My name is Rahim Muhammad a fourth generation Washingtonian and Chief Instructor of the Hung Tao Choy Mei Kung Fu Academy located a few blocks away on U St. where we’ve been located for the past ten years. I’m proud to be part of this inspiring event and to be associated with the many artists participating, and I’m especially thankful to Head-Roc and the War Machine, the organizer for allowing me to participate.

I also want you to know how proud I am to be a martial artist because there are many examples throughout our history here in America where the martial artist took a stand for liberty and justice. At the turn of the twentieth century when most African Americans were living under American Apartheid, a boxer named Jack Johnson, a martial artist, proclaimed through his actions that he would not capitulate to living as the times would suggest, being subservient, kowtowing, being less than what the creator intended. He lived as he saw fit. This gave courage and strength to many of us to stand a little taller and resist a little firmer. Then during the late 1930’s and early 40’s another martial artist named Joe Louis, inspired America and Europe to forge ahead and stop Fascism wherever it raised its head. Then during the late 1960’s a young boxer named Muhammad Ali “shook up the world” as he liked to say with the act of conscience he took against the Vietnam War.

While Muhammad Ali was resisting the Vietnam War here in America, in South Africa a part time boxer named Nelson Mandela was fighting for the full human rights and dignity of his people against the slave-making machine called Apartheid. The martial arts practiced by these individuals helped fashion them into men of character and integrity and also provided them with the clarity of mind to perceive who and what the enemy was and the strength to resist the onslaught of persecution directed at them.

And though I speak proudly of the stances of the martial artists, one person that I greatly admire was not a martial artist at all. He was someone I believe to be the most talented American ever, and possibly the most courageous, and during the 1930’s and 40’s he was the most famous and admired American, Black or White, and that’s the great Paul Robeson. In the late 1930’s at the peak of his career as a concert artist and stage and film star he left the world of entertainment to fight racism and lynching of African-Americans here in the United States. It was Paul Robeson, who said “I use my art as a weapon to fight against injustice.” Paul Robeson, the proud son of a runaway slave, stood in Spain during their Civil War and proclaimed that the artists must take a side. He must elect to stand for freedom or slavery. I have made my decision to fight for freedom. I have no alternative. That was the great Paul Robeson.

My friends it is essential today that we use our talents in whatever profession we choose, to fight against injustice and help uplift those who are less fortunate. Lift as we climb as Mary McCloud Bethune once said. And like Paul Robeson we must take a side for freedom or slavery because if we study our social and economic condition here in Washington, DC we realize that we have no alternative. So what will we do artists? Will we decide as Paul Robeson did, risking everything he had accomplished, to take a stand for freedom? I’m not asking the question? Look over at that dignified monument – it is they who ask you take a stand. You know what they did – what will you do?

Today we’re here to celebrate the day when the message of freedom was finally enacted in one of the distant outposts of human bondage and great suffering. Today I would also like to remind us that the Liberators/Freedom Fighters depicted on this monument, often joined the ranks shoeless, shirtless, uneducated, freedmen and former captives, men, women, and children. Many broke from the plantations and now had no place to go, and no alternative but to fight for the one thing that would console them in their wretched condition and that was their freedom. Those who could not join the ranks of the fighting men followed the marching columns of Union Soldiers sometimes numbering in the tens of thousands later to settle in rural areas throughout the south. No longer captives, but destitute and left to forge our way with little assistance from the government and society that held us captive for nearly 300 years. Here we were, stranded in the dust, stripped of everything that would identify us as human beings, stripped of language, culture, history, traditions and all knowledge of ourselves and our lands of origin, and now being told to make a life for ourselves – and by the way don’t count on that 40 acres and a mule. However, we did not hang our heads in despair loathing our condition. We stood tall and proud, shook off the dust and moved forward improving our condition quicker than any other group, many of who came to this country voluntarily and in much better condition. However, our gains going into the twentieth century were the most impressive. Then in 1954 through our constant struggle we finally received the mule named integration, or more accurately described desegregation. However, when we hitched that mule up to the aspirations of nearly 18 million African-Americans living under Jim Crow, hoping that it would pull us into a new era of prosperity, that mule sat down and has hardly budged since. We tried enticing it with lumps of sugar called loyalty and patriotism, increased the offering with right conduct and accommodating behavior, staffed our civic organizations with honorable men and women dedicated to our cause, who petitioned to gain us favor with this nations seats of power, but the mule just wouldn’t budge.

In 1860 on the eve of the Civil War African-Americans accounted for ½ of 1% of the wealth in this country and today nearly 150 years later and fifty years trying to move that old mule, we still only account for ½ of 1% of the wealth of this nation. We still have only one African American Senator and only one African-American elected Governor since reconstruction. In cities with large African American populations like New York, Detroit, Chicago, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Washington DC you’ll find the conditions of our people relatively similar to the days of Jim Crow with staggering amounts of joblessness, homelessness, disease, addiction, and vicious crimes of violence manifested from our lack of self knowledge and resulting self hatred. In 1968 with the murderof Dr. King our frustration turned into riot and open rebellion and many of ourneighborhoods were burnt to the ground. Some are just beginning to recover. Beginning in the 1970’s in the wake of the riots, opportunities began to open up and a modern era talented tenth developed with African American entrepreneurs, corporate executives, multimillionaire athletes and entertainers and African Americans holding powerful government positions. Yet the conditions of the masses of African Americans have not changed much at all relative to the nation’s new prosperity and the much heralded accomplishments of a few.

Brothers and Sisters our complete redemption and liberation will only come through our willingness to seek and act on truth and unite with others so inclined. Will you as Paul Robeson use your art to fight against injustice? Paul Robeson said “He who is not prepared to face the trials of battle will never lead to triumph.
Brothers & Sisters

I’m here today to proclaim as Paul Robeson once did that as an artist I must take a side.I must elect to fight for freedom or slavery. I have made my choice. I see no alternative. The descendants of those who came up through the slave experience here in America must now go forth and instruct the world how to resolve its many problems in a just and equitable manner. Our 400 years experience has uniquely prepared us to lead the world away from its current plunge into darkness and despair and into a new enlightened era of peace and prosperity for the entire human family? As Paul Robeson once sang out across the world “I must keep fightin until I’m Die in’ and ol’ man river he just keeps rollin along” Keep on Fightin brothers and sisters but for today enjoy this wonderful event.

Thank you

Good Evening Ladies and Gentleman,

Thank you for coming out tonight to celebrate with us another very important and historic event in the history of the Hung Tao Choy Mei Kung Fu Academy and The Leadership Institute. Tonight’s event marks the occasion of our bringing our Annual Banquet home to the U Street community where our organization has been located since its founding nearly nine years ago. In this short period of time we couldn’t be more pleased with our progress or the development of our students.

We believe we have one of the finest traditional Kung Fu programs in the United States. I attribute this to the hard work and dedicated efforts of our instructors and a supportive community who have worked together to make our programs relevant in these difficult times in which we’re living. With violence everywhere, sickness everywhere, apathy everywhere, confusion everywhere, I’m happy to say that we provide a place where young and old can be inspired and motivated towards conquering all of the negative influences and challenges that confront us. So ladies and gentleman, students and instructors, thank you all very very much because your support and good will and dedication has helped us make tremendous strides in the past nine years, and is the primary reason we will continue to flourish and prosper in the future.

Each year at these gatherings I take a few moments to make some remarks concerning the practice of tradition kung fu. But what specifically do we want for the students and how are we attempting to direct their training and development? We have students starting as young as six years old and continuing their training with us for years and years because there is no such thing as completing kung fu training. There’s always something new to learn. As instructors we have a big responsibility because we’re in a position to exercise tremendous influence over our students even affecting the course and direction of their lives.

We offer classes 7 days per week with varying levels of challenge and we provide our students opportunities to demonstrate their skills in all types of venues. From neighborhood street festivals to International Tournaments, to performing at prestigious venues as our own Lincoln Theater right down the Street. We offer a safe clean environment where lessons of character and responsibility are taught along with the physical instruction. The emphasis of our training is on preparation for living a meaningful life. Fortunately, parents we are not just another play school for your little ones. If you watch a class you may see some sad faces from time to time but that’s only because we demand from the children that they strive to reach their full potential and sometimes that’s a painful process. Kung Fu is skill developed through hard work and effort over time. It’s a very disciplined and structured art form. Not always easy to learn and not always fun. But the benefits are numerous and can be enjoyed over a long lifetime.

Last year we incorporated the Hung Tao Choy Mei Leadership Institute to help prepare our students to understand and deal with the difficult times in which we’re living. Stop and reflect a moment about the horrendous violence in our city where eight year olds and 14 year olds have been shot down in their homes; countless other children neglected and leaving school in record numbers without graduating setting up a prescription for personal disaster; the shameful neglect of many of our seniors who don’t have air conditioning in the summer or adequate heat in the winter or even enough to eat; the issues of universal health care, the struggling economy and the rising number of people falling below the poverty line, the hard working homeless and overly burdened families many of whom have been put out on the street because their apartment buildings were sold to developers who’ve turned the buildings into high priced condominiums or luxury apartments. Poor people all over the country, thinking that the military would be a way to pull themselves up by their bootstraps are soon shipped off to die far from home not in defense of their country but for wars that make no sense. Military service used to be a place where many young people having few options could obtain an education or job training but has now become what Congressman Rangell of New York has labeled a “Death Tax” on the poor. These are difficult and challenging times for all of us but especially for our youth. Through the Kung Fu Academy and Leadership Institute we encourage our students to think critically about these issues and others having profound affect on their lives, and we provide inspiration and motivation for meeting many of life’s tough challenges that they will soon have to face and resolve themselves.

The training we offer comes with a message that stresses community service. We encourage our students to become leaders, setting example as activist for positive social change, and not just becoming managers of the status quo or someone quietly and passively presiding over the declining affairs of their community their family life and conditions of the human family worldwide. The demonstrations and other work we perform such as the panel forums at the Lincoln Theater are for the immediate good that they provide and are also a means to get our students more community minded so that they will not go through life thinking only of themselves –“you’ve heard the phrase I got mine – you get yours.” That’s what we say and it sounds like a criminal talking doesn’t it?

One of my personal heroes was the late Paul Robeson who when asked about his standing up for human rights around the world said: “I do not separate my work as an artist from my work as a human being.” I do not separate my work as a MARTIAL ARTIST and KUNG FU INSTRUCTOR from my work as a human being” And as Chief Instructor of the Hung Tao Choy Mei Kung Fu Academy and President of the leadership Institute I do not desire for our students to separate their work as martial artist or other profession of their choice from their work as human beings. The most important aspect of Martial Arts training is that of Vu or Martial Ethics, Morality, and Honor. Without Vu your Martial Art has very limited value. A life’s work pursued without the concept of Vu cannot lead to a life of genuine happiness and fulfillment. True Martial Arts provides a means to strengthen the body and will to endure the sacrifices and suffering and perseverance associated and required with living a meaningful life. I mention Paul Robeson because more than anyone else I would like him to be the model for my students

Paul Robeson demonstrated greatness in every aspect of his life. He was an artist, scholar, athlete, and humanitarian always in the forefront standing up for the poor and the oppressed and never lost his tongue when it came time to speak truth to power.

Paul was born in 1898 the son of a runaway slave. He entered Rutgers College at 17 where he was a Phi Beta Kappa scholar and an All-American Football player. After Rutgers he played professional football on weekends to support himself while studying Law at Columbia University. He left his pursuit of a law career to sing and act and created a sensation as a performing artist in the United States and Europe. He had an incredible baritone voice and stage presence. In the late 1930’s after living in Europe for approximately ten years he decided to return to the US to fight racism. He traveled the country protesting lynching, picketing the White House and refused to perform for segregated audiences. For an entire decade during the 1940’s and 50’s he was the most recognized and admired American in the World and throughout his illustrious career he refused to separate his work as an artist from his work as a human being.

Because of his working class origins and you can’t get more working class than being the son of a slave can you? Because of this he identified with the struggles of working class people worldwide. He spoke and sang in 15 different languages and thrilled audiences worldwide singing their folk songs identifying with their plight and served to inspire and motivate them in their struggle for more humane treatment and a better life. He refused to discriminate between race or national origin or political persuasion, speaking through these barriers to connect with the common people.

PAUL ROBESON NEVER SEPERATED HIS WORK AS AN ARTIST FROM HIS WORK AS A HUMAN BEING.

Isn’t this the type of individual that would make more sense for us to hold up as a role model for our children then some of the athletes and entertainers that are pushed out in front of us by the mass media? Michael Jordan was a great basketball player but only represented sport and play and corporate America. Where is Mike on any serious issue affecting us or our community or country for that matter? Be Like Mike isn’t that what the commercials would say. I say to our students admire Mike, consider the life of Paul Robeson, and then BE YOURSELF. Let your life have more meaning and significance than playing hoops or selling sneakers. Basketball in my opinion is a wonderful game fun to play and enjoyable to watch, but it has become like a plague in poor neighborhoods. It uses up all your youthful energy and leaves you with very little even nothing in return, only “Hoop Dreams” For poor and underserved neighborhoods it’s thrown out as a cheap alternative to structured supervised programs for young people that could actually provide some mentoring or constructive guidance along with recreation.

These superstar athletes spend all off their youth on the playground bouncing balls, passing balls, running with balls, clubbing balls, batting balls, 360 degree slam dunking balls, barely learning anything about life or the world were living in. If we’re going to resolve any of the serious issues that are facing us today then maybe we need to start getting in the face of some of these athletes entertainers and politicians and start breaking some you know what. Then maybe we’ll begin to pick up speed in turning around some of these horrendous conditions. Let’s look at this thing. We should use these ball games, other sports and the martial arts as training grounds preparing us for our higher aspirations. Use them and not be used by them. Use the sports to further your education and don’t turn your mind off once you’ve used your athletic ability to get yourself into college and onto the playing field. Paul Robeson played football on weekends while he went to Law school. He had higher aspirations. Our Kung Fu Academy and Leadership Institute teaches and inspires our young people to have higher aspirations as well. Admire Mike then research and study the lives of individuals like Paul Robeson whose aspirations soared above the playing field and the stage and said “I don’t separate my work as an artist from my work as a human being”. Admire Mike. Consider the life of Paul Robeson, and BE YOURSELF.

However it’s not just athletics that’s been compromised but almost every profession and industry has been reduced to how it can generate wealth, empower in an exploitive manner, or a means for self aggrandizement with little regard to its value as a much needed function or service in the society. The current Pope recently said that the US is quickly becoming a soulless society.

During my childhood I never heard the words kung fu or karate or even martial arts. I was probably 14 or 15 when my first exposure was through James Bond movies and Bruce Lee in the television series the Green Hornet. But like others of my generation regardless of your pastime it was impossible not to be affected by the powerful social and human rights movements gaining momentum in this country and around the world. By the time I enrolled in high school I had watched Dr. King lead his followers through some of the most danger filled parts of the south armed with only their faith and belief in their righteous cause. Marching with Dr. King and supporting him with everything they had were entertainers Harry Belafonte and Dick Gregory. By the time I finished high school President John F. Kennedy, Malcolm X, and Medgar Evars had been assassinated, soon to be followed by the murders of Dr. King and Robert Kennedy. Then Muhammad Ali as he likes to say “shook up the world” not necessarily with what he did in the ring, but with the stand he took against the War in Vietnam which Dr. King so strongly spoke against in the years before his death. What impressed me about some of these individuals as a young man was how they never wavered to speak truth to power or challenge the mighty oppression of an unjust society without concern to the affect on their status, position, or potential loss of earnings.

They never separated their work in their careers from their work in life as human beings.

Now Today: Martin dead, Medgar dead, Malcolm dead, Paul Robeson dead, where are the individuals who by their example are instructing today’s generation in the qualities of character required to be effective leaders. Where can we find them? We’ll find them right here in this room tonight. That leader is seated at your table. He or She is wearing your clothes-eating your food- drinking your soda. That’s the person who’s going to get at the root of some of problems and then demand of the city managers – that’s what politicians are- they aren’t leaders – and demand from them what is needed and then hold them accountable.

The Hung Tao Choy Mei Leadership Institute is training our students to work and study hard to make their life a meaningful one to themselves as well as others. Were training our students to be able to stand one day as one of the bright and shinning examples for their generation as Martin, Medgar, Malcolm, and Paul were for mine. The Hung Tao Choy Mei Kung Fu Academy and Leadership Institute teaches fighting yes but know that the intense training we’re putting you through is preparation for the greater more important battles that have to be fought. If you must fight then fight to rid our community of drugs and violence, fight for better schools for our children and more humane treatment of our elders and those who are less fortunate. Fight with the mayor and city council for better representation, fight with the congress and senate for a country that lives up to the ideals which it professes to stand for, and fight through your ballots to put someone in the white house that will work with the international community to improve the living conditions of people throughout the world.

This is what we want for our students.

Good evening ladies & gentleman and good evening to our panelists who will be joining us in a moment, and to our special guest Dr. Deborah Prothrow-Stith who’s visiting from Boston where she’s a professor at the Harvard School of Public Health. You’ll be hearing from her shortly. We want to thank Joni Eisenberg, Kenny Barnes, Damu Smith and Kokayi Patterson for their efforts in planning this event. We’re also very thankful for the generous support and assistance of the DC Department of Health, Family and Maternal Health division and The Consumer Health Foundation. And I can’t express in words how thankful I am to the students of the Hung Tao Choy Mei Kung Fu Academy for rising to the occasion time after time to help in the positive revitalization of our community.
My name is Abdur-Rahim Muhammad, President of the Hung Tao Choy Mei Leadership Institute, the organizer of today’s Town Hall Meeting on Ending Youth Violence and Murders in Washington, DC. Today with the help of Dr. Stith, our panel, and most importantly the young people in the audience, we’ll work towards developing a working coalition, a movement of sincere and dedicated individuals and organizations - heroes, who’s mission is to eliminate the most serious health problem that exists within our communities today and that is the violence and disregard for human life that is so prevalent among our youth.

However before we can solve or eliminate the problem we should first determine how things have gotten so out of hand. When we follow the evidence attempting to get to the root cause of violence among our young people, we’ll find that much of the problem lays with us the adults. Closely examine what is happening in Washington DC and across this nation and you’ll discover that our children are suffering in the wake of societies tolerated values of greed, corruption, fear, apathy and indifference. So, do we have the courage to look that closely at the problem where we may possibly see ourselves? That’s a good place to start. Or do we just want to hand the problem over to Chief Ramsey and say lock them up Chief and make this go away?

When we speak about disregard for human life don’t think that it’s only the isolated acts of violence and murder, often over the pettiness of a wrong look or bumping into one another on the dance floor, and the list of ridiculous infractions goes on and on and on. But it’s also about the disregard for human life demonstrated by filmmakers and recording artists, television writers and producers, weapons manufacturers and drug merchants, and even manufacturers of children’s toys, and lets not forget the politicians that seek to repeal laws attempting to keep assault weapons off the street, and who also do slight of hand tricks with the peoples land and resources. Closing our hospital, and taking our land and giving it to multi millionaire developers. Some of whom give us little in return of value, choking the very life out of neighborhoods in the name of development.

My friends we can not remain still or quiet while our good sense is being assaulted on all fronts and our children are being struck down in record numbers. Today we intend to draw a line on the calendar marking the point in time when Washington DC stood up and declared an end to youth violence and murder, and also an end to supporting those who attempt to entice and seduce us into destructive behavior. We also intend to speak and act with the spirit of the voters of Washington DC when they removed from office last week those who they perceived to favor rabid development with little regard to its social costs more than working to improve the living conditions in our poor and underserved communities.

Now, to eliminate this epidemic of violence it’s going to take more than words and declarations, its going to take action. Ladies and gentlemen we’ve called you here this afternoon in hopes that you’ll leave here an advocate for peace in your neighborhoods, schools and circle of family and friends. We’re faced with our biggest challenge in the early years of this new century, and that is our own self-destructive behavior. We must unite, organize and mobilize the entire city around this issue. Everyone is important in this effort. This is not a mission solely for law enforcement, and government, or the grieving parents and families of victims of violence. This is a mission for us all. We all have a stake in safe neighborhoods.

There is no specialized education required, relevant job title or lofty position that best qualifies you to work towards affecting positive change in our neighborhoods. All that is needed is desire and commitment to action. If you don’t know where to start then begin by volunteering to work with one of the organizations here today. Or start your own organization but get organized and get moving on this problem.

So brothers and sisters, panelists and presenters, and all of our distinguished guests, thank you once again for joining us for this important event and helping us form a strategy and working coalition that will end this plague of youth violence and murders in Washington, DC and ultimately across this nation.
Thank you.

Kung Fu is a demanding practice. Whether it is the "glorious pain" exercises calling on our determination to take us just two steps further, or the focused, graceful power of a combination front/back sweep, Kung Fu continually challenges all aspects of our physicality. As dedicated students of this art form we commit our entire beings during our classes at the Hung Tao Choy Mei Kung Fu Academy. Unfortunately, this can and often does result in a wide variety of injuries. When our bodies are pushed outside their comfortable boundaries they experience stress in areas that are seldom used alongside the areas we use more frequently. However, with proper training, rest, and regularity of movement, the body becomes stronger and can meet the changing demands of training. These are the basic tenants we follow in our regular practice of Kung Fu.

The reality of daily life in the modern world with its increasing demands on our time makes it difficult to live up to our ideal in practice. In desiring to progress and stay at a given level our minds can push our bodies too far. We can all relate to missing a class or two and wanting to pick up right back where we left off. Our mind remembers the last class and wants to be there, forgetting that the body may have only done some light stretching or walking throughout the week. And most of us have felt the result. This is one of the many scenarios which may lead to injury. Serious injury necessitates a trip to the emergency room, an X-ray and a physical exam by a medical doctor. One's future health and well-being can be jeopardized if treatment is ignored or performed improperly by untrained healthcare professionals.

The greatest percentage of injuries incurred at HTCM, however, do not warrant a trip to the emergency room. So what are the options? In my own case, I often turn to Chinese medicine--specifically herbal medicine and acupuncture. I have a Masters of Science degree in the practice of Chinese medicine, and have often used my training to deal with the bumps and bruises that comes with studying Kung Fu. My academic training in Seattle, Washington, stretched over four years and exposed me to both chronic illnesses and acute injuries. I have found that my treatments, and specifically ancient formulas designed for physical trauma, were very effective.
Kung Fu injuries are precisely an area which is addressed safely and effectively through the proper application of Chinese medicine. By administering both internal and external medicine, the traumas our bodies experience can fulfill their purpose of strengthening and building our bodies, which allows us to progress in our learning. Without treatment, these less serious, often nagging injuries accumulate and may lead to a debilitating or career ending injury.

The main system of herbal medicine I studied is known as Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) which falls under the category "zhong-yi" or Chinese medicine. This medicine is government-approved, essentially Confucian style of Chinese medicine practiced today in the People's Republic of China (PRC) and commonly taught in major universities in China and here in the United States. Systemized and standardized to be taught as a unified system in China and abroad, it is a combination of many different schools of herbalism. What I consider the best of the best.

TCM herbal medicine is administered to address the patterns of trauma present in each individual. For example, in performing Seven Star exercise, which involves forearm to forearm contact with a partner, the bones, ligaments, and tendons experience trauma in each individual. I am sure many a student can attest to feeling as though the workout was harder on them than their partner. Over time, the consistent, mild trauma to the forearm produces a callusing of the bone thus making it stronger and able to withstand greater impact. Each individual has varied responses to the exercise, thus producing a different pattern of bruising or swelling.
Those patterns are part of the clinical diagnosis and indicate a specific herbal formula to address the injury. The core formulas are then adjusted (jia jian) taking into account each patient's constitution and adjusted for the subtle qualitative differences present in each person.

However, just as the styles of Kung Fu vary widely, so too do the systems of herbal medicine. The province, city, monastery and family lineage all influence the tradition of medicine practiced in any given area. Of particular interest to us at Hung Tao Choy Mei Kung Fu Academy is the lineage and influence of the Shaolin Temple and the Buddhist lineage of Chinese medicine. This falls under what is called "seng-yi", or Buddhist Monk medicine, as opposed to the aforementioned TCM.

The monks at the Shaolin monastery under the teaching of Bodhidarma developed an entire system of healthcare to strengthen the mind, body and spirit of the individual. Bodhidarma had observed that the monks were in poor physical health and lacked the strength and stamina to pursue intense spiritual training. He believed that a strong mind and spirit were predicated on a strong physical body. The demands of the physical training should match the demands of the monks' spiritual training. Many books and medical treatises were written to teach the monks how they could best use internal and external medicine for both prevention and acute injury. One of the many contributions from this lineage is a book entitled "Shao Lin Si Mi Fang Ji Jin" (Highlights from the Shaolin Monastery's Secret Formulas). The original text of this book was orally transmitted by the thirty-first Patriarch of the Shaolin Monastery, the abbot De Chan, to the monk De Qian. De Qian spent three years receiving his teachings. The book specifies herbal formulas for injury from specific weapons, types of bleeding, and ulceration. The book is unique more as a historical point of reference than for direct clinical application. Clinically, there are unidentifiable ingredients and essentially no preparation instructions. Whether or not the book contains all the truly "secret" formulas as well as the ingredients listed cannot be verified. I think it is best to approach these texts with caution when looking at them as references for direct application There are internal formulas, herbal plasters, and rubs (much like our Die Da Jiao formula) which can treat Kung Fu injuries. There are also herbal wines for supplementation. Acupuncture as an adjunctive therapy is extremely effective in treating swelling, pain, and chronic injuries. What is important to know as students is that above all we must know our bodies and care for them. They are the vehicles by which we travel the path of life.

Kelly D. Welch, M.S., L.Ac. is a practitioner of acupuncture and herbal medicine in the District of Columbia and student at Hung Tao Choy Mei Kung Fu Academy

As I sit here and try to think about how to describe my trip to Hong Kong, China and Malaysia, I think about how it all came about. It was a little over two years ago when I walked into the Hung Tao Choy Mei Academy. Sifu was eating a bowl of vegetable soup. He looked up and asked incredulously, "How did you get in here?" We talked for about 30 minutes, and I made up my mind that this was the school for me.

So a week later, my girlfriend Michelle and I began taking classes at HTCM, and it has been one of the best things I've ever done. It did more than provide exercise and discipline. It made me look inside and ask myself how I wanted to lead my life. Some people do not need Kung Fu to help them do that, but I did.
Around the same time I first entered HTCM, I began planning a trip to Hong Kong. So when Sifu told me about Jow Ga's history in Hong Kong, and how Jow Biu brought the Jow brothers' style of Kung Fu from rural Nan Hai to the big city, it occurred to me that everything happens for a reason.

After four months training at HTCM, Michelle and I left for Hong Kong. More than Jow Ga was on our minds. We were going to explore a completely foreign city, see everything Hong Kong had to offer, eat the best food in the world and try to speak some Cantonese (I had been taking classes). I loved Hong Kong's energy and people, and from the moment that I stepped on to the streets of Kowloon -- a borough of Hong Kong -- I made a promise to myself to come back because my two-and-a-half-week trip was not going to be long enough. The electricity of the streets and everything that was going on invigorated me. What are normal everyday things in Hong Kong were oh-so-different for me, like the clatter of the Cantonese language all around me. Everything I had known to be a certain way was flipped 180 degrees, and I loved every minute of it.

When I returned to D.C., I began saving every conceivable dollar to get back to HK. I do not have the resources to travel where I want, when I want. I really had to make sacrifices to follow this dream -- not hanging out with my friends, not going out to eat all the time and making a conscious decision every moment to stay focused on my dream. After a little over a year, I had saved up enough money to go back to Hong Kong for three months.
It was one week before my departure -- before embarking on the adventure of a life time -- and I was scared, nervous and every other feeling that goes through a person before they are about to embark on a journey that will change their life forever. With all of these feelings going through me, I decided to enter the Wong tournament in D.C. I had three really tough battles, but in the end I came out victorious. Unfortunately, I also sustained some injuries that ended up part of my carry-on luggage. The grueling 18-hour trip turned out to be 25 hours due to a long layover in Chicago, and an unexpected and unplanned stop in Beijing for gas of all things. How does that happen?

Finally here!!!!!! I was exhausted. I limped myself through the subway system of Hong Kong at midnight on June 8, carrying a large suitcase on wheels and two bags in hand. As I got to my room and got ready to do what I thought I would never get to do -- sleep -- the streets began calling my name. Just to be on them, just to be outside smelling the air, just to be feeling the electricity -- it was all too much. So there I was, now limping through the streets of Kowloon at 1:30 a.m. on a Friday night. With all of the lights and people, you would have thought it was 1:30 in the afternoon. Oh wait a minute; it is the afternoon in D.C.!!!

After a week in this wonderful place, I had healed enough to venture over to the Jow Biu Association in Kennedy Town on Hong Kong Island. Kowloon is to Hong Kong Island like Brooklyn is to Manhattan. You could stay in Kowloon and never need to go to Hong Kong Island, but I had to be everywhere I could, and kung fu is on the island. So I made the call to find out when would be a good time to come by. Turned out tonight was a good night. Not knowing what I was getting into, I brought everything that I thought I might need, and even some things that I might not. Uniform, sparring gear, I even brought a pad of paper and pen just in case.

I took the subway to Hong Kong Island and found my way to the school, which I had visited before on my first trip here, not to mention earlier that day to make sure I could remember how to get there. I rang the doorbell and everyone came in from the back room to welcome me. After chit-chatting for about 10 minutes I was told to go change. This was the moment when I asked myself, "What have I gotten myself into?" I walked into the back room, which is basically a back porch with a roof, about 25 square feet. There were about eight or nine guys their training. There were weights on one end, and the center of the room is really only large enough for one person to do a form at a time. After about a five minute warm-up, I was asked to do my form. I had not been doing any training for almost two weeks due to the injuries from Wong's tournament, but I went out in the center and tried to do the best Fa Chune (flower fist) I could muster. The school is run by the sons of Ho Lak Man, who was a student of Jow Biu. Ho Lak Man had 5 sons: Wah Cheong, Hing Chung, Kim Hung, Yiu Ka and Wai Ip, also known as Edmond. Two of the five Ho brothers were there, Kim Hung and Hing Chung. Edmond, who is the youngest brother and the one who speaks the best English, had not arrived yet. So there I was doing my Fa Chune in this historic school that Jow Biu opened in Hong Kong, where Chang Man Cheung taught and trained, and where Ho Lok Man and his five sons grew up. Here I am in this school and doing what I love to do, kung fu. I was so nervous. I did Fa Chune (flower fist) and Kwan (staff) five or six times. After doing my forms, the two brothers started to dissect my Fa Chune, trying to have me concentrate on details like hand placement and flowering techniques. The next thing I knew, they had been helping me for about two hours, and everyone was still watching intently. For the first week or so, everyone would stop what they were doing to watch me do my forms, which was nerve-racking. Eventually, though, people got used to me being there and went on with there workouts.

Shortly before I departed for the Second International Jow Ga Tournament in Malaysia where I would meet up with Sifu the rest of our school, Ho Lak Man passed away. He had been sick for a while and was already in the hospital when I arrived in Hong Kong. I was honored to be asked to attend the services, but I was also nervous. I had no idea what a Chinese funeral is like and didn't know if I needed to bring anything or what. I made sure that I was dressed as nicely as possible, but this funeral was nothing like an American funeral. It was a Chinese Buddhist service with several ritual performed by Buddhist priests, and it was unlike anything I had ever witnessed. But I was honored to be able to pay my respects to a great Gung-fu man.

When I left Hong Kong for Malaysia, with a short stop in Bangkok along the way, I felt like I was leaving home. I could not wait to be back in HK, but I also could not wait to see Thailand and Malaysia. After spending five days in Bangkok, I jumped on a 24-hour train ride to Penang. The train ride was an adventure in its self! The people that were getting on and off of the train were worth the price of admission alone. Every stop in the middle of nowhere brought a whole new group of people and peddlers. People were selling food, dishes and fruits that this American boy had never seen and didn't dare try. I didn't want to arrive at the tournament sick in any kind of way. Throughout the train ride, I was going over my forms in my head and trying to envision what to expect. I had never been to an international tournament like this before, and I did not know what was waiting for me.

When I stepped into the hotel, I was overwhelmed with happiness when I saw Sifu standing in the lobby, talking to the front desk clerk. I was so happy to see a familiar face, and to see him of all people first was the best. After a quick hello, I put my stuff in my room and came back down stairs so that we could go to a local Gung-fu school and watch some Lion Dancing.

The tournament for me was short lived due to my travel plans. I tried to perform my best, but I simply was not prepared enough for the tournament. Nonetheless, it was a wonderful experience and I am very glad I was part of it. Several students from the school earned gold and silver medals, and all of us represented our school and our country very well.

After the tournament, the team flew from Malaysia to Hong Kong. By this time I felt like a local. I knew all the good places to eat, and my Cantonese was starting to come around. First we went to visit Derrick Cheung -- a Sifu in Hong Kong that makes our beautiful Lions and banners -- at his school in Kowloon Bay. The next evening we went to the Jow Biu School, where Ho Lak Man's sons and the rest of the school were happy to meet the students I train with, and of course Sifu, who some had met during a similar school trip to HK two years earlier. We watched several students perform, and then it was our turn. After each performance, we talked about the differences, some slight and some great, between our forms and techniques and theirs. After a long evening of kung fu, we jumped back on the subway, with me, the local, leading the crew back to Kowloon. The next day, we were leaving early for a weekend on the mainland, and we needed our beauty rest.

Our weekend trip to Nan Hai, China started early. It was my job to get all of the ferry tickets and meet up with everyone so that we could walk to the pier together. After a 90-minute, fast-boat ferry ride -- we were taking the fast boat to China -- we arrived in Nan Hai. It was quite different from Hong Kong, with all its countryside and farmland, interspersed with drab industrial sites. Our hotel was the only building in town higher than 3 stories. When we got to Jow Gum Bo's school - another student of Jow Biu - it was unlike any school I had ever seen. The village surrounded the school. An old brick wall surrounds the school's courtyard, where they do lion dancing on many tall metal pedestals. And the inside consists of a number of rooms, including one main room with pictures covering the walls all the way to the ceiling. Many are pictures of Jow Ga students - brothers and sisters - from around the world, who either came to visit this school or have had their pictures taken with other prominent people of the Jow Ga system.

For the first hour or so we were not really able to communicate because the translator had not arrived. But that didn't stop us from trying. Once the translator arrived, we listened to Jow Gum Bo, who was trained by Jow Biu, tell us about forms, techniques and Jow Ga history. The Nan Hai school is a major Lion Dancing competitor in China. In the courtyard is a maze of what are called 'joung' - tall poles of varying height with small platforms. The lion jumps from platform to platform to symbolize different obstacles the Lion must overcome. In this case, they symbolized a bridge for the lion to cross in order to get the lychee. The poles start at a low level of about four and a half feet and gradually climb to about nine feet high. It was remarkable to see the lion dancers move on these poles, so high off the ground. There were mattresses - many mattresses - laid below to break their fall if necessary.

While in Nan Hai, our hosts took us to what I think was the only restaurant in the village, other than the one in the hotel. It was a fairly small, local joint run by a jovial woman who liked to drink a lot. The food was prepared very differently than in Hong Kong or any other place, for that matter. A few of us asked for more rice as often as possible so as to avoid the pig stomachs and bowels. But every dish brought a lot of laughter and fun to the table. The Chinese love to drink rice wine with all their meals, so lots of fun pretty much means a lot of toasting and drinking and singing.

After dinner, we went back to the school to see some lion dancing and kung fu. The entire village came out and sat all along the walls of the courtyard to watch, clap and cheer. The stadium lights were on and the drum was pounding away. We were truly in another world.

The next day brought a new adventure: sloshing through the mud to visit the still-under-construction temple at the burial site of the five Jow brothers, built with funds provided by the Jow brothers followers worldwide and a major contribution from a student of Jow Tin, one of the five founding brothers. It was set in a beautiful spot among lush hills, with a heavy, almost thoughtful, mist clinging to the trees. The site felt appropriate for a family that is so highly respected and valued by so many individuals. As we returned to our cars, avoiding muddy spots and puddles, a silent calm came over our group and I imagined how triumphant the pagoda-style temple will look like when complete. I also thought about how much the people of Nan Hai and surrounding areas respect the five brothers that gave them this art called Jow Ga kung fu, so much so that they have invested the time and effort to preserve their memory and build this memorial. The marble slab that lies before it bares the Jow family name. And even though it is written in Chinese, when looking at it you tend to stare as if you are reading every word. Once up the stairs and inside the temple, we lit incense and little firecrackers and bowed to the pictures of the five founders to show our respect. It is not a happy-go-lucky place where you might have a picnic; it is a thoughtful place where you pay your respects and leave with a valued memory.

Next we went to one of the first Jow Ga schools, started by Jow Lung in the Guangdong Province. We visited with the townspeople, watched a Lion Dance, drank tea and, again, paid our respects to the Jow family. Then we drove down a long road to visit yet another school, this one in a setting that looked like it came straight from a National Geographic special. The school had a court yard that overlooked a mountainside, and when we arrived, a drummer started to play. Pretty soon you could see people coming toward the school from all around. Some were on scooters, some were on bikes, and some were even walking. It was amazing. They were all coming to see us. Many of them probably had never seen an American before, and they will likely remember us for the rest of their lives. After watching the local students do some forms and a Lion Dance, it was of course our turn to represent Jow Ga U.S.A.

Next we had lunch, and then we were off to the Wong Fei Hong school. Wong Fei Hong is a hero of Chinese folklore. Some believe Wong Fei Hong had super kung fu powers, and that he helped the poor of yesteryear. Either way, the school was massive. It had a huge courtyard, across which you could see several classes in session with about 30 young kids in each, often led by older students. Most of these kids are at the school everyday for hours. We watched a Lion Dance, but unfortunately could not see it on the joung outdoors as it was raining. They performed on a table indoors instead.

After Wong Fei Hong's, it was time for us to return to Hong Kong. The people of Nan Hai and the Jow Gum Bo school treated us like family. They took time out of their lives to entertain us, chauffeur us and show us their way of life. They shared with us the schools and people that have been teaching and learning Jow Ga kung fu for generations. It was truly an eye-opening experience. It was true kung fu. A lot of these people have no television or Internet for entertainment. They have kung fu, lion Dancing and the honor of this tradition.
After returning to Hong Kong, Sifu and the students of HTCM stayed for a couple more days before returning home. I will always cherish and remember the time we spent together, and I can't wait for the next tournament in 2003. When they left, I had almost two months left in Hong Kong, which I mostly spent training. While in Hong Kong I learned two forms, and I know Ho Lak Man's sons and students will hold a special place for me always. I also learned a lot about the customs of the Hong Kong people and about myself. It truly was a life changing experience.

The traditional Chinese martial art known as Jow Ga, Chow Gar or Zhou Jia, founded by Grandmaster Jow Lung, is an effective form of self defense. This unique style of fighting incorporates the muscular and mighty movements of Hung Gar kung fu and the swift footwork of Choy Gar to develop a fighting system which emphasizes simultaneous attacks and defenses. Because of it's unique mixture of styles, Jow Ga is often labeled as having the head of Hung, the tail of Choy, and the patterns of the tiger and leopard, or simply Hung Tao-Choy Mei.

The origin of the Jow Ga system began with Grandmaster Jow Lung, born in 1890 in the Sa-Fu Village of Guang Dong Province, China. Jow Lung was the fifth elder son of a family of ten children. Jow Lung's interest was also shared by his four younger brothers, Jow Hip, Jow Biu, Jow Hoy, and Jow tin. The brothers began their martial arts tutelage under their uncle, Jow Hung who taught the boys the Hung Gar fighting system. Jow Lung's dedication to his studies in the martial arts made him the best amongst the brothers as well as winning his uncle's admiration. With his uncle's help, Jow Lung was introduced to a new master, Master Choy Kau (a disciple of the founder of Choy Gar Kung Fu). From master Choy Kau, Jow lung learned the fast footwork and handwork of Choy Gar kung fu. Having the basics taught to him by his uncle, Jow Lung mastered Choy Gar in only a few years.

However, because of family hardship, Jow Lung left home for Kualar Lumpur, Malaysia to seek employment in 1910. In Malaysia, Jow Lung ran into trouble with local gangsters and found himself seeking refuge in a Buddhist Temple in Penang Malaysia named Kek Lok Si. One of the monks at the temple, Chian Yi, was most sympathetic to Jow Lung's ordeal. Not only had the monk given Jow Lung refuge but he shared his knowledge of Northern Shaolin kung fu (which specializes in kicking, jumping, and leg movements) as well. Chian Yi also advised Jow lung to blend the three styles he learned to create a style specifically suited for himself (this blending of styles would occur later in his life). Jow Lung remained at the Kek Lok Si temple for over three years before he was ready to return home.

In 1915, Jow lung returned to Guang Dong, to compete for the position of Chief Trainer of the army of warlord general Lee Fook Lam. Jow Lung competed against one hundred other participants and came out victorious. He had to win 28 individual matches before making it to the final elimination match where he defeated a well known fighter named Koon Kam Chi and was then declared the champion. With his newly appointed position, Jow Lung sent for his brothers to assist him in training the soldiers, and most importantly, to create a new form of martial art. Since the surname of the five brothers is Jow, the brothers decided to name their new style of fighting as Jow Ga (Jow family style). Not forgetting the kindness and helpfulness of his past master, Jow Lung often referred to his new style as Hung Tao-Choy Mei (Hung head and Choy tail). In 1917, the brothers opened their first school in their hometown. With countless efforts and united spirits, Jow Ga grew in popularity and the brothers were given the honorable title of "Five Tigers of Jow Ga".

Suddenly, tragedy struck the brothers in 1919. Jow Lung contracted pneumonia and his health deteriorated rapidly. Jow lung passed away at the young age of 29 in 1919. With Jow Lung's death, Jow Biu was chosen as successor and quickly rose to the challenges of his new role. Jow Biu resigned from his post in the army and began promoting Jow Ga kung fu. Within a year, Jow Biu set up fourteen (14) Jow Ga kung fu schools around China (soon to grow to over 80 schools). Opportunity to spread to Hong Kong came in 1936 when Jow Biu was invited to participate in a Martial Arts Festival for the celebration of the Coronation of King George VI of England. The demonstration was a great success, and Jow Biu was able to establish a Jow Ga branch in Kowloon, Hong Kong. Besides teaching at the school, Jow Biu was invited by the Garment, a Medical Merchant Association, and the Fishery Port Association to be their chief instructor. On March 14, 1961, Jow Biu passed away and the greatness of Jow Ga passed on to all his students. Even now, Jow Ga prevails today and exists in China, Hong Kong, Southeast Asia, United States of America, Canada, Australia, England and Germany and other parts of Western Europe.

Dean Chin took up the martial arts at the age of seven. His first instructors were uncles who taught him from the systems they knew: the White Eyebrow system, the White Crane system and the Hung Gar system. By the age of nine, when it became clear he was a prodigy of kung fu, he began the formal study of the Jow Ga system of kung fu. At thirteen he was invited into the Eagle Claw system at the school of the King of Eagles, Sifu Fu Liu, who taught him both Northern Shaolin and Eagle boxing forms. In spite of his youth, he mastered all of these kung fu methods, and excelled in grappling and Dim Mark (striking at pulse points).

It is not surprising that at the age of fourteen, the Jow Ga system recognized his genius and requested him to teach. From that time on, throughout the many years he taught Jow Ga, he never stopped learning from other kung fu masters with whom he exchanged system techniques. Some of these systems he learned from were: Wing Chung, Choy Li Fut, Jow Ga Praying Mantis, as well as Thai Boxing.

Master Dean Chin arrived in the United States in 1966. Shortly thereafter, he established the Jow Ga Kung Fu Association and opened the first Jow Ga kung fu academy in the Western hemisphere. In the ensuing years until his death in 1985, Master Dean Chin held many and diverse professional titles: the Overseas Coach for the Jow Biu branch of the Jow Ga Kung Fu Association; Eastern United States representative of the Hong Kong Chinese Martial Arts Association; member and qualified Sifu of Liu Fat Man's (King of Eagles) Fan Tzi Eagle Claw School (a Northern Shaolin system); Advisor for the Presidents Cup (held annually in Taiwan-the worlds largest kung Fu tournament); and Vice Chairman of the Eastern United States Kung Fu Federation.

One evening over dinner in a restaurant in Hong Kong during the summer of 1999, Jow Ga Grandmaster Chan Man Cheung told his personal history. Hon Lee who had studied with Dean Chin and Chan Man Cheung in Hong Kong but now lives in Washington, DC interpreted as Sifu Rahim Muhammad and Sifu Reza Momenan and his wife Gabriella listened. Chan Man Cheung, not knowing when these teachers would be together with him again, toled his part in history of how Jow Ga reached the US from the founders. Perhaps this meeting occurred so that Hon Lee and his kung fu brothers, Rahim and Reza, could preserve this knowledge and pass it on to new generations. Sifu Muhammad, hearing this history from the grandmaster, and the colorful stories of the other kung fu legends of his time said that this was one of the highlights of his martial arts career.

The Jow Ga Kung Fu system of Chinese martial arts was developed by Jow Lung. His younger brother, Jow Biu, even as a young man gained the respect of famous martial artists of the period, including Wong Fei Hung, a famous Kung Fu master. Jow Biu was called on to mediate a dispute between Wong and Ching Hua, a local strong man known for his ability to kill horses with a single bare-handed blow. After Jow Biu’s successful intervention, Wong Fei Hung’s wife became so fond of him that she wanted to adopt Jow Biu as her stepson. However, Jow Biu graciously declined the honor, even though it would have given him considerable prestige to be closely associated with someone as famous as Wong Fei Hung. If he had accepted the offer, he knew that he would have to take sides and lose impartiality.

Chan Man Cheung’s father, Chan Jen, studied kung fu under Jow Biu before the Japanese invaded China. Chan Man Cheung was born November 5, 1929 in Guangdong, China. He has four brothers and a sister. Two of his brothers and his sister live in Hong Kong. He started learning kung fu during the Japanese invasion, when he was four years old. Life at that time was very simple. He lived close to a Jow Ga Kung Fu school, approximately a five minute walk. However a canal separated the county where his house was from the school. In the old days, people of one county were extremely suspicious of people from the next county and treated them as outsiders.
So while ordinarily, they would not have accepted him as a student. He gained acceptance because of his father’s relationship with Jow Biu. The school, located in Dong Fong village, was the first Jow Ga school to be reestablished after the Japanese occupation of China. Dong Fong village is in the Gow Dong (nine rivers) district of Guangdong province.

Chan Kuei Jai, a disciple of Jow Biu, reopened the school. Jow Gum Bo was assistant instructor when Chan Man Cheung joined the school as a chubby 11 year old. Jow Gum Bo treated Chan Man Cheung like a brother. Since there was not much to do for a youngster back in those days, Chan Man Cheung would go to the school for training every day from 6:30pm to 9pm after dinner. He did not show any hesitation to this regimented schedule and practiced diligently. When there was no lion training equipment available, he would improvise and practice the moves anyway. He became such an accomplished lion dance master that people referred to him as the “lion king.”
Chan Man Cheung spent a tremendous amount of time and energy in perfecting lion dancing to achieve the high degree of proficiency that is evident in his movements even today at age seventy-two. According to him, there is a big difference between Jow Ga lion dancing and other styles. The lion dancer, he says, should be able to show all the emotions: happiness, anger, fear, etc. The strength of the lion should come from the lion dancer’s heart and soul.

He explained the meaning of the Chinese sayings that hang from the walls of the Jow Ga schools. “Yung lick, Lick Jung Nung Jie Lick”: in applying your strength, you should also leverage your opponent’s strength and “Lum Gay, Gay Noi Yiu Guan Gay”: be attentive to your weaknesses and strengths and those of your opponent, and look for opportunities to use them to your advantage. As a practical example, he said that if a speeding car comes directly at you and you want to avoid a collision, deciding what to do depends not only on the actions of the other driver, but also on your own abilities. Knowing how fast and safely you can maneuver your own car out of harms way will affect your next move.

At the age of seventeen, Chan Man Cheung moved to Hong Kong. He worked for a year as a laborer, loading and unloading fish boats. He then started buying and selling fish. He had to get up before the crack of dawn to be the first to go out to the fishing boats bringing in a fresh catch. This was tough physical work, sometimes requiring him to swim from shore out to the boats before they docked so that he could stake his claim on the freshest catch.
At twenty, his instructor Jow Biu moved to Hong Kong to open a school and Chan Man Cheung became his assistant instructor. Chan would conduct classes where ever he could find space, and in crowded Hong Kong, this included rooftops. By this time, he had his own fish business. But after six months he closed the business because there was a shortage of fish. So, he went to North Point in Hong Kong to help a friend with his fish market. He eventually got into the movie business by happenstance. While teaching and promoting Jow Ga Kung Fu, he represented and taught at several different businesses. One of the managers took a shine to him and asked him to teach his god daughter (Cheung Kan), because the young lady had ambitions to be a movie star. Chan Man Cheung asked his martial arts brother--Si Hing-- Chan Kai Jai, to introduce her to people in the movie industry. As a consequence, Chan Man Cheung landed several parts himself and eventually found himself performing in two feature films.

At twenty-three, he represented Kowloon Fruit and Vegetable Association in Tin Hau celebration and continued to do so for eight years. At thirty, he got married. A year later, he was named as the advisor to US-Hong Kong Friendship Association a position which lasted four years. During that time Chan Yuk Cheun (Dean Chin) started learning kung fu from him. Dean Chin learned five different styles of fighting. The classes were held on the rooftop, which was common back then. Dean Chins younger kung fu brother at that time was Wong Jing Kwok, better known as Wang Yu. Wong would eventually become one of Hong Kong’s most popular martial arts actors.
When a British dignitary came to Hong Kong for a visit Chan Man Cheung at thirty three was chosen to perform the welcoming lion dance ceremony and to present a gift of a pair of male and female lions. The event received wide press coverage in Hong Kong and London. At thirty-six he discontinued various activities to concentrate his attention on starting up another business, this time selling both fish and meat. At that time Chan Yuk Cheun (Dean Chin) emigrated to the United States for schooling. Six years later, Richard Chin (unrelated to Dean Chin) and his three brothers started studying with him. Their father knew of Chan Man Cheung and asked one of his kung fu brothers to contact the grandmaster on behalf of his sons. Around age fourty-two or fourty-three, Chan Man Cheung was invited with other Hong Kong masters to tour the U.S. and to give demonstrations of his kung fu skills to appreciative U.S. audiences and to visit different American martial arts schools. Three years later, he was invited to Singapore to perform and demonstrate lion dancing; he was invited again two years later and many times thereafter. At fourty-six, he began teaching Hon Lee personally while Hon was in Hong Kong for a four year assignment. At fifty-six, he was appointed Chief Instructor of the Jow Biu Association and served in that position for four years. He has served as Chairman of the Jow Biu Association and is presently Vice-Chairman. In 1998, he was invited to Germany and in 1999 he invited back to Singapore for the first Jow Ga International Congress.

Over the years, Chan Man Cheung has traveled to the U.S. three times, once visiting Richard Chin as his guest in New York City. He has had many martial artist under his instruction over the years, but most of them lost interest or were not that serious. Among the handful of those he calls his disciples (toe digh), some eventually became well recognized. He considers Dean Chin the best-known of his disciples. Although he now has several students in the U.S., there are only a very few amongst them he has personally taught for any length of time. His visits to the U.S. or their visits to Hong Kong were usually for very brief periods. Nonetheless, he still never hesitates to share his knowledge and enjoys showing them Jow Ga techniques and lion dancing.

The Key Lok Si, or "Temple of Paradise," is the largest and perhaps the most beautiful Buddhist temple in Southeast Asia. This temple is important to students of Jow Ga kung fu because it was where Si Jo (founder) Jow Lung was given refuge nearly one hundred years ago. During his stay at Kek Lok Si, Jow Lung mastered the art of Northern Shaolin kung fu under the tutelage of Abbott Chian Yi.

One of the first lessons students learn at Hung Tao Choy Mei is about Jow Lung's journey to Malaysia in search of opportunity. He arrived in Kualar Lumpur around 1910 when he was 19 years old. An unfortunate incident involving some unscrupulous locals caused Jow Lung to leave Kualar Lumpur and shortly thereafter he arrived in Penang, where he sought refuge and solace at Kek Lok Si.

The Hok-San Kek Lok Si, Malaysia's largest temple complex, is located in the "eye of the crane," the crane being the hills of Ayer Itam. Most of the temple complex, a series of monasteries, prayer halls, and landscaped gardens layered into the hillside, was built between 1891 and 1904. One who climbs the steep slopes can imagine Jow Lung practicing his horse stance under the watchful eyes of his demanding master. Is it possible that Jow Lung helped to inscribe any of the large boulders set in the hills with verses of famous Chinese poets?

The founder and first Abbott of Kek Lok Si was Beow-Leon, who was born in Fukien province in 1844 into a devout Buddhist family. He was 33 years old when he left his occupation as a businessman to devote his life to the teachings of Buddhism. He was determined to establish in Penang a monastery that would bring to the public a better appreciation of Buddhist traditions. Through diligence and determination Beow-Leon and his colleagues were successful and on January 13, 1905, Beow-Leon was installed as Abbott of the newly completed temple complex and Penang' Chief Priest.

The temple consists of several tiers. The first tier is the Hall of Bodhisattvas, built in 1891 and dedicated to Kuan Yin, the Goddess of Mercy. A Bodhisattva is a being destined to attain fullest enlightenment who is responsible name Kuan Yin means to look and listen. It is believed that when Kuan Yin was about to enter Buddhahood she heard cries of anguish from the world. Being full of mercy and compassion, she made a choice to forgo entering Buddhahood so that she could serve the people.

The temple grounds contain beautiful gardens and sacred ponds, including the Liberation Pond or Sacred Turtle Pond. Buddhists believe that the turtle, dragon, female unicorn, and male phoenix are divine creatures. The turtle is an emblem of longevity, strength, and endurance. Many devout Buddhists believe it is an act of spiritual liberation to purchase a captive turtle and set it free in this sacred pond.

Next to the turtle pond is a huge dome-shaped boulder called the "Rock of Amitabha Buddha". Writing engraved on the boulder emphasizes the emptiness of life in the material world, where mankind relentlessly pursues fame and wealth without attaining happiness.

Throughout the temple grounds there are huge inscriptions and symbols built into the landscape. One reads "Nam-Mo O-Mi-To-Fo," which translates to "I honor thee and resort to thee Amitabha". Those who recite this short prayer repeatedly are said to have called upon all the Buddhas, including Amitabha Buddha. The arch at the entrance to the courtyard above the sacred ponds is inscribed with characters which read "Chio Lu" or "The Road to Enlightenment." When one enters this tier of the temple one is figuratively on the road to enlightenment. The opposite side of the arch is inscribed with a reference to Nai Yuan, the deer park in Saranath, India where Lord Buddha delivered his first sermon in 588 B.C.

Further along in the temple grounds are two imposing statues of the mythological Registrar of Births and Registrar of Deaths. The Registrar of Births carries a register in which he records whenever every birth. The Registrar of Deaths holds a brush with which he crosses out names in the register.

Beyond the Registrars are the statues of the Four Heavenly Kings. Each of the Kings controls one of the four points of the compass and the center of the hall where they stand represents the center of the universe. The first statue is the Guardian of the East. Whenever he draws his sword it stirs up a strong gale, producing thousands of spears. Following the gale comes an all-consuming fire. Under the feet of the statue are two small statues representing a thief and a liar. The Guardian of the West carries a magic guitar which, when strummed, produces fire in hostile camps and brings harmony to the virtuous. Under his boots are a drunkard and an opium smoker. The Giant of the North holds a reptile in one hand and a pearl in the other. The reptile will devour anyone at his command. Beneath his feet are a murderer and scoundrel. The Guardian of the South, or Lord of Growth, holds the "Umbrella of Chaos" which, if opened, would extinguish all light and plunge the world into darkness. He stands upon a harlot and a gambler.

The figures trampled upon by the giants represent sinners who have violated the Wu Chia, or Five Commandments of Buddhism. They are:

1. Do not take life
2. Do not steal
3. Do not crave evil deeds
4. Do not indulge in excessive craving
5. Do not drink alcohol

Sitting in the center of the Hall of Heavenly Kings is Maitreya, the huge "Laughing Buddha." He exudes happiness, sitting with a bag containing gifts of good luck for humanity. He is the "Buddha to come."

The highest tier of the temple is called "Tsang Ching Lou," the "Tower of Sacred Books," a library of Buddhist scriptures and sutras. Bright red tablets are inscribed in gold letters, honoring such people as Chieh Chi-T'ui, a subject of the Chou dynasty (350 B.C.). When his master, the Marquis of Tsin, decided to reward his loyal followers Chieh Chih-T"ui would not accept a reward for merely fulfilling his duty. To avoid the honor Chieh Chi-T'ui went into hiding. The Marquis, upon discovering that he had died, erected the tablet in honor of his spirit.

Rising out of the courtyard slightly below the top tier is the towering Wan Fo Pau T'a, or "Pagoda of Ten Thousand Buddhas." Pagodas originated in India to house Buddhist relics and were believed to bless their surroundings with prosperity. The Pagoda of Ten Thousand Buddhas is the largest pagoda in Malaysia. Its architecture combines Chinese, Thai and Burmese features. Constructed between 1915 and 1930, it was opened with a series of grand ceremonies every seven days over a period of forty-nine days

The temple in all of it's beauty and grandeur exists to guide the beginning adherent to the real Buddhas and Bodhisattvas who exist in their own hearts.

In an address to his disciples, the ancient sage Hui-Neng said:

• He who observes Buddhist doctrines to attain Buddhahood from without Is not aware of where the real Buddha is.
• He who succeeds in seeing the Truth, the Truth within his own heart Lays in himself the Buddha foundation.
• He who sees not his own Buddha-nature inward and looks outward for Buddha Has the mental outlook of a fool.

This is an edited version of
Kek Lok Si, Temple of Paradise
Choon San Wong
Singapore, Malaysian Sociological Research Institute, 1963

The physical and mental aspects of Kung Fu training fall into two categories, yow ying and mu ying-- things that can be seen, and things that can not be seen. Yow ying refers to the physical movements and techniques: kicks, sweeps, hand strikes, jumping and footwork, movements of the body and eye contact. Mu ying refers to the unseen mental and philosophical aspects of fighting: courage, insight, awareness, mental energy. Careful study and understanding of the following aspects of yow ying and mu ying are critical to achieving high levels of ability in Kung Fu.

Elements of yow ying consist of bo, shao, sun, gnan, and yew
Bo--or footwork-- is the foundation of the physical aspect of Kung Fu. Stance training is usually a student’s first lesson when beginning Kung Fu training. This is because footwork and strong, low stances are some of the most important aspects of yow ying. When fighting a person must rely on his ability to use his footwork to close the gap between him and his opponent when attacking or to sidestep to avoid being attacked. Jow Ga’s Stepping form is a pattern designed to teach the beginner to move quickly and comfortably in and out of different stances, using movements similar to those used in fighting. Traditional training usually requires long hours practicing low stances and precise footwork. Lower stances offer more stability while higher ones allow the fighter to move more quickly. Therefor, the appropriate stance depends on the circumstances.The importance of balance and a firm foundation in executing techniques cannot be overlooked. Whether kicking, jumping, punching, blocking, or throwing, strong stances gives the fighter leverage to knock over his opponent without being pushed over.
Shao-- or hand-- describes all hand techniques, whether for attacking or defending. It includes blocks, strikes or parries with the hand, wrist, or elbow. Hands, fingers, palms, forearms and elbows can be used to strike or feint. Iron Palm training is practiced to increase the striking power of the hand without sustaining injury. Seven Star exercise is used to develop the blocking and striking power of the forearm. Eagle Claw techniques are practiced for developing strength for gripping, tearing and seizing. Every hand strike must be relaxed until the moment of impact. Relaxation also gives a punch an extension of an inch or so and therefore increases the force of impact. There is an old adage that states that the ultimate hand technique is “fast as an arrow”; “it comes and goes like the wind--you cannot catch it, only feel it.” A fighter must understand his opponent’s hand movements in order to respond effectively.

Sun refers to the body or trunk, which is the link between the hands and legs. Iron shirt training can be used to develop the body to withstand powerful blows. Otherwise the trunk’s offensive or defensive applications are limited to its ability to shift right or left, or lean and duck to evade blows. Hand and leg strikes can be made more powerful by turning the body into a strike, and leaning and turning into a kick. A skillful fighter knows to watch his opponent’s body for clues to his fighting strategy. Movements to the right or left usually indicate an attack from the opposite side; a dip in the shoulder to the right or left usually indicates a circular type kick (round house or crescent, etc.) from the opposite side. You can expect a very strong leg attack when the body moves from a low to high position. Bridge exercises are useful for strengthening the spine and increasing its flexibility so that it can give way in defense yet spring back strongly to counter.

Gnan--or eyes--reminds you that you should see everything in all directions. You must be able to see your enemy clearly to recognize the openings he presents for attacking. You must also be able to see his movements clearly in order to defend yourself. You can determine what style of fighting your opponent has and develop your fighting strategy based on what you observe. If your opponent has high stances and quick footwork then he is probably a kicker. If he has strong, low stances then he is probably a strong puncher or even a ground fighter who likes to sweep his opponent. When you see that your opponent is weak in an area, attack that area. If he is strong in certain areas then avoid those areas. With a strong opponent it is best to avoid direct contact, sidestep and move in and out quickly while striking. Usually a direct attack is reserved for when you face a noticeably weaker opponent.

Yew refers to the waist which should be loose and flexible. This will enable the fighter to duck and slip punches easily, and return strikes with power. A strong and flexible waist is a sign of youthfulness and a hard, tight waist is a sign of old age. The waist is the center of the body (including the back and spine) and is central in the coordination of the hands and legs. Most kicking techniques rely on the position of the waist for direction and power. Hand techniques get their power from the turning of the waist combined with strong sturdy stances. Improving the condition of the waist will also improve the movement, coordination, and power of the fighter.

Elements of mu ying consist of chi, ging, sun, daom, and sic.
Chi can be broadly defined as a flowing energy that exists in everything and permeates the universe. Chi can be emitted by the human body to achieve certain effects, is subject to the regulation and influence of human thoughts and can be disturbed or influenced by emotions. Through practice, people can learn to utilize the universal energy that exists around and within them. This method is called gung. Chi and gung represent the effort placed on cultivating this energy and the power gained through such practice.
Chi Gung is the meditative component of Kung Fu and Tai Chi and is the most basic concept behind all highly developed martial arts systems. Chi can be either congenital or acquired. Congenital chi is with the individual from birth. It is passed from the mother to the child through the blood. Acquired chi is brought into the human form through contact with the environment through what we eat, drink, breath, think, etc.
Martial artists use the meditative aspects of chi gung to direct the Chi to various parts of the body to enhance their skills. They realize that physical power alone is limited. By controlling chi, movements are stronger, smoother, more direct and have greater impact. Energy is not wasted and one does not tire easily. Chi exists in all parts of the body and can be expanded to protect any area against physical attack and impact.
Cultivating virtue is an important aspect of Chi Gung. Virtue--or righteousness, integrity, honesty, decency-- allows the martial artist to access the source of the chi of chi gung. Chi contains substances and energies based on highly unified matter and spirit. Virtue determines our ability to access this source. The cultivation of mind and body in chi gung practice elevates the character of an ordinary martial artist into one of a noble-minded person, unlimited in his ability to accomplish great things.

Ging is present when a martial artist has developed the ability to direct his chi. Then his physical movements will have Ging. It is similar to electricity flowing through a wire: if the energy is not controlled it dissipates and becomes useless. Once it is controlled and refined then it becomes a powerful force. Ging is refined force. When you cannot control the movement and direction of your chi then your physical movements will not have Ging. Master Dean Chin said that when a fighter strikes fast and sharp like a falling star he has Ging. A fighter should look for the opportunity to strike his opponent before the opponent has the chance to think and direct his chi. This is when he is weakest because his physical movements will not have Ging.

Sun is a term used to describe a state of heightened or increased sensibility. When you are in tune with your environment and have the ability to perceive and predict your opponents actions, then you have sun. Your eyes are bright and sparkle with increased awareness and perceptive ability. You can not surprise or sneak up on a fighter with sun. He is hard to capture or contain because he is alert and ready, movements are quick and precise. It is as if the fighter has a sixth sense that will not allow another person to surprise him even if he is already engaged in combat with another opponent. Sun can only be obtained by getting proper rest, cultivating virtue, and concentrating totally on the task at hand. You cannot think about your sweetheart while practicing Kung Fu and expect to have sun. If you do not concentrate, you will not have the additional benefit of sun and you will have to rely only on the limitations of physical strength.

Daom--or fearlessness-- is essential for a fighter. Fear causes hesitation and doubt, and can paralyze you in a fight. A fighter will almost always lose if fear causes him to miss the opportunity to strike. When an opening appears you must strike without hesitation. Your attack must be fearless and ferocious. When you see or perceive fear in your opponent attack him relentlessly. The fighter without fear will probably beat the fighter who is fearful even if the fearful fighter is more skillful.

Sic--or knowledge--can give you an advantage over your opponent. Knowledge gives you the keys to understanding your opponent’s strengths and weaknesses, which is essential for knowing when and where to attack. Knowledge should determine your strategy for fighting different opponents, and what combinations of techniques to use. It will enable you to identify your opponents style, and by his movement to observe what techniques he is capable of executing best. Knowledge will allow you to anticipate your opponent’s attack and to trick him into making mistakes so that you will defeat him. Knowledge is recognizing the yow ying and mu ying in others as well as yourself.
Mastery of the yow ying and mu ying is essential for all good fighters, but does not come easily. Of course, fighting should not be the first method resorted to for resolving disputes. But if a fight cannot be avoided, then fight using the principles of yow ying and mu ying. Be ferocious, fearless, and relentless. Be flexible with your strategy. Use all combinations of hand and feet and direct your chi. Move quick and fast. Be firmly rooted in your stances. Strike quickly, accurately, ruthlessly, and with maximum power. Know yourself and your opponent. The fighter who studies the principles of yow ying and mu ying and can apply them will have a distinct advantage over one who has not.

Traditions are the thoughts, memories, actions, and practices that bind us together for the common good. They keep us connected to the past and as long as traditions live so will the memories of those who honored them and passed them on to us.

The family style or structure of a kung fu school is a tradition that treats every new member of the school as an addition to the family. The Sifu (father/teacher or master) is the head of the family and those that started before the new members are referred to as older brother or older sister. This structure encourages sharing and caring for each other and teaches members how to live in harmony with all types of people.

There is a tradition in most Jow Ga schools of intense training which we carry forward because of the positive way it shapes character. The rigors of training are understood as one of life’s lessons teaching us that ease comes only after hardship, accomplishment comes with struggle, and understanding of something becomes greater the more you become immersed into the subject. Tradition in the context of a kung fu school translates into accomplishment obtained through hard work and effort over a long period of time.

We greet each other as kung fu practitioners in a distinctive manner. We bow to each other by placing the right fist into the open left palm. This is done to show the other person that we recognize them as martial artist and that we have nothing to hide in either hand yet we remain poised and ready to defend ourselves.
There is much that can be said about the physical layout of the school and the alters and shrines where we recognize our kung fu lineage and honor the heroes of the past. These physical items act as anchors and guideposts rooted in the past and give us a sense of permanence.

However, times change and what was perceived yesterday as a valued tradition may have served it’s usefulness or may simply be out of step with where we find ourselves today. Many Kung Fu systems have their origins in small villages in China where the tradition was to exclude from teaching anyone who lived outside of the village or who was not a family member. Jow Ga Grandmaster Chan Man Cheung said that as a boy living in Guang Dong China he lived on the opposite side of a creek that separated his province from where the Jow Ga school was located. This caused him to be considered an outsider and therefor could not join the school. However his father was a follower of Jow Biu so he was admitted.

For years since it’s arrival in the United States kung fu was not taught openly to the public. However, with the enactment and enforcement of civil rights laws any commercial clubs that were closed to non-Chinese were now required by law to open their doors to everyone regardless of national origin.

When we see how kung fu has been embraced by all segments of the US population who enjoy and derive great benefit from it’s practice we can see that even some of the oldest and most firmly entrenched traditions may not be useful or appropriate today. We should constantly evaluate the past to ensure that we only carry forward the good. We should evaluate every tradition to be certain that it’s performance is something that strengthens, dignifies, and uplifts the individual and the community within the contemporary society.

Sankofa is an African (Akan) word and tradition that means we must go back and reclaim our past so we can move forward, so we understand why and how we came to be who we are today. This tradition is very helpful to me when planning the direction of my school and shaping it’s curriculum. During the summer of 2001 myself and 10 students from the Hung Tao Choy Mei Kung Fu Academy attended the Second International Zhou Jia Quan Kung Fu and Lion Dance Competition/Reunion in Penang Malaysia. One thing that was quite obvious was that some of the Jow Ga forms were similar in name only and their presentation was quite different coming from different countries. This observation was something I believed needed to be researched and understood.

Following the competition we visited schools in Hong Kong and Mainland China. One of the purposes of our visit was to act out the tradition of Sankofa. We wanted to go back and reclaim our Jow Ga past so we could understand how our Jow Ga in the United States and elsewhere became what it is today. We compared many of the forms and the techniques to what was being taught by those who were close to Jow Biu and asked many questions to try to understand the differences between our techniques and theirs and the reasons for those differences. What we found was that many of the teachers who studied with Jow Biu had many years of training in other styles before becoming his followers. After they left Jow Biu they combined techniques from their other styles with Jow Ga resulting in a different presentation of the original Jow Ga forms. Some teachers did not stay with Jow Biu long enough to absorb everything that he had to offer. The most common cause for differentiation however was the inevitable loss of integrity of the forms as they were passed from generation to generation. Following the tradition of Sankofa we now understand what happened in the past and why are kung fu looks the way it does today. The direction that we’ve taken from the lessons of this tradition is that we will now seek to reclaim what was lost when Jow Ga crossed the ocean to the United States and reattach ourselves to the original which continues to flourish in Asia.

While visiting schools in Hong Kong and Mainland China the importance of tradition became more obvious with each moment of our stay and with each place we visited. The most important traditions can be summarized in the first two lines of the popular poem found in most kung fu schools:
Respect the Founder, Respect the Teacher, Respect the Teachings
Learn Kindness, Learn Justice, and then Learn Kung Fu

The Jow Ga school in Nan Hai (China) has directed the building of a beautiful shrine to mark the grave site of the “Five Tigers”. The respect that is held for Jow Lung and his brothers by Jow Ga practitioners world wide is reflected in the beautiful shrine dedicated to the founders and built with the help of donations from Jow Ga men and women worldwide. The respect that is shown for the teachers and the teachings was obvious in the manner in which the teachers and students in Na Hai and every where we went in Guang Dong related to each other and in their beautiful presentations of Jow Ga kung fu. It was a humbling experience to observe the respect given to Grandmaster Jow Gum Bo and also to his son Master Jow Borong. The kindness that was shown to us made such an impression that our students said that it was one of the best times of their lives and an experience that they will never forget. We experienced the same type of brotherhood and respect while visiting in Hong Kong with Ho Lok Man’s sons and with young Master Derek Cheung who provided us with a wonderful banquet.

I mention these things because the most important traditions in Kung Fu are how we relate to and respect each other. The bows, salutes, titles, shrines, pictures, statues, artifacts, presentations and performances all have meaning and purpose. They are all important. However they cannot substitute for the tradition of kindness to each other, truthfulness with each other, compassion for each other, and most importantly respect for each other.

Good Evening,
We want to thank everyone for coming out tonight to join us once again at our annual banquet. This is a wonderful time for us. Our school is full of many talented students like those who demonstrated tonight, and our future is brighter than it’s ever been at any time in our short existence of just over seven years. So there is much for us to be thankful for. I’m extremely grateful for all of our family, friends, well wishers, and supporters who have joined us tonight. And of course I’m extremely thankful to Master Dean Chin who brought the Jow Ga style of kung fu, which we teach, here to the United States from Hong Kong back in the mid sixties.

Master Dean Chin made many contributions to the development of martial arts here in the United States. One of the most important of these in my opinion was that he opened doors in Hong Kong, China and throughout Asia, to all of his students in the West, to a view of real traditional kung fu and all that it encompasses, that few westerners were ever exposed or could even imagine. Now when we travel to Asia to train and study we’re immediately accepted. So each year I think that it’s appropriate to take a moment to remember him for his many contributions to us.

Each year we’ve taken a few moments to try and inform you about our vision for our academy and why we consider it to be a vital institution within the community. Tonight I would like to take a moment to continue this discussion by speaking briefly about the role of the traditional kung fu instructor or SiFu as he or she is called in the kung fu school and why it is so important that institutions like ours exist.

When we were in Hong Kong a few years ago we visited one of the schools founded by Jow Ga Grandmaster Jow Biu. Jow Biu was the teacher of Chan Man Cheung, Master Dean Chin’s teacher, and was one of the most famous kung fu masters of his time. There’s a large picture of Jow Biu prominently displayed on the wall, reportedly the last picture ever taken of him. The picture shows him receiving an award from one of the Government officials in Hong Kong for his community service. I think it’s fitting that this is how a great traditional kung fu master should be remembered, distinguished for his community service.

Another great traditional Kung Fu Master was a fellow named Wong Fie Hong. There’s a huge school and training center in Southern China built in his honor. Wong Fie Hong although extremely skilled in Kung Fu and Chinese medicine is best known as a patriot. His deeds as a righteous servant of the Chinese people are legendary and they’re a source of pride for martial artists all over the world.

Master Dean Chin, the Founder of Jow Ga kung fu here in the United States was a fixture in the Chinese community and used his influence and the respect that people had for him to help his friends here in Chinatown. Sifu Chin would regularly bring people of influence here and some would return to their jobs with the Washington Post or Washington Times and write favorable articles drawing more customers into the area helping it prosper.
The kung fu instructor in China from ancient times through today has always been a key figure in the community and Dean Chin brought this tradition along with him when he came to America.

We often speak of the importance of tradition in kung fu and we use the phrase traditional kung fu school quite a bit. But what do we really mean? What is the common thread or consistent set of values and philosophy and grand purpose that connects all of the so called traditional teachers of today and their schools, to the great traditional masters of the past and the foundations on which all of the great traditional schools of the past were built?

I hope that you will bear with me for just a few moments while I attempt to make it very clear to you, what I strongly believe is so important for you to understand about the traditional kung fu instructor and traditional kung fu school. Some of you who are not that familiar with the martial arts may be a little surprised at what you hear.

In 1910 Jow Lung the main founder of the Jow Ga Kung Fu system left his home in Southern China and ventured to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia seeking employment. He ran into difficult times and sought refuge in a Buddhist Temple to the north in Penang named Kek Lok Si or Temple of Paradise. While there he became the protégé of the Chief Abbott who was an expert in Northern Shaolin kung fu, herbal medicine and bone setting skills. The Abbott recognized the goodness in Jow Lung and determined that he had the makings of a true kung fu hero. He pressured Jow Lung to train and study and prepared him to go back into society and make a difference. During the nearly five years that Jow Lung spent at the Kek Lok Si Temple, he was educated, refined, and placed on the path of enlightenment. When Jow Lung left the temple in 1915 he went back to Kuala Lumpur, but he noticed that things seemed very different. Kuala Lumpor was the same but Jow Lung had changed. He decided to go back home to China.

When Jow Lung arrived back in his hometown of Safu Village in 1915 China was still reeling from the effects of the past half century. China suffered through two Opium Wars with the Western powers that left the country plagued with drugs. Only a few decades earlier 43 per cent of her foreign imports were opium and nearly 40 million people were addicts. This dreadful situation was compounded by civil war and continued foreign interference. This was the Warlord period. There was confusion, discontent, and very little opportunity. These were the some of the conditions and circumstances that brought about the establishment of many of what we call traditional kung fu schools-QUITE SIMPLY SURVIVAL. Recognizing the peoples suffering Jow Lung and his brothers decided to stand up and make a difference. They established the first Jow Ga Kung Fu School and appropriately named it Zhou Jia Quan Ren Ye Tang, or the Jow Family Hall of Morals and Justice. Within a few years over 100 Jow Ga schools were established by the five brothers serving the noble purpose of strengthening and uplifting the people in every community where they were established. In Shanghai the largest port of opium importation where opium dens flourished (that’s what they called crack houses in those days) and young people’s hopes and dreams vanished in puffs of smoke nearly 80 Jow Ga schools were established as a mercy to the people.

How were so many schools established in such a short period of time? This occurred because The Jow brothers Kung Fu organization appealed to thousands throughout Southern China longing for something that would pull them up out of their malaise and strengthen and uplift their communities, and provide for their well being. The men that stood with the Jow brothers could not possibly have mastered all the kung fu that the brothers had to offer in just a few years. However, the important thing was that they were first good men and because of that they became good Sifu’s or kung fu instructors.

LEARN KINDNESS, LEARN JUSTICE, AND THEN LEARN KUNG FU.

The work and reputations of the Jow Brothers, The Five Tigers, as kung fu heroes shone brilliantly in Southern China and they gained a tremendous following. Eventually, schools were established in Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam and all throughout Southeast Asia making Jow Ga one of the most popular kung fu styles in existence. When word reached Chian Yi, Jow Lungs mentor back at the Kek Lok Si temple of how the Jow Family Halls of Morales and Justice were spreading throughout Southeast Asia uplifting and strengthening the people, it’s reported that he offered no response. He took it in stride, it was meant to be. He knew how he had prepared his student Jow Lung. They say that several days later he was seen practicing kung fu in the same area in the temple where he used to train Jow Lung and for the first time in years the old monk was observed smiling.
The traditional kung fu instructor has always played an active role in the community offering guidance and instruction. The traditional kung fu schools that follow the righteous traditions established by Jow Lung, Jow Biu, Wong Fei Hong and Master Dean Chin are places within the community where lessons of character and responsibility are taught through the intense practice of the physical movements like those demonstrated tonight. What connects us to the great traditional masters and kung fu schools of the past is being mindful of the great work they performed and walking that same path by doing the work of uplifting and inspiring, strengthening and guiding, and sacrificing and suffering to establish something of great benefit and value to the community. That is what keeps us spiritually connected and in touch with the essence of the great traditional masters of the past and qualifies us and our schools to be cast in the mold of traditional kung fu Instructor and traditional kung fu School.
But all I want to do is learn how to fight. What are you afraid of?

Over in Baltimore last year a courageous woman took to the streets to reclaim her neighborhood from the drug dealers. She was in the streets leading the Orange Hat Patrol Sometimes she would go out by herself. Where were all the tournament fighting champions that punch through walls, and break concrete slabs over their heads, and come around with all their gold medals hanging from around their necks? Why was she out there alone? One night a misguided nineteen year old threw a fire bomb through her window as she and her family slept, killing her and five of her young children. Where were all these tough fighters that prance around with their gold medals while these negative forces run over our communities? They’ve used those concrete slabs to knock all the good sense and concern for their communities right out of their heads.

Now, let me shoot it to you straight as an arrow the reason why we exist.

The Hung Tao Choy Mei Kung Fu Academy following the great tradition established by the work of Master Dean Chin exists to strengthen and inspire the young people within our community. We exist to train our young men and women to face the reality of their lives and struggle everyday to make improvements. We exist to develop in our young people dynamic energy to propel them through life’s long journey and to encourage and nurture their creativity. We exist to work with and support the parents that bring us their children. We exist to support the schools, our elected officials, and community organizations in providing safer environments for learning and living in our city. This is our calling. This is why we exist. Zhou Jia Quan Ren Yi Tang, Jow Family Hall of Morals and Justice, not a play school, not a recreation center, not a weight reduction spa where you come to get a little tummy tuck or pursue those elusive buns of steel, consider that a byproduct of your training. No, the traditional kung fu school is a wonderful cultural treasure within the community whose purpose is to extract and refine the best part of the individual and place them on the path of self awareness, enlightenment, and supreme health and well being.
Many of you cannot recognize the importance of what we call a traditional kung fu school because many of you and your children’s basic survival needs have been met, and you think that kung fu is something strictly recreational, but consider this:

We have thirteen and fourteen year olds going to school strapped down with weapons killing the students and teachers and then turning the weapons on themselves. Each year in this country we spend more on illegal drugs then we do on food. You know that’s a lot when you check out some of these waist lines. Obesity among our young people is almost as bad a problem as drug and alcohol use. Here in Washington, DC our nation’s capitol 50% of our young men drop out of school before earning their high school diploma. We need more Zhou Jia Quan Ren Yi Tangs; we need more Jow Ga Halls of Morals and Justice. What’s being taught in the schools that will take the guns away from the children, the confusion out of their heads, put kindness back into their hearts, and help them regain their natural thirst for knowledge? Our children are not natural born killers or drug fiends, their just bored, unchallenged and in many cases abandoned, and they cry out in destructive ways.

The young students taking classes in all of these schools represented here tonight are the ones who will determine the quality of our lives in the future. Will we be governed by gangsters, corporate criminals, a generation of men and women lacking morals or ethics, sociopaths without conscience? Sluggards who can’t get out of bed or keep an appointment on time. Individuals who snicker at any mention of community involvement or participation. The leaders of tomorrow are sitting in our schools today looking to us for direction and guidance. What are we teaching along with the fighting techniques that will help prepare them for tomorrow?
For all the young men and women who don’t have a parent who can counsel and guide them, then we’re going to find them a Zhou Jia Quan Ren Yi Tang. They come in many names; Jow Ga Shaolin Institute is one, Jow Hop Kuen Kung Fu Academy is another. Let one of these a righteous Sifu’s be their father figure providing them with guidance and instruction. That is our mission here in Washington, DC and that is the service that we intend to provide, and must provide, actually it’s our duty to provide, to the many children growing up without parental guidance or protection. We’re going to attempt to reach as many children as we possibly can, not to coddle them but to open their eyes, stand them upright, make them fit and strong and get them ready for the positions in society that they will inherit.

To help us do this we’ve formed a new organization named the Hung Tao Choy Mei Leadership Institute, a nonprofit organization with 501(c)(3) designation, incorporated here in Washington, DC on March 7, 2003. The purpose of this organization is to train our young men and women for leadership roles awaiting them. We will use the martial arts and the lessons learned from the intense training to provide examples for them of the qualities of character needed to be effective leaders: perseverance, consistency, team building and team leading, time management, decision making, planning and problem solving, communicating effectively and building trust, diet and nutrition, personal hygiene, etiquette, preventive health care and alternative approaches to healing, just to name a few. We will use the age old tradition of master and apprentice as our major tool for developing the students who will be participating.

The Hung Tao Choy Mei Kung Fu Academy will continue to exist in its current organization structure. However, the Leadership Institute will assume the responsibility for publications such as the Hung Tao Choy Mei Journal, and an extensive line of educational products on the history of the martial arts in general and Jow Ga style specifically. We will pursue grants that will allow us to study how martial arts are used in the schools in different cultures to improve the health and performance of their students, and then develop models for us to use here in the United States. By organizing ourselves in this manner we will be able expand our capabilities in all areas. We intend to fashion ourselves in the manner of the great traditional kung fu schools of old and with your help and support establish in Washington, DC, on U St. NW, our own Zhou Jia Quan Ren Yi Tang, Our own Jow Ga Hall of Morals and Justice.
Thank you very much.

Good Evening

We thank everyone for coming out tonight to join us at our 2001 Annual Banquet. We hope that you enjoyed our presentations. These students are not paid professionals, but as you can see that has not stopped them from performing with the same high standards. We’re very proud of them and I’m very happy to know that all of the performances were taped so that I’ll have a wonderful new video that I can watch over and over again until we make another one next year. So thank you to all of the performers that made this event possible.
We’d like to thank all of our guests from out of town for your presence . We have friends and family members here from Boston, Massachusetts and Phoenix Arizona. We’d like to thank all of the teachers and students of the Jow Ga Kung Fu family for joining us here tonight. Your presence and your support are greatly appreciated.
Finally, all of the students and instructors of the Hung Tao Choy Mei Kung Fu Academy would like to thank our special guest, Mrs. Julie Soo Hung Koo, representing the Mayor from the Department of Asia/Pacific Islander Relations, for her inspiring presentation. And to our Guest of Honor, Congresswoman Mrs. Eleanor Holmes Norton, we thank you for taking the time to be with us tonight and for your words of wisdom and inspiration to our competition team, which will be leaving Washington, DC shortly for Penang, Malaysia, Hong Kong, and Mainland China.

This annual banquet serves several purposes. We wanted a venue for our students to display to their family and friends in a comfortable setting what it is that causes them to spend so much time at the kung fu school. We hope that by watching the performances you will realize that it takes considerable time and effort to develop the skill that was displayed tonight.

We also wanted to entertain you as a means to thank you for your support. We cannot continue to train with the same intensity unless we have someone to keep the medicine cabinet filled with pain relievers. We need someone to drive us to the hospital when we get injured or wake up in the middle of the night because every muscle in our body is inflamed. We need you to help us put our shoes on in the morning when our backs are so stiff we can’t bend over. We need to have special events for those of you who support us in our training, because we wouldn’t get very far without you.

This banquet is also to remember and to pay respect to Master Dean Chin, the founder of the Jow Ga kung fu system here in the United States. Why is this important? Because we only have a few great teachers in a lifetime and most of us who practice Jow Ga kung fu recognize him as one of the greatest of all of the Masters who left Hong Kong and Mainland China to settle here in the USA at a time when kung fu here in America was just beginning to be openly taught to the general public. We also recognize that when he began teaching here there was no one else who was qualified as a Jow Ga Sifu who could teach with his depth of understanding.
So it is our intention to honor Master Chin by presenting to you each year our best possible representation of the Jow Ga kung fu system that he brought to the United States over 30 years ago.

Another reason for our banquet is to inspire and motivate our students to use their acquired strength and power to be a positive influence in their communities. Just as important, we want to inspire our students to be bold enough and courageous enough to go out and make their personal dreams come true. Finally, tonight we would like to use this occasion to tell you a little about what makes us and other kung fu schools special. We believe that we offer something much more valuable than the physical demonstrations you just witnessed.

When you first enter our school and look straight ahead you see an alter with a large red frame above it. Hanging inside the frame are the pictures of the Jow Brothers, the founders of the kung fu system that bears their name, Jow Ga kung fu. Master Dean Chin’s picture is also on the alter. We refer to this alter as “the shrine” to the kung fu ancestors. To the right of the founders’ shrine is another shrine dedicated to the memory of General Kwan, who was a military hero during the Three Kingdoms period in Chinese history. He was recognized for his bravery, courage, righteousness and honor. When we enter the classroom we bow in salute to the alter to pay respect to the founders. Our salute should make us mindful of the values that are upheld and promoted in kung fu training.
Shortly after we opened the school, an independent film producer contacted us about using the school to shoot a TV show titled “The Secrets of the Warriors’ Power.” What is the secret of the warriors’ power? What is the secret of kung fu’s power?

When the Buddhist Monk Da Mo, the father of Shaolin kung fu, was summoned to see the Chinese Emperor, the Emperor tried to impress him by saying “look at all the beautiful temples that I’ve built throughout China to honor Buddha.” Da Mo shook his head and replied “I’m not impressed.” Why did Da Mo think so little of the Emperor’s remarks? I can answer these questions after I explain what the school means to me.
The shrine of the founders is supposed remind us of the sacrifices our kung fu ancestors made in order to preserve the art so we can practice it today. Jow Biu was born in 1899, when China was ruled by an Emperor. He was forced to temporarily leave his homeland during the Japanese occupation and later managed to preserve his kung fu organization through the period of civil unrest that occurred when Chairman Mao established the Chinese Communist Party.

When we look at General Kwan’s shrine we should remember and reflect upon the great virtues of honor, bravery, respect, loyalty, and especially humility. These are important qualities for every martial artist. There are others who embodied these qualities who also inspire me.

Sometimes I take the metro to the school and get off at 7th and U street and then walk the six blocks to the school. When I first get off the metro I look toward 2nd street Northwest. This is where my grandparents bought their first house back in the 1920's and where they raised my mother and her sister. Down the street is where my mother attended Dunbar High School. Right near 7th and Florida Ave. is where my father had a small store as a young man. I can’t help but think about the sacrifices my grandparents made during the difficult times of the 1920's, 30's, and 40's, trying to make a way for themselves and their children.

As I walk down U street toward the school I pass the African American Civil War Soldiers Museum. On the wall of the museum is a letter from a soldier to his wife. He wrote: “I know that I will probably be killed in battle but my life is the sacrifice I eagerly make so that you and our children will know the sweet taste of freedom.”

When I read this and look at the beautiful statue of the soldiers and their families a surge of energy shoots through my body and gives me a sense of pride and strength. I feel that the words of that soldier are being spoken to me. As I turn to walk away I feel that he continues to speak to me saying “I know that you are tired and feel worn down, but think about us and we will give you the strength to persevere.”

As I continue down U street I come across the Bohemian Caverns Nightclub and The True Reformer Building. The Bohemian Caverns was one of the many U street nightspots that were the talk of Washington DC in the 1930's, 40's, and 50's. Duke Ellington lived a block away from where our school is located and played his first paid gig in the True Reformer Building. Pearl Baily also got her first signing gig on U street. As I walk past these places where so much of the creative genius of this country was nourished and showcased I realize that I have that same creative spark in me and that I would not be fair to myself or to my students if I did not push myself and them to allow our own genius to be realized through our chosen art form.

Now that Kung Fu has been with us here in America and openly taught for several decades, it is time for us to go back and show our brothers in Asia how our creativity has developed something out of our American culture that the martial arts world can be proud of.

Continuing down U St. to 12th and U I see the historic 12th St. YMCA. This was the nation’s first full-service YMCA for African Americans. It was designed by Sidney Pittman, the son-in-law of Booker T. Washington. President Teddy Roosevelt laid the cornerstone in 1912. This is where Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall spent much of his time as a young lawyer designing legal strategies for the civil rights movement.

As I continue down U St. toward the school all of this history feeds my soul and spirit and I get stronger with each step. When I climb the stairs and enter our school I see a picture of myself in the city of Medina, Saudi Arabia, making the Pilgrimage to Mecca. To Muslims, Mecca and Medina in Saudi Arabia and Jerusalem are considered the Holy Lands. But then I look out the window back down U Street, the street where my mother and father walked as a young couple, the place where much of the creative genius of African Americans flourished in this country, where the brilliant generals of the civil rights movement formed their legal strategies to liberate this country from darkness and division, the place where I now have a school and share a soulful and spiritual experience with my students whenever we train, the place where I feel connected to the values of my ancestors and the contributions they made to make this country great, to me there is no holier ground than these few blocks of U street. The memories that come to me when I walk down this street inspire and empower me and make my presentation of kung fu a spiritual experience. When I’m teaching, I’m not just giving the students words from my mouth or conveying instruction with body language and movement. I attempt to touch each and every one of them with the best and purest part of my soul in the hope that they will feel as empowered as I feel.

This is spiritual kung fu. This to me is true kung fu. This is the kung fu of Jow Lung, Jow Biu, and Dean Chin. This is the kung fu that makes us feel connected to them whenever we teach or practice. This is the Kung Fu that keeps us coming back through the pain and exhaustion. Dean Chin’s Jow Ga kung fu was much more than just an exercise program or a sport, it was a powerful system of physical, mental, and spiritual development that demanded hard work and sacrifice to obtain the desired result.

When I reached Mecca I stood inside the great Mosque called Al Harem, right in front of the Holy Kaaba. However, I had only reached the physical, geographic Mecca. I realize now that Mecca is a condition of the heart and soul when it is purified to the extent that it can harbor no wickedness, unrighteousness, selfishness, or impure thought of any kind. There is no confusion or self-doubt in Mecca. When your heart and soul are purified to this extent, then as a Muslim you have arrived in Mecca.

Just as I realized that I had only reached the physical Mecca, it is also possible to only experience the mere physical practice of kung fu. We can practice the forms and the fighting and lion dancing and impress the judges at the tournaments with our great skill and beautiful presentations, but that alone does not make our kung fu complete. These practices only guide us on the path of becoming complete martial artists. My practice of kung fu is to allow me to challenge and push myself to strengthen my will and to reach inside myself to discover how I can become a better, more enlightened individual.

I know for me Mecca is still a long journey down the road. However, I believe that as a teacher, if I can reach out to each and every student who comes through the door and greet them like they’re a beloved member of my own family, and teach them and treat them as I would like to be taught and treated, then Mecca will appear much closer and I will be able to say that I’m now completing my pilgrimage.

When you recognize that you can be empowered by the spirit of your personal as well as your kung fu ancestors and make a conscious effort every moment of the day to put into practice the great and noble virtues of honor, bravery, sacrifice, and perseverance, then you can say that you are practicing spiritual kung fu. And I’m sure that you’ll also be able to say that the world is a much nicer place.

This is the complete secret of the warriors and kung fu’s power. Become rooted as we say all the time in class. Rooted in the greatness of your past and sprout up strong and righteous in the present and then chart a course that leads towards a brighter future for all of your brothers and sisters, whether in the Martial Arts or some other endeavor of your choice.

When Da Mo told the Emperor that he was not impressed with the temples and monuments he was saying that no spiritual person is ever impressed by the external because it is the internal--the eternal--that matters most.
When we begin to accumulate trophies and the medals and win the praise of our kung fu brothers and sisters let us remember that it is the internal quality of humility that will be one of the most important in determining our greatness and whether we will be respected and remembered or quickly forgotten.

So now we are on our way to Malaysia, Hong Kong, and Mainland China, empowered by our kung fu ancestors as well as our family ancestors. We’re inspired by the words of our elected officials and we have the support of all of you wonderful people here tonight. As leader of the Hung Tao Choy Mei Kung Fu Academy, I can say that our school is truly blessed. Thank you all once again for your support and we hope to see you all again next year.
Thank you.

The Kung Fu school is a place where courage is fostered and the strength of the will and spirit is developed through hard work and effort. It is the place where discipline and the practice of respect and courtesy must be the most important thing in mind.

1. Bow when entering or leaving the classroom.
2. Bow to all instructors and assistant instructors
3. Bow to the Shrine of the founders
4. Respect the Shrines and do not bump into them while training.
5. Refer to the Chief Instructor as Sifu.
6. Refer to other instructors as Si Hing or Si Ji or Teacher.
7. Be on time for class. Arrive early and take responsibility for quietly stretching and warming up, with no loud talking. If the class has started hold your horse stance at edge of the classroom until the instructor signals you to enter the class with a bow.
8. Do not leave the classroom without the instructor's permission.
9. No eating, drinking, or chewing gum during class.
10. Do not wear jewelry in class during training.
11. Your uniform must be clean and complete with shirt, sash, pants, and shoes.
12. Do not teach other students unless you have been asked to do so by an instructor.
13. Do not teach others outside of this school.
14. Do not be boastful, belligerent, or a show-off with your Kung Fu.
15. Practice without interruption, pay attention to what your instructor is teaching and when told to work on a particular technique practice only that without variation.
16. Do not handle a weapon if you are not training on that weapon's form. The one exception is that students may use swords for holding horse stance practice.
17. Courtesy and respect must be shown to all instructors and students. Arguing with instructors will not be tolerated and if you do so you will be asked to leave the school. Students must control their tempers, develop discipline, and remain humble.
18. Students fighting with or touching other students inappropriately will be dismissed from the school.
19. Accept your instructor's assessment of your skill and readiness for advancement without resentment. Do not pester your instructors for additional instruction.
20. Students should not crowd instructors when they practice but should allow them their space.
21. Any personal matters to be discussed with your instructors should be addressed after class or by appointment. The instructors must focus on the day's lesson before each class and should not be distracted.
22. Any remarks of a racial or sexual nature that show a lack of sensitivity will not be tolerated.
23. There should be no flirtation, sillyness, or overly casual behavior among students during training or during those times when we are participating in events as representatives of HTCM.
24. Take pride in your school and lend a hand to clean up when you can.
25. Always bow to your partner before and after sparring.
26. Students should only act as official representatives of HTCM when asked to do so by the Chief Instructor and should never send out letters that are not presented on HTCM official stationary and stamped with the school seal.
27. Tuition should be paid on time. Do not ask your instructors to keep track of what you owe.
28. Students are expected to take personal responsibility for their own training and progress and should develop drills from what they've learned in class for their practice.

EXPECTATIONS
Expectations flow in both directions. There are expectations that we have of the Instructors who are responsible for directing our development. There are also expectations that instructors have of students in order that they can progress through the program and realize their goals in the Martial Arts and specifically in the Jow Ga style of Kung Fu.

Students' Expectations:
Instructors should be teachers and trainers. They must be knowledgeable and fit (conditioned). Instructor should have a plan for each class which can be adapted for who is in class for that day. Instructors should only teach what they know. Instructors should begin classes on time and keep them moving until the class is over. Instructors should try to work one on one occasional with each student (difficult). Instructors must be very careful of what you say because it weighs very heavily on the students. Try to use words that encourage and inspire, No put downs. WORDS ARE LIKE ARROWS. THEY GO STRAIGHT TO THE HEART. Every student is important. Every student comes with a willingness to learn and high expectations.

Instructors' Expectations:
Students should be on time. Understand that each instructor may have a slightly different approach to delivering the same subject matter. Be humble and come prepared to learn what we have to offer which is Jow Ga Kung Fu. We are a Kung Fu school, not a boxing gym, wrestling or grappling school, or kick boxing class. You should develop a home practice to train repeatedly on what you learn in class. This is the way to advance your skill. Be prepared to work hard and be focused totally on your Kung Fu training when your in class. Stay focused on what your instructors are teaching while your in class and don't strike up conversations with other students about other matters. Be consistent and don't just come to the open classes. Everyone needs to have their technique (forms) reviewed.

CLASS STRUCTURE

1. All classes should begin on time.
2. Classes should flow from beginning to end with some rhythm and purpose.
3. Begin with warm ups and light stretching move by degrees to highest level of intensity and then cool down.
4. Each class should:
   
   a. Have a theme, purpose, plan, lesson.
   
   b. Include stretching, stance work, student contact, free time to work on forms/techniques, and forms review.
   
   c. Study the forms and take out of them what you find that is useful and include these things in your lesson plans. Develop your own drills. Stay true to Jow Ga.
   
   d. Begin to teach the students new parts of the forms so they can move forward. Traditionally, it's seven movements per class.

We urge all Hung Tao Choy Mei family members to support all of the Jow Ga schools listed below, in all that they do of good to promote Jow Ga Kung Fu.

United States of America
Jow Ga Kung Fu of the USA
Sifu Hoy K. Lee
http://www.jowga.com

Jow Ga Shaolin Institute
Sifu Hon Lee & Sifu Reza Momenan
http://www.jowgashaolin.com

Chan's Kung Fu School
Sifu Sam Chan
http://www.chanskungfu.com

Jow Ga Kung Fu
Sifu Charles Middleton
http://www.jowgakuen.com

Jow Ga Kung Fu Athletic Association
Sifu Derek Johnson
http://www.jowtigers.com

Sacramento, California
Typhoon Martial Arts
Sifu Maurice Gatdula
http://www.typhoonma.com

Milpitas, California
Shaolin Chow Gar
Yun Yee Tong
Sifu Thomas Tang
http://www.yunyeetong.us

San Jose, California
Joi Ying Shaolin Chow Gar
Sifu Vinh Luu
http://www.joiying.com

Canada
Chi Tao Li Kung Fu
Sifu Li
Montreal
http://www.chitaolikungfu.com

Germany
Shaolin Hung Choy
Sifu Frank Greinacher
http://shaolin-hung-choy.de

Nip Kwang Ying Yong Tang
Sifu Seet Chor Thong
http://yingyongtang.de

Australia
Australian Jow Ga Kung Fu Academy
Sifu Randy Bennett
http://jowga.com.au

Brisbane Kung Fu and Tai Chi Centers
Sifu Tom Lo
http://www.tomlo.com/kungfutaichi/awards

Shaolin Chow Ka Kung Fu School WA
Sifu Patrick Long
http://shaolinchowka.com/home

Lam Tu Luan Kung Fu School
Sifu Lam Tu Luan
http://www.lamtuluankungfu.com

Red Dragon Kung Fu
Sifu Brett Fenton
http://www.reddragon.com.au

Singapore
Zhong Wai Zhou Jia Quan Association
Sifu Lee Kum Yuen
http://www.geocities.com/zhoujiasg

South Africa
South African Jow Ga Raymond Keung Kung Fu Association
Sifu (Raymond) Keung Kwok Ping
http://www.jowga.co.za

Community Partners

ROOT Organization
Mr. Kenneth Barnes Sr.
http://www.rootinc.org

Vietnamese American Community Service Center
Ms. Hien Vu
http://www.vacsc.org