Hung Ga
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Also known as | Hung Ga, Hung Gar, Hung Kuen, Hung Ga Kuen, Hung Gar Kuen |
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Focus | Jow-Ga Kung Fu |
Olympic sport | No |
Hung Ga (洪家), Hung Kuen (洪拳), or Hung Ga Kuen (洪家拳) is a
洪家 | |
Hung Ga | |
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Pinyin: | Hóng Jiā |
Yale Cantonese: | Hùhng Gār |
Literally | "Hung family" |
洪拳 | |
Hung Kuen | |
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Pinyin: | Hóng Quán |
Yale Cantonese: | Hùhng Kyùhn |
Literally | "immense fist" |
Part of a series on |
Chinese martial arts (Wushu) |
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Historical origins
Hung Ga's earliest beginnings have been traced to the 17th century in southern China. More specifically, legend has it that a Shaolin monk,
Of course, Jee Sin Sim See was hardly the only person of significance that had fled to the temple and opposed the Manchus. Along with this,
That said, legend has it that Jee Sin Sim See also taught four others, whom in their entirety became the founding fathers of the five southern Shaolin styles: Hung Ga, Choy Ga, Mok Ga, Li Ga and Lau Ga. Luk Ah-choi was one of these students.[5]
Because the character "Hung" (洪) was used in the
The Hung Mun claimed to be founded by survivors of the destruction of the
Its popularity in modern times is mainly associated with the Cantonese folk hero Wong Fei-hung, a Hung Ga master.
The Hung Ga curriculum of Wong Fei-hung
The Hung Ga curriculum that Wong Fei-hung learned from his father consisted of Single Hard Fist, Double Hard Fist, Taming the Tiger Fist (伏虎拳), Black Tiger Fist (黑虎拳), Angry Tiger Fist (狂虎拳), and Arhat Fist (羅漢拳), Fifth Brother Eight Trigram Pole (五郎八卦棍), Mother & Son Butterfly Swords (子母雙刀), and the Flying Hook (飛鉤).
Wong distilled his father's empty-hand material along with the material he learned from other masters into the "pillars" of Hung Ga, four empty-hand routines that constitute the core of Hung Ga instruction in the Wong Fei-hung lineage: Taming the Tiger Fist, Tiger Crane Paired Form Fist, Five Animal Fist, and Iron Wire Fist. Each of those routines is described in the sections below.
"工" Taming the Tiger Fist 工字伏虎拳
- pinyin: gōng zì fú hǔ quán; Yale Cantonese: gung ji fuk fu kuen.
The long routine Taming the Tiger trains the student in the basic techniques of Hung Ga while building endurance. It is said to go at least as far back as
The "工" Character in Taming the Tiger Fist is so called because its footwork traces a path resembling the character "工".
Tiger Crane Paired Form Fist 虎鶴雙形拳
- pinyin: hǔ hè shuāng xíng quán; Yale Cantonese: fu hok seung ying kuen.
Tiger Crane builds on Taming the Tiger, adding "vocabulary" to the Hung Ga practitioner's repertoire. Wong Fei-hung choreographed the version of Tiger Crane handed down in the lineages that descend from him. He is said to have added to Tiger Crane the bridge hand techniques and rooting of the master Tit Kiu Saam as well as long arm techniques, attributed variously to the Fat Ga, Lo Hon, and Lama styles. Tiger Crane Paired Form routines from outside Wong Fei-hung Hung Ga still exist.
Five Animal Fist 五形拳 / Five Animal Five Element Fist 五形五行拳
- pinyin: wǔ xíng quán; Yale Cantonese: ng ying keun / pinyin: wǔ xíng wǔ háng quán; Yale Cantonese: ng ying ng haang keun; Ng Ying Kungfu, Five Animal Kung Fu (Chinese: 五形功夫)
This routine serve as a bridge between the external force of Tiger Crane and the internal focus of Iron Wire. "Five Animals" (literally "Five Forms") refers to the characteristic
Iron Wire Fist 鐵線拳
- pinyin: tiě xiàn quán; Yale Cantonese: Tit Sin Keun.
Iron Wire builds internal power and is attributed to the martial arts master
Wong Fei-hung weapon of choice was primarily the Fifth Brother Eight Trigram Pole (五郎八卦棍), which is a very popular routine in southern styles as its origins is linked to a famous patriot hero. The Mother & Son Butterfly Swords (子母雙刀) is also a primary weapon found in all Southern styles. Other weapons credited to having been taught in Wong Fei-hung curriculum were the Spring & Autumn Guandao (春秋大刀), and the Yu Family Tiger Fork (瑤家大扒) broadsword (刀), the spear (槍), the fan (扇). Experiences of generations of practitioners has seen the curriculum grow extensively in all areas.
Branches of Hung Kuen
The curricula of different branches of Hung Ga differ tremendously with regard to routines and the selection of weapons, even within the Wong Fei-hung lineage. Just as those branches that do not descend from Lam Sai-wing do not practice the
Five Animal Five Element Fist. Those branches that do not descend from Wong Fei-hung, are sometimes called "old Hung Kuen" or "village" Hung Kuen, do not practice the routines he choreographed, nor do the branches that do not descend from Tit Kiu Saam practice Iron Wire. Conversely, the curricula of some branches have grown through the addition of further routines by creation or acquisition.
Nevertheless, the various branches of the Wong Fei-hung lineage still share the Hung Ga foundation he systematized. Lacking such a common point of reference, the "village" styles of Hung Kuen show even greater variation.
The curriculum which
According to Hung Ga tradition, the martial arts that
Hasayfu Hung Ga 下四虎洪家 The Ha Sei Fu (下四虎) is said to fit this description, though the implied link to the legendary Jee Sin Sim See is more speculative than most because of its poorly documented genealogy. The Hasayfu Hung Kuen of Leung Wah-chew is a Five Animal style with a separate routine for each animal. Other Branches of Hasayfu Hung Kuen also contain combined animal sets, like Tiger & Crane, Dragon & Leopard, etc.
Five-Pattern Hung Kuen 五形洪拳 Similar to Ha Sei Fu Hung Ga, the Ng Ying Hung Kuen (五形洪拳) fits the description of Jee Sin Sim See's martial arts, but traces its ancestry to Ng Mui and Miu Hin (苗顯) who, like Jee Sin Sim See, were both survivors of the destruction of the Shaolin Monastery. From Miu Hin, the Five-Pattern Hung Kuen passed to his daughter Miu Tsui-fa (苗翠花), and from his daughter to his grandson Fong Sai-yuk (方世玉), both Chinese folk heroes like Jee Sin Sim See, Ng Mui, and their forebear Miu Hin. Yuen Yik-kai's books introduced this branch to the Western/European venue. while conventionally translated as "Five-Pattern Hung Fist" rather than "Five Animal Hung Fist", it is a Five-Animal style, one with a single routine for all Five Animals but also has other sets as well.
Tiger Crane Paired Form 虎鶴雙形 The Tiger-Crane Combination style has been found in almost every Hung style. While not as long as the Wong Fei-hung version, it is typically seen as containing 108 movements/techniques.
Ang Lian-huat attributes the art to
Wong Kiew-kit trace their version of the Tiger Crane routine, not to
Northern Hung Kuen 洪拳 There are northern styles that use the name "Hung Kuen" (洪拳; pinyin: hóng quán), though these predate the Qing dynasty (1644–1912). Other northern styles use the character for "Red Fist" (紅拳).
The dissemination of Hung Kuen
The dissemination of Hung Kuen in Southern China, and its Guangdong and Fujian Provinces in particular, is due to the concentration of anti-Qing activity there. The
Wong Fei-Hung lineages
Lam Sai-wings Lineage mainly descends from Wong Fei-hung.
- Chan Hon-chung (陳漢宗), who was very famous in Hong Kong and represented what was best in his generation of masters. He held incredible knowledge and had the full Hung Kuen system passed down from Lam Sai-wing. In 1938, he established the Chan Hon Chung Gymnasium to teach Hung Gar (Hung Family) kung fu. At the same time he had a chiropractic clinic. In 1970, he formed The Hong Kong Chinese Martial Arts Association with the intention of coordinating and promoting Chinese martial arts in Hong Kong, and held the position of chairman for many years.
- Lau Jaam Hung Kuen (劉湛家傳) family lineage (Learn From Lam Sai-wing). One of the more famous teachers of Hung Kuen today was the Shaw Brothers movie director/actor, Lau Kar-leung (劉家良), who has many students in Hong Kong. One of Lau Kar-leung's notable disciples is Mark Ho (Ho Mai, 何麥), also known as Mark Houghton, an Englishman who has lived in Hong Kong for 20 years. Mark Ho, with the blessing of Lau Kar-Leung, has opened a unique Hung Kuen school in Fanling. The school itself looks like a scene from a Shaw Brothers movie; it has many training chambers, wooden dummies, and hanging logs. There are now Lau Family Hung Kuen schools in China and England. Lau Kar-yung / Lau Ga-yung (劉家勇) He is the grandson of Lau Cham (劉湛) (Lau Jaam). Kar-yung is the son of Lau Cham's (劉湛) second daughter Lau Shiu-yee and His uncle is Lau Kar-leung (劉家良) and also he is Lau Kar-wing's nephew. Kar-yung was followed by Lau Shiu-yee (Mother) to learn Lau's Family Hung Ga kung fu and, Chinese herbal medicine at Lau Cham's martial arts school in Hong Kong. Then he became a member of the Lau Kar Ban (Liu Jiaban) / Lau's brothers and made some of the best Kung Fu movies ever seen. After 50 years of training and profession, he is currently the Grandmaster of Lau's family Hung Kuen Branch and he continues spreading his family lineage across the globe. Also, become President of Hung Gar Association Lau Kar Yung Hung Kuen Kung Fu Association. Additional Lau family disciples were added for the 6th generation apprentice, representing Germany: Master Jau-chi Hang, Mexico: Master James Valentino Santi, and United States Lau Martial Club Hung Kuen Lion Dance Association: Master Chun Sun Ho(Chris Ho){son of Kar Yung}, Master Jaelynn Mae Ho {Daughter of Chun Sun} and Master Ken Chow (周學禮).
- Lam Cho (林祖) (Lam Sai-wing's adopted nephew) was an icon in the Hong Kong martial arts scene. He succeeded in successful innovations and creative additions of various Hand and Weapon Routines. Lam Cho has taught many well known masters that now have students around the world. - Y.C. Wong (黃耀楨) (San Francisco), Bucksam Kong (江北山) (Los Angeles and Hawaii), Kwong Tit-fu (鄺鐵夫) and Tang Kwok-wah (鄧國華) (Boston) . Lam Cho's children, Anthony Lam Chun-fai (林鎮輝), (林鎮忠) and Lam Chun-sing (林鎮成), now carry on his Hung Ga teaching in Hong Kong. Anthony Lam Chun-fai, his eldest son, has also done much to spread Hung Kuen in Europe, while Simon Lam Chun-chung, his third son, continues to teach his father's students and new students at Lam Cho's renowned studio in Mong Kok, Hong Kong.
(Among Tang Kwok-wah's students currently teaching in the area are Winchell Ping Chiu-woo (胡炳超) (Chiu Mo Kwoon, Boston), Yon Lee (李健遠) (who is also the master instructor for the Harvard Tai Chi Tiger Crane kung fu Club at Harvard University since 1985), and Sik Y. Hum. Calvin Chin of Newton Highlands, Massachusetts, carries on Kwong's legacy.)
- Chiu Kau (趙教) began learning Hung Kuen in Singapore then became a student of Lam Sai-wing. He later married Wong Siu-ying (黃邵英), who began learning Hung Ga from her husband. The couple eventually settled down in Hong Kong, where they continued their Hung Ga training at the Lam Sai-wing National Art Association Second Branch. Their sons Chiu Chi-ling (趙志淩) of Alameda, California, and Chiu Wai (趙威) of Calgary, Alberta, Canada are the inheritors of this lineage. Kwong-wing Lam (Lam Kwong-wing, 林光榮) of Sunnyvale, California, studied with Chiu Kau, Chiu Wai, and Lam Jo, and learned the Ha Sei Fu style of Hung Ga from Leung Wah-chew. In Hong Kong, the original Chiu Wai Hung Kuen school continues under the teaching of Chiu Wah (趙華), and in 1996 another branch, Hung Kuen Academy Hong Kong, (洪拳學社) was established in Hong Kong by Gam Bok-yin (金博賢), as its Founder, Chairman and Chief Instructor. Some years later Hung Kuen Academy Hong Kong appointed Chi Fai Leung (梁志輝) as Vice-Chairman and Senior Instructor, and Lam Siu Fung (林少峰) as Instructor. As of 2021, Chi Fai Leung (梁志輝) has founded a new branch in London, known as the Hung Kuen Academy UK, where he continues to teach traditional Hung Gar and lion dance, both of which are significant elements of the Chiu Wai lineage.
Dang Fong (鄧芳) lineage students consists of such notables as: Ho Lap Tien - Represented in the U.S. by Philadelphia's Master Cheurng Shu Pui.(張樹培), Yuen Ling - Represented in the U.S. by Master Frank Yee (余志偉; Yee Chi-wai), Lau Kai Ton - Represented in the U.S. by New Mexico's Master Frank Rivera., Luk Gan Wing - Represented in Ontario, Canada by his son., Cheung Tai Hing - Represented in the U.S. by New York's Master Wan Chi Ming., Jao/Chow Wing Duk - Represented in Spain by Master Lam Chuen Ping, Wong Jo, Kwan Kei Tin & Won Lei
See also
- The five major family styles of southern Chinese martial arts
- Jee Sin Sim See
- Wong Kei-ying
- Wong Fei-hung
- Lam Sai-wing
- Tang Fung
- Fu Jow Pai - Tiger Claw System
- Cantonese culture
- Hak Fu Mun - Black Tiger System
References
Citations
- ISBN 978-1-4629-0555-3.
- ^ Sei Ping Ma
- ^ Bridge Hand
- ^ Tiger Claw
- ISBN 1-5656-5559-1.
General and cited references
- Kennedy, Brian; Guo, Elizabeth (2005). Chinese Martial Arts Training Manuals: A Historical Survey. Berkeley, California: North Atlantic Books. pp. 152–153. ISBN 1-55643-557-6.
[quote] Fujian province was reputed to be home to one of the Shaolin temples that figure so prominently in martial arts folklore. As a result, Fujian province and the adjacent province of Guangdong were the birthplace and home of many southern Shaolin systems, at least according to the oral folklore. A military historian might be of the opinion that the reason those two southern provinces had so many different systems of martial arts had more to do with the fact that, during the Qing Dynasty, rebel armies were constantly being formed and disbanded in those provinces, resulting in a wide variety of people who had some training and interest in martial arts.
- Rene Ritchie, Robert Chu and Hendrik Santo. "Wing Chun Kuen and the Secret Societies". Wingchunkuen.com. Archived from the original on March 16, 2006. Retrieved August 14, 2005.
- Wing Lam (2003). Southern Shaolin Kung Fu Ling Nam Hung Gar. Copyright 2003 Wing Lam Enterprises. p. 241. ISBN 1-58657-361-6.
- Hagen Bluck "Hung Gar Kuen - Im Zeichen des Tigers und des Kranichs"; 1998/2006 MV-Verlag, Edition Octopus, ISBN 978-3-86582-427-1
- Lam Sai-wing. "Iron Thread. Southern Shaolin Hung Gar Kung Fu Classics Series". Second Edition, 2007. Paperback, 188 pages. ISBN 978-1-84799-192-8/ Original edition: Hong Kong, 1957; translated from Chinese in 2002 - 2007