Hi all,
I thought I would try this place in my quest for as much information about Hung fut kung fu as can be found. If you know of books, or resources, I would really appreciate it. I have already been to kungfu1.com. I am looking for a detailed history, details about the forms, the people involved in it, etc.
there are quite a few branches of hung fut pai.
it is generally believed that the original concept of hung fut was from the hung hsi guan lineage.
the style history, from what i have been taught, and speaking to others of different lineages, follow that it first came into notice around hsien feng reign in the ching dynasty, in the ho-nan district of canton.
the si-jo is wu hia tung. wu hai tung is said to have brought the style to canton from shiao sing county.
wu hai tung, passed the style onto hung chiu shing.
the style became known and popular by wu hai tung, when he moved to hong kong in yuen long.
from there two of his sons and some of his students promoted the style.
it also was popular in many other southern provinces.
from this lineage, there is a very well known hong kong sifu, called yim tai who moved to america many years ago.
i’m am told that he has a web site, although i have never actually seen it.
yim tai was taught by a very famous hung fut player in hong kong, hung yiu chung, maybe someone on here can tell you where to find the site.
yim tai’s hung fut, has many forms, to where my hung fut, from a family style, has few froms, and has the traditionals 18 weapon forms, with some odd, village weapon forms
hung fut is known as the left side system, due to its disposition of movement with the left side of the body, great if your left handed, but rather interesting if your right side favoured, really brings the balance into perspective
good luck
Im originally from DC and Ive seen Tai Yims student many many times over the years. The ones that really apply themselves, excell in performance of forms and breaking, no question. Tai Yim has stores as well called Flying Dragon. This is a legit school for sure. check under Tai Yim Kung Fu on Yahoo or the like. GOOD LUCK
Bean Curd,
Thanks for replying, and I have a few questions:
Where do you get your information? Did I hear you right, that you practice a “family style” of Hung Fut? I am looking for documentation, as I am trying to develop a lineage-tree for the school here in Victoria. If what you are saying about hungfut is true, it is indeed very helpful and valuable, but I need to show the source of the info somehow. Hung Fut is rarely mentioned in kung fu literature that I have found.
I think I have seen mention of hung fut as early as the 1920’s in Chinese kung fu books. It is known in Hong Kong and southern China in the martial arts community, but there haven’t been any famous sifus, so the style doesnt have much attention.
canadian,
the info i have is both from my teacher, tsui-po sifu, who i have studied with from the early 70’s and also from various others over the years, and the odd books or articles, in both english or chinese over the years.
as to the accuracy, well like all things, there is always speculation, however, all those that i have spoken to and have read of, have given the origin, as i have stated above.
the family hung fut, is due to the style of hung fut that i have learnt, is from the tsui-po family, they came from, kwandong province. the family also has relations that are well versed in eagle claw.
paul, yes from the outside, the sifu’s of hung fut are like the style, in that it is a "quiet"style, however in martial art circles, they are known.
Bean Curd,
Sounds like you have a lot of information indeed. I am studying under Sifu Sheung Wong in Victoria BC (Canada). He is 76 years old, and is from Hong Kong. I am trying to trace the lineage of our school for a cultural geography project. Unfortunately, the language barrier is quite high at our school. The sifu speaks cantonese only, and there are few translators. I haven’t brought it up at the school yet, but I wanted to get a head start on it, and show the sifu what I plan to do on paper. My hope is that he will be honoured, and I will get informed. If you think you can help me start a paper trail, could you email me?
canadian,
if you can provide your e-mail, i will be more than willing where i can to assist you.
regards
Sure, you can reach me at dbook@uvic.ca
Canadian,
I may be able to help you with you quest to find out information on Hung Fot. I was very privileged to have studied the Hung Fot system under Sifu Yim Tai Loi. I will be honest with you in that I did not study the whole system, but the skills that I did learn while studying I will never forget. Sifu Yim teaches out of his headquarters in Kensington, MD. He also owns a martial arts supply store. I will tell you that he is one of the most honorable men that I know. Does Sifu Sheung Wong teach the Hung fot system & who did he study from. Please let me know what information that you are really looking for and I will see if I can help.
Sincerely,
HungFist
[This message has been edited by HungFist (edited 08-24-2000).]