"Tong Chin Gan" Shaolin Tong Gar Kung Fu

[tungmojingjung]

When speaking on Southern Chinese martial arts, the following systems as: hung, lau, choy, lee and mok comes to mind. Nowadays there is also wing chun, choy lee fut, bai mei, nam tong long and many others that we know and don't know that are considered core southern systems. When speaking on the legendary figures of shaolin as of late i've been conducting some research into the Tong Gar system that I initaially started learning as a kid under Sifu Yuan Chan. It was surprising to me to find out that there is a tribute to Tong Chin Gan at Shaolin Temple. Tong Chin Gan as I understand it now served his country during the same period as Hung Hei Gwun and others. Through information and teachings passed down by Sifu Yuan Chan, the boxing techniques of Tong Gar Kung Fu consisted of minimal skills, he used to make this comparison between the two systems he taught, 1) Buk Sil Lum 2) Tong Gar Kuen. After learning Tong Gar and later learning Hung Gar, I've come to the realization that they indeed come from the same source which in my humble opinion before the established family names is the shaolin short bridge boxing. As I have been able to witness the techniques of Choy Gar, Lau Ga and Hung Gar, Mok Gar and Lee Gar, I am now truly able to appreciate the term "Yat Ga" or One Family. The are many similar charcteristics between Tong Chin Gan's boxing methods and many other southern styles, which in my opinion again gives creedance to them coming from the same source. I ponder now on why if coming from the same source they have different personalities and flavor, why not all the same, and then I think to myself perhaps there needs, strengths and weaknesses were different and so just perhaps they were taught different or that maybe something unique was given to each of them during that time period. In any case Tong Gar Boxing is a very dynamic system that I believe have truly preserved some of the most authentic shaolin kung fu techniques.

[JAZA]

Tung Mo,

May be Off Topic, but could you give more info about your Chan Family CLF sifu.

thanks

[iron_silk]

I had no idea Tong Gar was the system created by Tong Chin Gan.

Do you have vid clip that you could show us?

It seems so rare is there any other masters teaching this system today?

Thank you.

[tungmojingjung]

Sifu Choy Siu Ming was a student of Chen Leung who learnt from Chan Yiu Chi.
As my Sifu explained even though his sifu learnt the Chan Family version he altered many things because of his involvement with Shaw Brothers Studio as a fight coordinator. For example you can understand each form like sil mui fa, ping kuen, sup ji kau da, jit fu etc. but you will notice differences as well, yet keeping it's identity as to where it came from.

In regards to Tong Gar Boxing, this is the first system I ever learned, yet it wasn't until years later that I would appreciate what I had. This coming weekend I will be filming Tong Gar Boxing Series "Small Martial Fist" (Sil Mo Kuen), having it displayed on you tube so many can see this system, seeing it similarities and differences with other southern kung fu systems. There are a few of my classmates here in the bay area and since I've added this system to our curriculum some have joined up with me for review. My teacher Sifu Yuan Chan worked with my father at a cannery (Stokley Van Camps) and because he and my dad became friends he started teaching myself and two other brothers in san francisco 1969. Sifu Yuan passed away in 76, i still speak to his niece who was my senior, although she only practice Buk Sil Lum and not the Tong Gar style.

[JAZA]

Troy,

Thanks form the information

[tungmojingjung]

To add abit more on to my previous post, i'd like to share abit of information about our beloved Tung Chin Gan. From my Sifu Yuan Chan, it was explained to us that Tung Chin Gan was manchurian, raised up in an orphanage as a child, who when older ran away. It was also told to us that his parents were killed due to their opposition to the manchu regime, even though they themselves were manchu. Here's a bit of information that can or cannot be proven yet this is how it was explained to us. Tung Chin Gan was already at the temple before the likes of Hung Hei Gwun, Fong Sai Yuk, etc. Sifu Yuan told us that Gee Sin was granted permission to bring him back to the temple since he kept running away from the orphange, so as to put some order and discipline in his life, yet he 'Tung' feeling fervent about learning shaolin kung fu and avenging those that killed his parents.
After learning some of Gee Sin skills, he felt confident enough to avenge his parents, and left the temple. Sifu Yuan told us only that he was young not past the age of 30 before leaving shaolin, yet during that time he was one of the most skillful boxer. Whether or not this has any validity, who's to say, i sure can't, only recanting what was told from my Sifu. In any case, Tung Gar Boxing embodies the power, grace, fluidity and verocity of shaolin martial arts, with confidence I am able to say Tung Chin Gan's Tung Gar Boxing is an original representative skill of the famed shaolin temple. More information soon, we are building a new site dedicated to Tung Gar and Tung Chin Gan.

[CLFNole]

Do you know how old he supposedly lived to?

Reason I ask is that in all the legends/movies Tung Chin Gan dies young. If he did die young during the time when the Manchus burned the temple who could he have passed his art on to?

Many of the names like Fong Sai Yuk, Wu Wai Kin, Tung Chin Gan are folklore and may or may not have been real people. They could have been alias's for people but I don't think there is much in the way of real documentation regarding any of this.

[tungmojingjung]

How young I can't say, can't really recall if my teacher ever told us an age except for he was young. Sifu Yuan did tell us though Tung Chin Gan, left before the destruction or what ever that means. What truly has sparked my interest was the memorial to Tung Chin Gan at Shaolin Temple that was told to me by Chiu Chi Ling that exist there. I agree with you there, not much in real documents, but when looking at Tung Gar system and all it has to offer, I must admit it's a powerful method.

[tungmojingjung]

With my ongoing saga of investigating Shaolin, Gee Sin and Tong Chin Gan in particular, here are some of my findings:

Gee Sin before the destruction of lets say North Shaolin was very knowledgeable of the skills taught therin, and after the destruction he fled south.

Granted we come to find out that in the north movements were more extended and in the south more compacted, which in my opinion gives a little validity to the long bridge movements of north shaolin and the shorter bridge movements of the south.

With Gee Sin fleeing to the south and witnessing his southern kung fu brothers and the way they utilize their movements incorporates some of the shorter bridge techniques with his already skillful knowledge of the long bridge.

If this is plausible then is it also plausible to think that those that claim their techniques comes from Gee Sin received them after he fled south?

My teacher contended that Tong Chin gan was at the temple as a teenager, yet he never stipulated north or south faction, I will assume it was south because our techniques have more of the southern flavor or what is customarily seen as southern style boxing.

Sifu also told us that he Tong Chin Gan left the temple before the destruction, this may or may not have anything to do with the volumne of skills he learned. What sparks my interest now is what is it that Tong Chin Gan may or may not have done to warrant a memorial in Shaolin Temple.

I've read on someone else site that after Tong Chin Gan left Luk Ah Choy was sent after him, to bring him back.

Through my teachers geneology we have 7 generations of Tong Gar Boxers with Tong Chin Gan being the first as my Sifu presented it, making myself apart of the
8th Generation.

The saga continues.............

[CLFNole]

Wasn't Gee Sim from the Fukien Shaolin Temple and wouldn't that have been the southern temple? Gee Sin is supposedly responsible for teaching Hung Hei Kwun so I don't think his teachings were very northern but likely more southern. Gee Sim has also been connected by some with the origins of Wing Chun.

[tungmojingjung]

His tenure may have ended at Fukien Shaolin, but my research leads me to believe he was originally from Honan Shaolin. Now if thats the case it would explain some of the manoeuvres within the southern style family, being that he was adept already in the skills from the north and later adding in some of the skills from the south incorporating both branches of techniques into one quick process of learning for that time period. seems plausible to me, just my opinion.