George Long White Crane
[QUOTE=-N-;1206022]George Long White Crane?[/QUOTE]
Correct. George Long’s White Crane Gung Fu. It was a great start.
[QUOTE=SKM;1206069]Correct. George Long’s White Crane Gung Fu. It was a great start.[/QUOTE]
Then we have some ancestors in common.
An honor
[QUOTE=jdhowland;1206072]Then we have some ancestors in common.[/QUOTE]
It is an honor to meet you, at least digitally.
Confucian values provide some of the social structure.
Legalism is also shown in the prevalence of posted rules of conduct in many schools.
Similar to TCMA, Chinese opera is also a very traditional art. The culture bought forward is prone to abuse, politics and nonsense. That is why some modern schools still teach the tradition art but without such rules and culture. They emphasize passing on the values and practical skill of our predecessors.
Regards,
KC
Hong Kong
SteveLau;1206206]Similar to TCMA, Chinese opera is also a very traditional art. The culture bought forward is prone to abuse, politics and nonsense. That is why some modern schools still teach the tradition art but without such rules and culture. They emphasize passing on the values and practical skill of our predecessors.
I know what you mean. I had a semester of Chinese Opera training in college. It was intense work. We had a week-long seminar with a famous music director from Beijing. He talked about attempts to modernize the tradition to make it more understandable to the public. Every gesture, every motif, even every color has a meaning. Very much like traditional martial arts.
Jd,
that was before my shirfu came to America, he moved here when We Xiao Tung Passed in 1984. Were doc fei wong, adam hsu and Brandan lai there then? I know tat mau wong was in the late 80’s what other well known shifus were in SF in the 70’s i really miss that city one of th4 prettiest I have ever seen and I have been all over the US
[QUOTE=EarthDragon;1206277]Jd,
that was before my shirfu came to America, he moved here when We Xiao Tung Passed in 1984. Were doc fei wong, adam hsu and Brandan lai there then? I know tat mau wong was in the late 80’s what other well known shifus were in SF in the 70’s [/QUOTE]
Brendan Lai came to the US in 1961. He began teaching shortly after.
Gini Lau came to the US in the 70’s. Early on, she taught her own classes out of Sifu Lai’s studio.
I believe Kwong Wing Lam began teaching in the US in the 60s.
[QUOTE=EarthDragon;1206277]Jd,
that was before my shirfu came to America, he moved here when We Xiao Tung Passed in 1984. Were doc fei wong, adam hsu and Brandan lai there then? I know tat mau wong was in the late 80’s what other well known shifus were in SF in the 70’s i really miss that city one of th4 prettiest I have ever seen and I have been all over the US[/QUOTE]
Ah, the nostalgia. I had the pleasure of meeting and exchanging stories with a few well-known sifu, some of whom have passed on. They included Brendan Lai, Ming Lum, Jew Leong, Doc Fai Wong (and his son, Jason), and later, Wong Tat Mau. My white crane teacher, Quentin Fong was very well known in Chinatown and my sisuk William Siu used to have the White Crane Supplies Company (my memory of place names is fading but wasn’t that on the corner of Market and…what…?). Used to see others training but didn’t introduce myself. Kuo Lien Ying (am I remembering the name right?) taught a unique form of taijiquan there. Lots of others whose names I don’t know. I would go into a Chinese bookstore or restaurant and ask questions and it would come up that someone there was a well-know sifu. Despite the gang warfare at the time people were very friendly and open about their practice. We just had to be careful about concealing our club uniforms when we went out for noodles.
My cousin was learning White Crane from Ron Dong in the 70’s(?)
I think that was the teacher. I was told they wore motorcycle helmets for headgear and got their clocks rocked.
[QUOTE=-N-;1206278]Brendan Lai came to the US in 1961. He began teaching shortly after.
Gini Lau came to the US in the 70’s. Early on, she taught her own classes out of Sifu Lai’s studio.[/QUOTE]
Lai sifu had a nice big studio. I liked his training methods.
I didn’t know that about the connection between Gini Lau and Lai sifu. She was doing form competitions in the U.S. by about '75. My (hop ga) sifu’s uncle was Tse Wing Bun of eagle claw fame.
[QUOTE=-N-;1206282]My cousin was learning White Crane from Ron Dong in the 70’s(?)
I think that was the teacher. I was told they wore motorcycle helmets for headgear and got their clocks rocked.[/QUOTE]
Not surprised. Ronald Dong was tough as nails. Probably still is, even though he retired from teaching.
[QUOTE=jdhowland;1206283]Lai sifu had a nice big studio. I liked his training methods.
I didn’t know that about the connection between Gini Lau and Lai sifu. She was doing form competitions in the U.S. by about '75. My (hop ga) sifu’s uncle was Tse Wing Bun of eagle claw fame.[/QUOTE]
Praying Mantis and Eagle Claw seems to have had friendly connections over the generations.
Sifu Lai also was friends with Lily Lau.
When Sifu Lai was recovering from a stroke, Lily Lau was one of the few people to spend time with him. A lot of others stayed away, and Lily Lau felt sorry for him and would make a point to be nice and talk to him when she saw him at events.
awesome stories you two.
I remembering when i lived in SF, they said all the famous masters who were the best fighters from china Taiwan all lived here! I was like what about NYC? they always laugh… seemed like that of a rap east coast/ west coast rivalry
jdhowland
Kuo Lien Ying taught quang ping tai chi
[QUOTE=EarthDragon;1206298]awesome stories you two.[/QUOTE]
Couple funny stories about Mr. Louie, another big name back then.
I had a schoolmate that was learning Mr. Louie’s Sil Lum. He was a pretty big guy, and liked to spar and was the captain of the fencing team at school.
Mr. Louie told him not to get into fights, and to run away if anybody tried to attack him. He further explained that this was so people wouldn’t know that he had such a crappy student. This was his way to teach the student to be humble.
and…
One time, my sihing was working in Sifu Lai’s store.
Two big loud arrogant american blackbelts came in to the store and started talking crap on kung fu and saying it had no power. They asked my sihing if he knew kung fu and if he thought kung fu had any power.
My sihing said, “I don’t know. Why don’t you ask that guy over there. He knows kung fu.” Pointing towards a small Chinese guy off in the corner.
The two guys went over and one of them said, “Hey old man, does kung fu have any power? I don’t think so.”
All of a sudden there was a loud crash as Mr. Louie punched the guy in the chest and sent him flying. The guy turned purple as he tried to breathe. And his friend had to pick him up and carry him out of the store.
Mr. Louie had a temper, and he pointed his finger at the two and told them, “Does kung fu have power?!! That is only 10% of my power! If I use any more, you would be dead!”
[QUOTE=Punch.HeadButt;1206279]I believe Kwong Wing Lam began teaching in the US in the 60s.[/QUOTE]
He taught in Ohio for years before relocating to California.
[QUOTE=jdhowland;1206280]Despite the gang warfare at the time people were very friendly and open about their practice. We just had to be careful about concealing our club uniforms when we went out for noodles.[/QUOTE]
I was told there was quite a blow up between a famous praying mantis instructor’s school and a CLF school back in the day. Apparently bones were broken. :eek: Anyone else hear about this sort of thing going on?
A few recollections
I remember the White Crane supply store being on Turk Street at the corner of Market. George Long was still teaching during the 70’s. Ron Dong took over the school in the 80’s. I saw an impromptu performance of Sifu Louie and his crew on Turk Street close to the sea side one time. His students looked strong and enthusiastic. Sifu Louie looked liked he was having a great time lighting firecrackers. I miss that era.
2 other early kung fu and tai chi teachers were Ark Yuey Wong and Lee Ying Arng.
I am less familiar with the former and somewhat familiar with the subject matter offered by the latter who published books and 8mm films on the subjects.
You can still see Lee Ying Arng’s videos on Youtube. they’re worth a look.