Descendant of a unsung hero.

Sifu Peter Tan is the result of a 5 years search …. so to speak….

 

Okay, okay, from the beginning:-

 

When I first came here from Singapore, I visited some CKF elders to pay my respect.

 

Many of these calls entail display of CKF and I usually find myself “playing” with these folks.

 

One comment that I heard, quite a bit, about the way I “whip” with my White Crane is that it looks like something that a Hakka Praying Mantis master was prominent for.

 

This Hakka master, Chong, was originally from Indonesia and later fled to Sarawak after a racial fight that ended with deaths.

 

Chong became very celebrated in Sarawak for his very fast “machine gun” like hands and was frequently challenged but never defeated.

 

A local legend with a baffling ending; one account had him ambushed and killed (by Indonesians) and then there are those who spoke about an illness that took his life.

 

Anyway, I got really piqued and start digging and for years, couldn’t hook up with anyone who studied with Chong in his lifetime.

 

Many leads given turned up zilch. Was about to quit until my assistant told me about Peter – a friend of a friend of her dad.

 

Peter is based in Miri, an oil-town 11 hrs away by road and about 1 hr by air.

 

One phone call to him one evening and we arranged to meet that week.

 

Hearing Peter’s recollection of his training with Chong ended my 5 years’ search.

 

My only regret is that my time spent with him is too short, even in Penang with so many things on my plate; we were only able to chat briefly in the hotel lobby etc…

 

You can count that I will be talking to Peter again real soon to get more about his teacher; the “unsung” hero of Sarawak.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A fighting mantis.

Aha, weather was good today, slight drizzle and then we got the sun…

 

So instead of staying cooped up in my study, I decided to drive up to Master Liew Joon Mew’s home/TCM clinic for some tea and kung fu chit chat.

 

Did not get a chance, after the Penang trip to talk to him; he left for a TCM convention in Singapore a couple of days after the show.

 

Custodian of his family style, Hakka Chu Gar “Internal Jing” Praying Mantis, Master Liew is another one of the “old guards”.

 

A staunch believer of Kung Fu is all for fighting, Master Liew and his father (late) who taught him the art, had many opportunities to put their skills to the test.

 

They were in Kalimantan, Indonesia before they were coerced into resettling in Sarawak. And in Sarawak, during those days, racial riots were commonplace; all in the name of territory ownership.

 

Kung Fu was a mean of survival; no 2 ways about it.

 

Master Liew’s mind-set has not changed one bit even now where everything is properly regulated and peace prevails.

 

Talking to him about CKF is, more often than not, about “overpowering” opponents.

 

We discussed, extensively, methodologies rather than techniques per se.

 

I am trying to persuade him to join us in a training center that we are launching here in Kuching and hopefully “steal” some of his methods.

 

Whatever the case, we will be working together, for certain, to document his very unique style of Hakka Praying Mantis.

 

 

 

 

“An Evening of Martial Arts” – The DVD.

Another trailer for the Penang show’s DVD.

 

 

Note that trailer is done with clips from a handy cam and then minimized for youtube uploading.

 

In English; the actual DVD is of far more superior quality – footages shot with a high definitions analogue camera and then digitalized for post editing.

 

To purchase, please go to:-

 

http://www.martialartsgathering.com/index.html

 

Need your support to sustain our ongoing research/preservation projects.

 

Thank you.