This is the most widespread traditional Chinese martial arts system out of the five dominant systems in the south. Which is crazy! Currently, many schools in China still practice it, because today it continues to have an incredible discipline. Do you want to know more? Keep reading this article until the end! Where we will tell you everything.
Complete history of Hung Gar Kung Fu
The Shaolin system derives from Chuan (Zen) Buddhism, a hybrid of Dharma Buddhism and Taoism, as early as 500 AD, Da Mo, the legendary Bodhidharma, taught monks breathing exercises (qi-gong).
This helped them improve their physical health so that they could endure longer periods of meditation.
Breathing exercises evolved into a fluid self-defense system that was much smoother in executing the movement than was later developed.
It included imitation techniques of five animals: tiger, crane, dragon, snake and leopard. These were developed in an effort to protect the Henan temple, the most splendid of all monasteries, from bandits and invaders.
During the Ming dynasty (1368-1644), the Shaolin monks reached the peak of their fighting skills, defending intruders and helping the ruling sovereign and neighboring peoples against attackers.
It was the last native Chinese empire and the most fruitful period for all the arts. It was also around this time that most fighting styles were developed, including Hung Gar.
Gee Sin Sim (Chi Shin), an abbot of the Henan Shaolin temple, is credited with planting the Hung Gar seed, as well as other traditional systems.
During the Ching dynasty (1644-1912), in the mid-17th century, the Ming family and former officials took refuge in the temple posing as monks. The abbot opened the Shaolin system to these outsiders, hoping to gain support to bring down Shaolin. the Manchus.
Among those followers, Hung Hei Goon stood out the most, his talent caught the attention of the abbot who wanted to train him personally, the Shaolin monks, who had the support of the Ming government, were seen as a threat to the new government.
After many attacks on the temple, the Ching regime managed to burn down the monastery.
Most of the Shaolin monks died defending their temple, several of the surviving monks, including the abbot, fled to the temple in the south of Nine Lotus Mountain, located in the province of Fiji.
There, Gee Sin Sim felt the urge to systematize the training, making it easier to master the system to further protect the temple.
Hung Hei Goon was a Fijian tea merchant, but he did not prosper in Kwungtung province under the tyranny of the Ching government.
Hung Hei Goon's grandfather was an official of the Ming dynasty, and he was a follower, out of loyalty to the fallen government, he changed his surname from Jyu to Hung, after the first emperor of the Ming dynasty, Jyu Hung Mo.
Under the abbot's guidance, Hung Hei Goon returned to Kwungtung Province to open a school and spread knowledge.
The system was taught as the Hung Gar (Hanging Family) system, so it is not associated with its source, he married Fong Wing Chun, who learned the crane system from its founder, Ng Mui, a surviving abbess of the Shaolin temple from Henan.
(Fong Wing Chun is not to be confused with Yim Wing Chun, for whom the abbess named her system the White Crane.) Hung Hei Goon became famous for his martial arts and earned the name "The Fist of the South."
Hung Gar evolved incorporating the Shaolin Five Animals style into his wife's White Crane system.
The reputation of the school and its teacher spread throughout southern China.
At that time, Gee Sin Sim had more followers, he sent his best students to Hung Hei Goon for further training.
Luk Ah Choy, who was later known as the forefather of various traditional Chinese systems, was one of the students sent.
In Guangzhau, Wong Tai became a student of Luk Ah Choy, he taught his son, Wong Kay Ying in search of further knowledge, Wong Kay Ying studied with Luk Ah Choy and other disciples of Hung Hei Goon.
He passed all this knowledge on to his son, Wong Fei Hung during a street performance, Wong Kay Ying and his son rescued a martial arts fighter from accidentally injuring a passerby.
The interpreter was Luk Fuh Sing, a student of Tit Kue Sam, a disciple of the Shaolin Temple.
Luk Fuh Sing was so grateful that he passed on the knowledge of the "secret path" to father and son, this form, Iron Wire Fist (Tit Seem Kuen) is considered the most advanced form of the Hung Gar system.
The Tiger Crane (Fu Hok) form has become the signature of Wong Fei Hung known as one of the "Ten Tigers of Kwungtung", today he is immortalized, with many films and publications depicting his life.
Wong Fei Hung's life was also full of tragedies; several of his wives died prematurely, a son he trained was killed in an ambush, and later he thought he could protect his other sons by not teaching them.
She later married Mok Gwai Lan, another descendant of one of the five southern systems, Mok Gar.
Ala Lam Sai
One of Wong Fei Hung's best students was Lam Sai Wing, a butcher from Guangzhau, who was a disciple for fifteen years before qualifying for higher education.
Credit goes to Lam Sai Wing for perpetuating the system as we know it today and prioritizing future masters of the Hung Gar system.
This system stays closer to its original Shaolin style and has maintained the integrity of the system.
Without a son to carry on his legacy, Lam Sai Wing adopted his orphaned nephew, Lam Cho, when he was 6 years old.
He helped his uncle teach the system in his schools and made his own mark on the system, his manual techniques were superior and he was known to have the agility of a Northern hairdresser and the strength of a Southern hairdresser.
Today, Lam Cho continues to practice the iron wire fist form and his sons, Lam Chun Fai and Lam Chan Sing, now carry on the family tradition.
Lam Chun Fai, as the eldest son, is now the reigning Grand Master of Siu Lam Fu Hok Pai Hung Gar.
Kwong Tit Fu began his Hung Gar training in Guangzhau under the guidance of his uncle, Kwong Chong Sau, learned various systems, and to deepen his knowledge sought out Lam Cho in Hong Kong. He later emigrated from Hong Kong to the United States.
In 1971, shortly after Kwong Tit-Fu's arrival, Calvin Chin hired him as a Kung Fu instructor for a junior athletics club where he was a martial arts instructor.
He helped his new teacher establish the first Hung Gar Tiger Crane school on the East Coast. After many years of extensive research and development, Kwong Tit Fu founded his own system, Fu Hok Tai He Morn.
This system is a synthesis of the methods and principles of Hung Gar Fu Hok Kung Fu, Wu Tai Chi and Mu Dong – Yat Hei Ngm Hahng Morn style, an advanced level internal system.
After receiving his black belt in the Uechi Ryu karate system, Calvin Chin wanted to deepen his knowledge by studying a traditional Chinese system.
He tried several different systems before hearing about the martial arts prowess of Kwong Tit-Fu, Calvin Chin was president of his teacher's school and head instructor.
Today he is still the best disciple of the Fu Hok Tai He Morn system and continues the tradition in his own school.
The practice of Hung Gar
This style of kung fu from southern China incorporates both external and internal methods, Hung Gar emphasizes strong postures, long and short hand techniques, encompassing straight, circular and angled movements.
The intention is to develop the efficiency of the movement, as well as the coordination, this translates into superior internal maneuvers, no more evident than the variation of the kick, performed mainly below the waist.
Although the execution of the movement seems difficult, this system actually incorporates hard and soft techniques in multiple directions.
Execution of Advanced Techniques is Complex Research has determined that Hung Gar has more complex manual techniques and posture maneuvers than any other traditional system in China.
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