All about Fuzhou Singing Crane.鳴鶴拳.

鳴鶴拳

Just in case you are unaware, I got another blogsite up and running with regular entries all dedicated to my family line’s of Fuzhou/Fuqing Singing Crane.

Click here.

Wayne “iron crotch” Hinton.

Something that I don’t do enough, talk about my disciples in the US…..

Could be because I don’t want to leave the wrong idea that I am aggrandizing but lately with Chas coming out here and spending all those time talking….makes me appreciate how much I really missed those days in Colorado and more importantly the people who helped in so many ways during those start-up days.

I will always be grateful….

When I first started teaching, I had the grand total of 3 students.

Besides Chas and the late Roosevelt, Wayne Hinton played a major part in helping me settle down in Denver. From getting me a really cozy apartment in a nice part of town, although we did hear some gunshots one night hahahaha…, to making sure my plumbing worked right, Wayne is always there.

A hardworking man, Wayne is your classic “honest work for honest wages” kind of guy.

His martial arts training began with TKD and then Lun Gar “5 Animals” so when he met me; he already knew a move or 2.

I remember having to kick him in his crotch a couple of times, well more than a couple of times really that he got the nickname “iron-crotch Wayne”, to get him to stay still and learn what I got to teach …..After that he would train only with a cup …….hahahaha……

Well, he learned all right. From Lohan, Tai Chor to the Cranes, he took in everything I threw at him….although I kinda wish he was around more when I was teaching the Cranes.

Then again, there is a time for everything and some things just cannot be rushed. Like me, I had to learn the Cranes the hard way … without being “hard”.

The last time that I was back in Denver, I was putting up in his house for about 10 days.

What do I remember  most about that 10 days?

The cold beers on a chilly night in his backyard with his dog and cat running about……. a white guy and Chinese talking the night away……..

And hey if you don’t get it….I guess you never will.

Peace bro……

Wayne doing a Lohan technique.

 

” Short Limb Hand” from Fuzhou Ancestral Crane.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Water water everywhere….

And speaking of crazy relentless monsoon rains …… even sunny Singapore is not spared.

Full story here.

I’m starting with the man in the mirror…….

It was one of those days in the office last week and Chas was with me….

I needed a break and we found our way to a nearby coffee shop; it was raining crazy, the monsoons have hit, and I didn’t want to go far.

And we bumped into an old acquaintance, James Anthony, a local mixed-race gentleman who must be in his late 30s or early 40s …. It is so hard to tell with some of these locals…

James is a very articulate man, even Chas thought so, with his own views on many subjects. A well-traveled man, his job entails that, and exposed, evidently, to many schools of thoughts on many issues of the day. He and Chas talked and the subject of H1N1 vaccine came into focus……James is working for a company marketing one of these vaccines.

Then the topic turned to “ignorance” and how that created much misunderstandings and even conflicts in the world today.

Sarawak, to many and even West Malaysians, is still shrouded in “mystery”. A, believe it or not, frequent question is “Do you still live on trees?” that many Sarawakians find amusing and at the same time, irking.

Most Sarawakians now reply with “Yes, but we got escalators running and every now and then when tree top  wi-fi reception is no good, we head on to the nearest StarBucks for better connectivity” hahahaha…..

And the conversation stretched onto the topic of lack of knowledge and how that might be one of the roots of racism.

I think you would concur with me that most of us fear what we don’t understand and when it comes to kung fu, the same applies.

If I see something done in a different way then it must be wrong; discrimination that is to me, synonymous to racism.

I don’t know, maybe it is the environment that I was brought up in; a multi-ethnic, culturally diversified and varied manner of lifestyles melting pot that taught me to be more inquisitive and at the same time, sensitive and tolerant.

Then of course there is Bob Dylan with his “Don’t criticize what you can’t understand” wisdom that seems to have been forgotten by most these days.

Personally, my biggest beef is with those who have just seen a little bit and then go on to public forums to make big noise and cyberspace is now noise-polluted and heated up by this hot air…..

For me, I still think the more I investigate, the more I realize how little I really know………..

Some are just too blinded, thick or insulated to sense that.

Anyway, here is a clip of Zhao Bao Tai Chi; a stream that we don’t get to see too much of in this region. I remember seeing classes taught in Singapore some time back, a mainland teacher with a thick northern accent was brought over to introduce this.

Got to tell you that he was astonishing everyone watching with his free style push hands and even then, I heard some one whispered “This is not pure Tai Chi”………

Well, what can I say???

Roosevelt.

Doing something here that I don’t normally do – posting content of an email from another….

Well, this particular one is from Chad about Roosevelt that I thought should  be shared.

So Chad, forgive me for breaking the sanctity of email communications but for the sake of Roosevelt…

I’ll buy the Carlsberg the next time we sit down.

Just wanted to make quick comment about your posting on Roosevelt.

Well it was very moving; I really had great respect for that man. I felt Roosevelt had a way about him, a very gentle guy, a person who I thought kept our circle of cranes together just by being next to you whipping and screaming.

But I tell you that he was tough and dedicated enough to move mountains.

That guy could put me on the ground just be garbing my wrists (must have been secret Lohan stuff).

When were training in anticipation of your return, Roosevelt never missed a step in remembering what you passed on and he remembered it with passion!

Anyway seeing that video with Roosevelt and James training in a basement puts water in my eyes.

Drums up lots of memories and emotions.

Thanks Sifu’s (Ling and Chas) it was nice watching that.

And Chad ………. Thanks.

In memory of Roosevelt Allen.

You sometimes hear me talk about Chas (Fisher), Wayne (Hinton), Chad (Osterlund) and James (Stacy); students of mine in the US with Chas, initially based in Colorado and now resettled in Seattle because of his job. The rest are still living in the mile-high state …….. with the snow-capped Rockies in your face …. Love that view from the street where I lived then…….

There is one other early student of mine, Roosevelt Allen, who passed away a few years back; after I left…..2  yrs ago when I went back, Wayne, Chad and I drove up to his grave, an army vet, Roosevelt is buried in a military cemetery…it was a heart wrenching day for us ….he was so young….

What can I say about Roosevelt apart from that he is one the most well-behaved, gentle giant of a man? On the heavy side, I remember watching him struggling through some of the more challenging movements that I was teaching especially the monkey forms that I taught for intermediate training.

Still, this man just kept at it, without a word and I could see the great effort he put in to keep up.

Stationed in Korea during his military days, Roosevelt studied some martial arts there and was looking for more when he found my school in Denver. Working with the postal service, he would pick me up from my apartment before heading to the school.

Every training day, regardless of weather, he would be parked outside my apartment waiting for me. And the 20 minutes drive to the school gave us the opportunity to talk, really talk. Got to know him intimately through the many conversations in his car.

This was a really good man.

For me to get a call one day to tell me he passed was a big shock….even now, it’s hard to accept that he has moved on……

I was told that in the couple of years after I left, he lost quite a bit of weight……

Well, a little late but I like to pay my respect here now and recently when I discovered that Chas got a video of Roosevelt, I thought it is a fitting way of remembering him.

So, Roosevelt my brother………

Rest In Peace.

(Roosevelt is the African-American in the clip).

From Peter.

Each time I meet Peter in Penang, I end up with a bunch of freebies; since he operate a beer place, I get key chains, pens, bags, lighters and even a watch one time with a very visible “Carlsberg” logo – all advertising collaterals, very popular around here; drink X number of bottles and get a free gift…….

These free giveaways are then given out to colleagues and friends so everybody is happy  ….. I think. Some might be expecting the famous Penang cookies/cakes from me but travelling with food is so chancy!

You know custom checks and the clear and ever present danger of them being gobbled down by me during the flight hahahaha……

Anyway, other items that I get every now and then from Peter, knowing my penchant for TCMA materials, are books, magazine and video recordings. With his extensive connection with TCMA folks everywhere in Penang, I am really building up a nifty little library with his contribution…..

Here’s one that contains some really invaluable old pics of Saolim Singapore visiting Penang in 1957.

1957 …..hmmmm…….2 years before I made my appearance on planet Earth.

More Singapore pics.

Oookay, I am sorting out all my pics from the trip for filing – you know, burn them onto DVDs blah blah blah….

I thought you might like these taken in Singapore.

Taken at the (in)famous Orchid Road where every available space is either a mall or billboard, we took some time to visit the latest “Ion” shopping mall that got many tongues waggling with the facade……..

I know I know, looks like something out of a sci-fi movie…..

You can check out anytime you like but you can’t never leave.

I have this “conspiracy” theory – all shopping malls are  the same     everywhere, put up by the “Illuminati” as monitoring posts to study human behaviors for devising control methods.

Chas….ooops….I mean Scarlett Johanssan on a billboard.

“An apple a day keeps the doctor away” – the real apple Chas & not the Iphone……

All Kung Fu and no play ……

And before anyone goes thinking it’s all kung fu, kung fu and more kung fu in Penang….. Here is a clip to prove you wrong.

Like I mentioned, Peter Lum, my Zhou Jia sihing manages a café along the famous beachfront Gurney Drive where the beers are cold and the ladies are hot!

In the clip, you’ll hear me yelling “What is tiu tiu?” in Fukien, 2 words that are heard all over the song.

Well, believe it or not, Carnation Café like wine shops you see in wuxia movies, also doubles as a meeting ground for Wulin high hands…

It was there that I first met many masters and discussed our 2007 Martial Arts Gathering that was held in Penang town.

Anyway, I still got no clue what is “tiu tiu”……….guess I shall have to go back again to investigate…….hahahaha….

Peter Lum, my Zhou Jia sihing.

Chas looking all “drunk”…..eerrh maybe not with the beers …………..

Chinese operas, red boats, Crane & Snake.

Since uploading the Cho Gar Bun Chung WCK clip on to youtube, I’ve gotten a few emails from folks asking me a bunch of questions?

Questions such as:-

• History of this system?
• Is this a variant of Yip Man WCK?
• Is this a uniquely Malaysian evolution?
• Are the forms the same as in other WCK lines?
• Where can one learn this?

And so on and so forth…..

I even got a mail saying that I seem to spotlight the most on Cho Gar and whether I think this is the most “effective” ………

Ooookay……..

Por Suk, the present custodian of this system in SE Asia has got his own blogsite which caters only to those who understand Mandarin.

Talking to him in Penang last week, we agreed for me to work on translating his site into English so give me some time to work on it.

And no, I don’t think any system is the most “effective”.

That is completely up to the person.

I firmly believe that the man makes the art and not the other way around, regardless of which style we may be talking about.

I guess you could say that I have a special predilection for Por Suk’s Cho Gar because of the lucidity shown in his techniques that reflects the history so visibly.

This system, which dates back some 200 – 300 yrs ago, recognizes Shaolin’s Jhee Shim as the founder.

During that tumultuous period of Shaolin’s history, the art found shelter with the red boats opera troops and was later brought to Poon Yu – the ancestral home of the Cho family where it remains until today.

Fundamentally based on Shaolin Crane and Snakes fighting, the art took on distinguishing “opera” postures and movements during the hideout days on the boats.

The main form or “mother form” is something known as 108 techniques Siu Nim Tau using clearly identifiable Shaolin’s “Praying to the Buddha 3 times” Ming salutation.

The “Crane” techniques, personally, are standards used by Crane styles all over Fukien and Zhejiang.

Karate folks will find many techniques common to your “Tensho” kata, for instance.

The Snake is also defined and for those familiar with southern Snake, you’ll see much overlapping.

Then there is the “opera” component and nowhere is this more pronounced that in the closing posture.

With one hand on the waist and the other held above the head, this is something that you’ll see in many Chinese operas.

But just like in Chinese cooking, knowing the “ingredients” is just but one pre-requite.

To cook well, you’ll need the “art”.

Or Kung Fu.

And in this case, Cho Gar Siu Lum Ban Chung Wing Chun Kuen.

Here’s a clip showing the closing segment of 108 Siu Nim Tau and you’ll see the “snake” and closing sequence with that signature “opera” posture.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Homeward Bound.

By the time some of you read this, Chas would be somewhere over the Pacific…..yup, he is on his way back to Seattle.

2 weeks just whizzed by again pointing up how time really flies especially when you so caught up in the “moment”.

The important thing is that he got what he came out here for:-

• Meeting Ah Teck and Tien Ngoon, 2 names that never left my lips all these years when I was teaching. I cannot start to describe what major roles they played in my kung fu journey and they are still no less influences even till this day. My eternal gratefulness goes without saying.

• In Penang, the original objective was just for him to spend time with Por Suk to get a taste of Cho Gar Bun Chung Wing Chun; he got more that a taste hahahaha…in fact he got such a stomach full that it going to take a while to digest. But Penang, a “crouching tigers hidden dragons” island saw him visiting with many masters of various styles. I was told that the very first Kung Fu book he ever owned is GM Cheong Cheng Leong’s Chu Ka Phoenix Eyes Boxing so imagine what is must be like for him to meet the man. All 72 years old and still moving like not a day over 50! And to sit down and have dinner with high hands from Zhou Gar, Saolim, Geok Gar, Chu Ka, 7 Stars Praying Mantis, Cho Gar WCK and Hung Gar must be another first for him.

• By comparison, the Kuching leg was a rather subdued affair. Besides meeting officials from Sarawak Tourism Ministry to discuss an adventure racing event that the company is planning, the other highlight would be being interviewed by a journalist from a local English papers…. I will wait for that feature article to be published and then upload to this blog ….. hahahaha…imagine that, Chas, a news item !

Anyway, looking ahead, our plan is to visit at least once a year. Either with me flying to the States or vice versa.

Frankly, I think it will be more him flying here now that he has one leg into the Cho Gar Ban Chung Wing Chun.

And the other draw here is, of course, the “king of fruits”….

Duuuuuuurians…..hahahahaha….

So to all those training with Chas in Seattle reading this – go to the Asian market , get some durians for “training”…..if you’re planning to come with Chas the next time out ….. you have to pass my “durian test”…otherwise, you’re coming as a tourist….hahahahaha…..

Hua Baik – Singing Crane.

 

Saolim Lohan.

 

“White Crane Guarding Cave” – Fuzhou Ancestral Crane.

 

Take my breath away – Durian.

 

Fly me to Seattle – Kuching International Airport.