Discovery!

Its always fun talking to people and making friends. Today I met a 71 years old uncle at my class in SS2. We started talking and he started telling me stories his grandfather told him when he was small. There were stories about Hung Hei Kwun (the founder of Hung Kuen), Fung Sai Yuk, the five ancestors of Shaolin (Ng Mui, Jee Sim, Miu Hin, Pak Mei and the other guy who's name I can never remember), the five families (Hung, Lau, Choy, Li and Mok) and a host of names I cannot remember due to my very little knowledge in Cantonese.

But, one story caught my attention. The uncle told me he grew up in Kuala Pilah and he had many friends and relatives in Bahau. He said in Bahau there is an interesting style which they named "Nam Pai Tai Kik" or simply put "Southern Taijiquan". The master was a person named Lee. The style's lineage can be traced to Leung Yi Tai, Wong Wah Boh and the Red Boat, the 2 most important persons under Yip Man's Lineage!!!

This uncle knows about Hong Kong Wing Chun and he thought that I'm teaching that style. He said that the Southern Taiji's Chi Sau is very different from Hong Kong and their primary weapon is called "Mui Fa Kuan". Their forms are called Siu Lim Tao and some other Chinese name that I cannot remember.

Man am I EXCITED!!!! If we can trace this style we might be able to see the Wong Wah Boh and Leung Yee Tai Lineage before it came to Hong Kong and called Hong Kong Wing Chun.

If any of you who read this blog ever came across this style, please contact me. I'm told that some of the practitioners are living in Cheras while the family of Sifu Lee might still be in Bahau. Please allow me to look for you. Please share the art you have so it can be preserved and transfered to the next generation. Thank you!!!

Where to find Wing Chun Class in Malaysia!

Recently I read a forum in PJNet titled "Looking for Wing Chun class". A group advertised themselves as "The only Ip Man Ving Chun in Malaysia" and that started a big argument on the net which later became a big game of I accuse you of this and that. Even my organization was accused! Hahaha...

First things first. You are ALL giving martial artist a bad name. Everybody accusing everybody else and no one listening to each other. That's not the martial artist way!

For those wanting to find Wing Chun classes, my dear friends Chow Wai Yip (www.pendekars.com) and Jon Dep (A student of Ken Lau. Ken Lau is a certified instructor of Grandmaster Ip Chun's Wing Chun in Singapore. Check out http://www.geocities.com/wingchun_sg/) conducts a Wing Chun meetup session in either Taman Rimba Kiara in Taman Tun Dr. Ismail, PJ. or in Jalan Klang Lama almost every Saturday. There, wing chun practitioners of almost every school in Kuala Lumpur goes to practice with each other without prejudice. No politics (nobody saying theirs is the best) and no animosity.

Currently, among others, we have students from Grandmasters Stephen Chan, Wong Shun Leong, Leung Shung, Ip Chun lineages come by. All these grandmasters are respected Ip Man students. This is why, I try to join as much as my time and resources allow. The students are great, friendly and very good at what they do.

However, there have not been students from "The only Ip Man Ving Chun" group come yet. My only hope is they come soon to practice, share and if there are people who come to look for wing chun classes, they can market themselves there.

For information, checkout the following sites: Both groups are on facebook.

The Malaysia Wing Chun/Ving Tsun Kuen Study Group／大馬,馬來西亞詠春网络

Fellowship Of Malaysia Wing Chun 马来西亚永春拳术研究会

So Malaysians don't despair! There are many Yip Man students practicing and teaching here in Malaysia! Join the groups and come to the meet ups! You won't regret it!

P/S: I'm not doing myself much good here promoting other wing chun. Hope sifu don't mind. But, I love my friends and I love ALL martial arts (wing chun especially! and among wing chun, Yip Kin wing chun especially! hehe).