Untitled - Hung Ga Kung Fu Utrecht

€
tsringing" the
Hurlg Farnily
I{istory, Legend &
tire War FaXrn to
the Ii.ut fientury
By lYartha Burr
y orvn Petsondl adyss.rl
bt.k;nta the Huns Cat
egacy r,1s ln 1t9, when
I traveled Lvith
silu gu.k Sanl
"jv
]<ans and his wite N.1ntv to Hons
Kans ta rlect his sifu, the vdtnbte
Lan
lo
t,l.alkins nto the anatl stutlio
in Monskok Iuat overnhelned with
dt t'.1lls wete cavered witl) photos and ni.les of a.entuy of l:unsfu peopLe
and evenLs A hus. patftit af Ld 5.1i lLi,s
doniri.lLcd ane eatL and a rack of pcll-qot,)
hisLoty-
in.lud;san ald ktntl dra enq.lved
wirh t tisd and oanc on the btade, srood ii
tl)ecatne,: AtE6/;rsanlJ L,rD /o {xi vr.gd
ous and tubustl hi.s hnd.hake suons/ .ind
hi.s )prytit. at yun.ha nore th.tn heatthy.
tL u'is avet Llit\ run.lnd d;nnet thnt l q,as
veapons,
fit.n rtua'luce,J ta Lan la'ss La,Chun
hi l was sttuck w;th 11;s ;tellisare, sensit;r;ry and deep knawtedse ot kunsfu.
l\/h;le he tnd ,1t, sifu c.lusht .p an ald
t;nes/ lhad) q n)do6 n,t. thenvouth, nto
the lons kaisfLr niqhts iti lhe thy;ltense
Hans Kans sLudio undct Lan lo, vouns
nen rrk;s an the n)tt1.l. .f Ll,e lluns Car
Ko|s rcnonbss Lan C:htn
t'ot his
Fd;
vis;trg hin
foorn.lnentin Hand;ih teTt q,h.te thcy
,lsa went aut an a shat. kunsfu LoLtr on .h. is.
land d kl LA, Lts Uesar dnd San Fan.j..ol
u.;.h tlreir kngfu bo.t)et yC. tfons. A hlack and
fiite phata ofthe threc of rren o, i.r.rre r.;/1 n,D-es
;n l<.ns's LA.tudia
lstartedn)v stary an Lan Chun Fait||o yca6 asu
when u'c tnet up on.e nare in Hans lG,1q at the
llortd
Wushu Chanpionships, u,hcre he was en
oln Hons lGry sru"
dio packed with ku.sfu nenodb;l;a/ and I htr'l
inarhu A.ondetfuj t/um .ha vith h;n and L,n)
lo and h is fattilv. My si baL had fas.itlatit)s storics ta.elt both abautsrowinsup in Hons Kot,s/
and alsaabout HLnsC)ra f.,naus na$et 1.1111
Sei lfins/ Lan 1o'5 atrr sifu and un.te. He hds
.n,ce be.n tavelnls abrd{ spteadit)s th. rtt of
HLns Cat atound tht w.ortd. Herc thcn/ hesins
official. Hesha||erJ ne hi!
24 KUNGFU r
2002
ap,,l
l,
l::
;. ii.
aii l::.
!; ,t
9.
llrfltrI|r.lI|5 nu S udt 5 LeS,e u
Crowins op in rhe crucibte of kunsfu is borh a
wondefut and a difficuh rhins. ln Hons IGns,
everyone knows .he nane of Lam lo. One of rhe
b
&
lasr living srandnasters of a srear senerarion of
whar m:". .o.-:der ro be (unsru Leroe. he ic
no1u in hjs ninetiesi and one of rhe few who can
reneriber knowins Soochern China's famous
folL hero Wons Eei Huns. As the nephew of
Lan Sai Wins, Wons/s lasr disc;ple? Llrn jo
lived and breached Huns Cal and went on ro
dedicare his Iife to preserving and propasacins
rhe arr. Today his son Lan Chun Fai canies rhe
torch/ illuminating no. only the legacy of his
father, but of che entne linease as well.
"My nane was given by Lan Sai wins, Dy
eeat Lmcle,/' besins Lan Chun Faj. "He was
bo r :F ,860 drd d ed ,r r94, Jr 81. Wh.. ..)
turrer was bo h . pa,er,. d,ed r rd I an rr
Wins adopted him. He taught hin everyrhins
about dit dar and kunsfo srowins up. L was
very hard. Lam Sai Wins was a very stubborn
suv." Wjtnessins Lan lo/s oun srrons persona(iryl you realize sone of rhis may have be€n
orsanically nrrtured.
Lan Chon Fai srarred plalins klnsfu uhen he wa5 five years
old. He recalts, 'Ar rhar rine/ when I was sTorvins rp, L had a
bis inreresr in ir/ end I iried to practice and play becrer chan
ihe other s(denrs. A. drat time my farher
tralned Lrs real hard, he was very serious.
Every norning we wenr to rhe mountain/ ue
l;ved not far foon;t on Hons IGns lsland. L'd
go up rhe
mosntajl ar 5:lo a.m. .o pracrice
kunsfu wirh my farher and sorne srudents.
was r4,
15
L
years old."
A. that time.here were
many other sifu frorn
differem siyles .har also rrained Lrp on che
rnountain in che early dawn hours. Lair Chun
Eai rernenbers,'/Lf ny farher saw anorher
style, he'd ask ne to take a look ftsr. Whar is
rhis style? My opinion, he/d ask ne. What are
his sood poincs and bad poinrs? How does he
play? lt was a concirualnarrjal ei(amination.
L saw a lot of different sryles, dtffercnt
This was a skill Lan Jo was passins down to
his sory a 5ort of intuirive knowledsei an
encycLopedic reference of livins klnsfu. A
Lam lo him*lf refined the Huns Car he
learned fron Lam Sai Wins/ pan ofhis
martial senius uas also crealing jnnovarions
thar would become parr of his linease. Says
Chln Fai/ "l Ieahed t|e Double Drason sword from my facbel he creared
ir. My farher was incredi6ly snarr abouc kcnsfu, and verr clever when he
was yours. When he wenr olr ro peform a. a holiday or banquer and he'd
see o.her sifu perform/ he could see a se. one !ime/ or .wo times/ and he
coutd renenber The whole set. He
didnt
tearn
f,on orher sifu? only from
Lan 5ai Wins. Blt he was sood friends wi.h orher sifo/ and when rhey'd
pe{orm he leahed and had a tor of [nowledse.'/
ApriL 2002
. KUNGFU 25
Teaching and
Bonesetting
Lan lo's nain schoolwas in the
Wanchai district of Hons lGng.
There uere perhaps so-6o students in
the schoolac char cime. As a youns
ceenager of rs or 16, every day Chun
Fai p'acticed rosether with his father,
and helped hin run his othet two
branch schools in Hong Kong,
ceachins different nishcs ac different
schools. "t also had to train ny
brothers and sistersl'he not*. "My
two sisters and chree brothers all
Ianned kunsfu. Later, we allheLped
my facher to t€ach. Now, ic's oDly me
and my Srocher. One sister srill helps
rny dad every day with dit dar."
Lam
Chln
best co rnake us much betteT. Ac that
tine lhad no choice. My father told
ne I had co help him teach, to heLp
patients in his dit dar clinic. L cannot
o
the arc of bonesettins and
Chinese nedicine, is so ctosety ried to
the Hung Car tradition chac ic is
vinuatty inseparabte from it in
Cantonese and Hons IGns culture.
Even as a youns boy Chun Fai
studied the dir da' alongside his
fathe'i inhatins the punsent heaLins
herbsi feelins injuries in pati€nrs to
Iearn abostmuscle/ bone and tendon.
"l learned kungf! and dit dar at the
sane tine/1 he savs. " lf you tea:n
konsfu/ yo(r inusr [earn dit dar fiis!.
Because in kunsfs you nay jnjure
yourself, so it's jnportant co know
how co cureyoorself. You rnust study
djt dar for many years to get good
dar,
While Chon Fai's
Lons days
uere
fulld
schooland chen
kungfu until past midnisht,
rhe marciaL education
continledl but so did che fun
and excitemenc of beins in
the eye of the Hons IGns
kunsfu srom. "When I was
a ceenager I aluays per
jn tou'nanents . .
fonned
and doing demonsrarions togerher rich my
father We djd the
man sets. My favorite
war rhe dagger and
l
spear
wi.h fache,
it
rough/ very .tangerous/
Faj says that at that time
if yo! weren't playins kunsfu wett
enough, it was because you weren'c
practicing enoush. 14/hen that happene4 watch ouc. "My facher would
get verynad. He atways cried his
Dit
Kungfu Society
brothers and sisters would also
ceach and do dit dar My rwo brothers
hetped ny father wjth the lGwloon
schoof and L would tahe care of the3
schools on Hons lGns island. Several
"My
of my father's students, /.C. Wons
and Tans Kwok Wan also helped ny
father ceach at tbar tine. I taught
noming, aftemoon and night/ 3
classes. lf we had anv sp arc rine/ qe
also practiced oursetves. We worked
26 KUNOFU .
2002 Apr
couches the body a loc.
My fathe'/ hjs students, my brothers
we'd just so out and
perfonn the set, and
Besides pe4orninsu there
wx a lot of sociatizing
arnong the kunsfu people ac
that cime. Chun Fai renen6ers IGn Tak Hoi was a
sood friend of Lam lo's, and nanv
tincs they would pe{orm tosether
at banquets, festivals, and chaicy
shows. The Huns fanjty
'vas
friends wirh Kwan Tak Hins, the
fanous actn who portrayed Wons
Fei Huns in roo rnovies. Houeveri
notes Chun Faj/ "He didn'c play
Huns Style. We pe'tomed
rcsether when he uas more than
6o. We asked
lcnsfs
hin to
corne and do
people ofcen cane msether
for fundraisersu co rajse teljef nonev
for disascers like floods in Chiu.
Whether fo' chaity/ holidayE or
socializins, there was always
another aspect of kungfu ,.,.,.,
perfornane in Hons
lGng
and rhat was to
shorv che art to ocher
peaple. "W"Jd always so
ouc and pe{m wich the
Chun Eai.
"Shw
peopte oul sryle,
che
they'd
cantinued ftah paqe 26: Lah chun Fai
As kungfu popularity $ew in rhe 6o's Ln Hons lGns today ncch of that
and zo's, Lan Chun Fairemenbers
seneration has sone. Lam Chun
the tocal Hong lGns shows thrown
Fai's kunsfo youth becane tempered
roserher by promoters. "They would
by his bank career, uhich he retired
rent a rheater, and rhey'd have Us
from nearly a decade aso to so back
perforning kungfo and atso askactors to teachins kungfo full time. "Before
and srars ro cone sing. k was very
1993 L was .r bank manaser as uell.
popular. When we leaned kunsfu in
Ln che dayrime t went ro the bank,
the old days tle kunsflrmovies were
and afcerwards L'd see patienrs and
not so popular Onty nany years
ceach kunsfu. t have chree kids, they
later. When L was ro a novie producer ptay kunsfu but they don't reach."
asked ine to do nlovies and becone an
actor. He wanted rne co play Fons Sai
Y!k. My farher said no. O.h.rui,e, t
would do novies. Lf the first one was
OI( then like the Wong Fei Huns
series, they'd nake ro-ro pictures. At
th.1t rime rhe income was not so good.
We didnt kno0 actinswolrtd be so
succssfot larer" Neverthetes,i he
did nake sone suest appearances in
Hons Kons film later on.
Fight and Insight
Lan Chon Fai opened his om
tradirional Huns Car kunsfu school
in Hons IGn$ when I was 18,
continuins the .radirions of h;s farher.
"OUl psrpose was not ro fish./'/ he
"bst co nake peopie heakhier,
and learn self-defense. Sone schools
in the old days would rell rhe;r
srudents ro so our and fisht. Co ro
rhe orher schoolE and clallense then.
On Down the
Line
Since his rerirenenr fron the bank7
Lan Chun Fai has shifted hls
ceaching - and preservins the art of
Huns Car - inro a hisher sear Freed
fron a daily schedule, he has been
able to raveland sive seninars.
And che art rhat he has closety
honed for a tifetine is firdlns irs
way into new hands across rhe
conrinenrs? fron Creece ro Blazil.
Both Lan lo and Lan Chun Fai are
derermined ihar rhe ari rillnor be
Iosr, ard as many nuarces and
sobdeties of rhe sryle will.rtso be
saysr
one of the classic ,ers creared by
Lam 5ai Wins's father is the War
Palm. lt is the set Lan Chun Fai has
chosen to teach abroad, as well as to
the nany foreign students who
travel ro Hons Kong to srrdy with
him. "Ln rqp+ I went ro Hatrard
Universiry m reach War Patm. I had
qlrit bankins by then, and just
didn't li[e teachins free fishtins
kunsfu is for heafth, he would say, noc wanted ro do dit dar and teach
krnsflr. tn Hons t(ons nowadays we
fiee fisltjns. But sornednes we
teach? but ils difficllq hard to find a
wootd join rhe tolmanents and rhen
center to toch in. Many sifu dont
practice for thaq but he uoald not
teach in the; own school because
the space is too snatl for studenrc ro
'At thar rine we are careful reachins plav.
scudenrs. When a studentnoves, I
can retl if he knows klnsfu/ a lot or a
"l/rn teaching nore students now,
sone students are very interested in
Iinle, and what style. IGrate, Tae
tlis ser, and then srbsequenrly in
Kwon Do/ Choy Lay Fqq I can t.ll.
people
have
|o
be
careful.
sone
You
come.o che schooland say, I havent /wtr
Parn ichi! J!l
is a
Learned kunsfu before.' Why not say, t
sraisht
Lam
Sai
Wins
set
. Lan Sai
Ieamed this style before, and now t
W;ns
it
his
learned
want to lean Hun:r Car? Years aso,
from
fathel who
'/Orher schools would cone to our
schoolas welf to challense cs,
challense my farher a lor. My farher
{f
people onty had one sifc. Lacer, it was
oK ro team fron more rhan one
person, bor back in rhe old tines, thev
were prejudiced asainst that."
28 KUNGFU
.
2002April
was also a Huns Car srylist. His
nane was Lam lGi Chon. Lan Sai
Wins scudied fron a lot ofnasters,
he had had 6 or z sifusr and Wons Eei
Above:Wlth aulhor al World Wushu
Below: Wth Lam Jo & iamily
Cha
ai
Yum
{,tif
Hlffi.s;
APrir 2002
t KUNGFU 29
Lam Sai
Xffiing vs.
The Srafty
&omeset&er
L;tr (
tt; rt.tn trric,.tkrt hi'
]i.]t t;
ro ,n.rr r,it|1 the
rl
^:.d!.
hLt,t t',ri
!t'r..ji,J !...:::i -;,t il':'-,t
i.,r,.,j
la l,: rr,.a,r;
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(i,r r :" , tr I.1r'iu..
1-.i .fl irtj r)rii:.,,r.
' l..r,r
i:; lf
iir,.! rtri
l!1 iir.(,r,ir.i,rsiri.r:1 rn,: ;Lrlr Aid,r
cil,;ic.jirri.:r.!ri.,r.1r,{li rr'.,ri ir.!.,,,J
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{ t ,r
rL,L
32 KUIGFU
.
2002April
continued
tan
paqe 29:
Lah chun Fai
Huns was che last one. But when he fotlowed
Wons Eei Huns he hrew his kunsfo was very sood
Wong Eei Hung aheadyre.ired. He didn/. want ro
take any other scudenc. Lan Sai Wins was a
burcher,
sellirs porL, ro
ing he cur
ths
Huns.
War Palm is.r sreat beginner's sec, bec.ruse it incorporaces
srrons stances, espelially che horse srance, for snong legs, ard
heart and lLrngs. lt has sof.ness aDd hardness? using rechniques
Iike riser claw and snaLe/ and
educacing a practirioner on
next, shifcins and turnilt& m
to cum your waisr, ro piiir,or
6tock or Ponch. The wa;lj[h
diljsent/
Anorhe, inRresdmiiasDccr
rhe Misrs/ Rtrcl!ns rechni
Th
ln
addrriorT rhrs tr4i#$s has
the wrist, sonetfil*i3 Lam
che
ich is
Lam Chln Fai is a trer
his own skills he never br
wais.lji
oF
ln
che War Pat
I
Lan concnrues, rech
very fierce. E
contains che cloilo, a fanous technique
!rsed to hurt.he opponent's les ff hand./'
Besides the efficient applicarions,
perfomins the War Palm is also ver',
sood for heatrh/ especially helpins jncefrat
circutacion, nuch Iike rhe Hons Car's
fanous Tid 5in IGen
My si-hins, Don Hanb1,
FaiT
chattcnscs Hc lrrs lerrned rhe
his fa.her gave hiry bur
nade ir his own,
his kunsfu with his
own characret not merely copyi
Jo's. Notes Hamby,
When Lan Chon
Chln Fai
fai tuchesliiltlnts
ruche.e
you co so beyond the
""When
nere physical novements of che fom. He wants you ro sense,
and feel/ and anal),ze alt of tle novenencs - learn, then study,
think/ neditate on ir. When you get knowledsp, how yoo
perceive ic is how yoo project
Wrere
a century aso Wons Fej Huns foushr for rhe
revolorion asainsr the Qing dynasry, roday's Hung
d"(erdenL. Ld\.., d lle efl ,eelda A fuode- wJ..,o
like Lan Chun Fai reaches rhe War Paln tess as a
merhod of killins and nlore as a reapon in lhe bartle of
personal r/ansf ornla.ion. The
teachjnss le passes
continuins
crandmaster Lan
Chrn
Fai
(AnlhonI Lam) k available fof private ie$ons by
appointment and overseas seminaE and demonsfarors. He s (l-edlled Lo reach rn rhe -.5. Lrer in
2002. plede qs r h s websire for more
detais.Ne na/ be contacted in Hong
Kont at tei/fax (852) 25706722
Website: vvle.hungkuen.com
H!ns Car
hiscory ard knouledse to
forward rhe an, and keep it
tiving, somerhins insrilled in
us by our sifu Buck
it."
lenoush. O
the Huns fanily des;e for
preserva.iory Hanby has
been cornpilins
rp as
on are small revolurions
bur when they reveata
has
also craveted to Hons lcns
with our sifu Buck Sam
IGng, and recerrly re
rurned there to learn more
about.he herirase wiih
our si-suDs Lan lo and si-
Chun
. Crorving
fanil
Of
he has aLso has
?aln is not sood for looks/" he says, "bcr practical
use. Where you strike and the way yor turn your
waist crains you ro develop power The set
baf<
pride over rhe
1roud.
San
E-mail:
orler Huns
Car lineases
[email protected]
Watch for Lam Chun Fai's
devestating War Palm
Hanby.,The
techniques in our next
issue!!!
Apr'l 2002
.
KUNGFU 33
Gan Gono Jut Dong, Chin Slu Sau
Ghin quo, Bik
Sa!
gandnaslet LAn dellects a suaight punch with his loream
Gnndnaster Lzn squarcs ott Mh ms wonent in ho$e
He Lses his fingerc ta
tnp
his
Wonent s wris!, rctati.ng the
offendin! am ta upose the elbow
He blocks a hiqh p6nch to hit ,utside high gate with hb teatl
hand, shltting his stance ta bow stance
Shilting hE stance, qrandnaster Lan blns
his oppanent's wtisl lo his waist and lses
his fDrearn ta sttike just ab1te his
wfient s ehflv lot lhe am bEak.
He bbcks a semnd
lhe
l,w punch ta his
lnside l1w gate
witl
hand, shlling back lo horse slance.
'arne
Usin! the sane hand, he chops acnss stike to the ownut s
4et\ a. te shrts bocl, ta b1w s,arce No'e hol! h4
h.r
^eops
rcat haN pntecting hit nidsection.
June 2Aa2 KUNGFUOIGONG 43
G,andndrt"t Lan sqLde, ott wth hb appalenr
n
ha^p stdi. ".
3
Aandnaster Lan npastes W sn4ng
wth bath hands ta the 1pponent's neck.
Hh Wonent attacks wik both hands ta Gzndnaster Lan s nidsec an. Gnndnastet Lan
shn$ b baw stance and block with bok t'1tums.
Suoi long, Pow Choi
Gnndnaster
LanI
students squarc otf in hose stance
44 KUNG FU OIGONG J u n -. 2OO2
The attacker stnkes wik a punch wik his lead hand ta the
niddle gate. Ihe detender blacl',s Mk his leati roream.
intue
siu Sau, Gam Gong Jut Dong
lfllnnster Lan
squarcs off with his opp1nent in na$e stance
He blacks a sec,nd hish punch to his 1utsitle high gate wth the
Tn"
lta(rqaLldo<nQdtn
The delendet blocks
\
^i\DLn
hls lead
high with
la the aulstdd hoh 1alb
forcam
He
btlcks
a
lat
punch t0 his autsitle inside law gate with his l%tl hand
Usino the sane hand, he chaps to the appanenti head shifting back I0 bow
sequence is a revesat ot the hish tow attack in Gan G1ng lut
Dong, Chin siu sau ' nate haw it aftects Gnndnastet Lan's taatwak and taryeI
sf,n;e lhis
Ihe defendet shif5 to baw stance and swings his rcar am ta tap
the attacket s lead am. This st ng E exEcuted with the vetactv t0
June 2aA2 KUNGFUQIGONG 45