can tell he had a sense of style. We walked to his favorite tea house. I had to remind myself that this was an 88 year-old man because he moved so quickly. He didn't appear to be walking fast, we just had to walk fast to keep up with him.

In Chinese culture, having tea is synonymous with eating Dim Sum. Dim Sum literally translates as "a little piece of heart" and refers to the small bite-size pieces that make up the cuisine. Going to a Dim Sum Restaurant is called "Yum Cha" which translate to "Drink Tea."

As we entered the tea house, several people greeted Si-Gung as Lum Sifu. It was clear that he was well-known and respected. Periodically, people would come by and pay their respects to Si-Gung. They asked if my wife and I were reporters. He replied that we were his To-Suen which means grand-student. He was very happy that students of his students from all around the world come to visit him.

The meal lasted a little over an hour. During that time, Si-Gung drank a lot of tea but ate very little. In fact, he only ate the pieces I put on his plate and never took his own. The whole time he told us stories from the past. It was a special time listening about the old times of Hung Gar. After the meal, he asked us to return that evening to practice. I felt further blessed by the experience. My Yuan Fen was very strong this trip.

CONTINUING EDUCATION

When I arrived at the Kwoon in the evening, Si-Gung was eating dinner and watching TV. Wong Si-Hing was getting ready to workout. Chan Si-Sook came later and another student named Raymond also arrived. All of us worked out together. I imagined this is how my Sifu learned many years ago. Only a couple of us could use the floor at one time. When it was your time, you got out there and did the best you could. When others were on the floor, you watched to get the most from the lesson.

THE MASTER PERFORMS

I started to ask questions about the internal set of Hung Gar called Tit Sin Kuen or Iron Wire Fist. I knew the dragon portion of the Ten Patterns Fist form which is a precursor to Tit Sin Kuen. We started discussing the finer points when Si-Gung came out of his room and started saying this was the most important form of Hung Gar. He believes that doing this set gave him the internal strength to handle a botched medical operation. Then he demonstrated the form.

Everyone was captivated as Si-Gung went through the set. He explained fine points about linking energy and breathing. He even had me do the set and made corrections. Afterwards, Raymond told me that Si-Gung must have been impressed with my dedication. Si-Gung will rarely work directly with visitors and it is rarer still for him to perform. They had not seen Si-Gung do the set in a long time even though he does it on his own every day.

Watching Si-gung perform the set gave me a sense of connection with the past. This person has met Wong Fei Hong. He is the nephew of Lam Sai Wing and through my Sifu, I have a link to that history as well.

CLOSING THE JOURNEY

After all the training, it was close to midnight and we had to bid farewell. As I left the Kwoon, I realized that Yuan Fen had, once again, blessed me in ways I would have never imagined. I was very thankful that I had a Sifu who could open the doors to a past rich with history and honor.

This journey also gave me a greater appreciation of what we have here at home. I am fortunate to have a Sifu that is willing to share his knowledge and that we have a place to train. Kung Fu in Hong Kong does not have the popularity it used to. It's up to all of us to train hard and to keep the traditions and stories alive.

Stephen Chew practices Hung Gar and Sun Taijiquan and works as an engineer.