Hidden treasure in a heart of Tainan , teacher Hong Guo Rong

I fell in love with Chinese martial art since early childhood . I loved Hong Kong movies and enjoyed reading stories about heroes of the ancient times and modern fighters . To my disappointment ,kung fu school in my country could not be found . Much later I’ve found “wing chun” school and some time after I have started to learn “original wing chun” , but that is another story . For a long time I wanted to learn White Crane and White Eyebrow styles , unfortunately ,at the time in my country and whole Europe ,only wing chun style could be found so I practiced what I could for a long time.

I came to Taiwan not knowing how lucky I was , there is no better place for kung fu addict like my self . At first all my time was dedicated to Wing Chun training , I had to start everything from the beginning and 3 years later I finally achieved what I always wanted , I have completed and fully understood the style .

At the time I’ve moved to Tainan from Taipei and my childhood wish appeared again. Since there is no White Eyebrow school in Tainan my focus was on finding White Crane school . That was no easy task , I have contacted some people , visited some schools but it just didn’t feel right . For more than a year I’ve practiced Baji quan. Baji is a great art and people there are even better , I really enjoyed my time there but my working hours changed so I had to quit .

        One day I was reading about Mantis style school I wanted to visit and accidently found a name of White Crane teacher. His location is near my place so I asked my wife to make a call and ask can I visit him . He agreed and we went one Saturday . After 20 minutes ride we stopped in front of the hardware store. My father had a hardware store and this place reminded me at home. Behind the counter there was a man with a big smile who escorted us to the 4 th floor where the training hall is. That man was Hong Guo Rong , White Crane teacher who had my sympathies from the moment I saw him. We talked for a while and I saw all of his students were adults , people close to my age so I asked will he accept as a student . to accept me as student.He agreed and my training started.

Soon I realized this place was right place for me . There is only couple of students and they are all nice. Training atmosphere is relaxed and totally positive. It is obvious how much they love White Crane. They treat each other like a family .

Hong Guo Rong

Teacher Hong is totally different from all other kung fu teachers I’ve met. He is just an ordinary man, modest ,humble and quiet. He doesn’t attract attention, his behavior is just the opposite, he doesn’t want any. No one would ever guess he is one of the best kung fu teachers I’ve ever met, and I met a lot of them. He is a true master of the art. I am a beginner and I do not know much about white crane, but my Wing Chun is not bad and I have some skill. We touched hands and I felt his skill, he is so much better than me, his skill left me speechless .Like I said ,he is true master of the art .

As a teacher, master Hong is very strict, every little detail must be perfect. I know some teachers who insist on details but this is very different. While people who insist on details and precision usually try to hide their own incompetence and lack of knowledge , teacher Hong explains why is so important to do things in a certain way. Every detail has its purpose and martial usage, every detail is a piece of the puzzle or more precisely, piece of the White Crane fighting engine. Piece by piece , teacher Hong methodically builds students skill . Deepest foundation of the skill is knowledge understanding, everything is perfectly logical and can be explained and demonstrated to the smallest detail. Everything fits together perfectly , from completely physical part of training to Qi gong practice , all those things build a complete art , efficient and effective , not only in a combat sense but also in a sense of keeping a good shape and maintaining good health.

  

Ancestor altar 

Teacher Hong has 40 years of martial experience , as a young man , he started to practice Tai Chi and followed his teacher for 10 years. At the age of 30 he started to practice Zonghe quan. Today he has more than 30 years experience in White Crane.

Teacher Hong with his teacher and kung fu brothers

When I asked teacher Hong why he accepted me as a student he said , you want to learn ,so I will teach you , simple as that. Teacher Hong believes kung fu belongs to everyone. Well , not to everyone ,he is very strict in selection of students. Only people with highest moral and ethical standards standards can be accepted as his students.

Teacher Hong's lineage tree and a table with his students names 

Over the years teacher Hong had only a handful of students. When I asked him why he said ,people toady have no patience , they want to learn some fancy moves quickly , no one is prepared to spend several hours practicing basics every day until these movements become person’s second nature . Real kung fu requires dedication , hard work and deep understanding.

        Teacher Hong’s school cannot be found on internet , there is no advertising , actually no one in Tainan knows about his school. He is happy to teach small group of dedicated people who really love the art and enjoy in every second of training .

I needed a lot of time and help from my club classmate to convince teacher Hong to allow me to write about him. Zonghe quan is a rare and beautiful art , and teacher Hong is a rare pearl among kung fu teachers, a person who really deserves to be known for his vast knowledge and even more for his extraordinary personality. 

My kung fu story

Story about my kung fu practice published in Tainan newspaper

 

http://www.cdns.com.tw/20141201/news/nxyzh/733600002014102820585456.htm 

Deadly finger

Famous Taiwanese master od Monkey boxing brought his students of who one was a westerner, to visit another kung fu master who lived on a farm near Keelung city in North Taiwan . Master’s name was Chen Ching-Chan and he possessed a skill which falls in the category of esoteric arts and it is hard to believe in such things. If this story came from any other source I would not believe it , but the witness of this event had great credibility as a martial artist and a man who put a great effort to separate truth from the myth in Chinese martial arts .

After the was served , old master put the fuel oil on his right index finger and lit it and let it burn for a while. His right index finger was much shorter the one on the left hand and was knobbly, rough and a bit twisted. After the oil burnt out he put the wine on the finger and hold it in a flame of the candle until it became black . When he finished the procedure he touched one of the visitors and he jumped from pain. Next , he put more wine on the finger and without prior burning he lightly drew a line on visitors back , the skin immediately became red and slightly swallowed . Old man refused to show any combat usage of the finger , nor he wanted to show how techniques and training necessary for the development of this skill . He killed a man in fight 15 years prior to this event and decided not show any combat techniques or any skill which would lead to development of this odd skill .

It is hard to believe in this story , especially for the westerner who base his opinion on science and critical thinking . On the other hand event is a clear sign that there is much more in Chinese kung fu than most people are ready to accept .

Taiwanese masters 1- Cheng Man-Ching

Professor Cheng Man-Ching (1902-1975) is one of the most significant Taiwanese martial arts teachers of modern times. Many regard Cheng Man-Ching as the man who brought Tai Chi and Chinese philosophy to the West. He was not only a remarkable martial artist but also an accomplished painter, poet, scholar and doctor of Chinese medicine . Because of his skills in these five areas he was often referred to as the "Master of Five Excellences.

As a child he suffered from a head trauma and was in coma for a short time . To regain his motor abilities he was sent to calligraphy classes and soon he started to practice painting. He studied painting with with Prof. Wang Hsiang-Ch’ian . In 1913 he moved to Shanghai and continued his studies with well known artist Chang Kwong-Hong in Shanghai. In 1916 he to Hangchou where studied painting, poetry, and calligraphy with several prominent teachers if the time .In 1919 he moved to Beijing to finish his studies and soon after he started his academic career at Yu-Wen University where he taught poetry . In 1922 he became a professor of Chinese Ink Painting at the Peking Academy of Fine Arts and 3 years later he taught at National Chi-Nan University and served as Director of painting Department of Shanghai School of Fine Arts.

At that time Cheng developed a chronic lung condition and a local doctor suggested that he take up Tai Chi to remediate his condition. He Studied T’ai Chi Ch’uan with Yang Cheng-Fu for seven years . He also started studies of traditional Chinese medicine with Dr. Sung You-an. Additionally, he achieved mastery of traditional gynecology, and orthopedic medicine.  

In 1949 he moved to Taiwan and continued his career as a physician and as a teacher of his t'ai chi ch'uan form, as well as actively practicing painting, poetry, and calligraphy. He published Cheng's 13 Chapters of T'ai Chi Boxing in 1950 . He started the Shih Chung T'ai Chi Association in Taipei and he was one of the first Chinese martial teachers who accepted and taught foreigners. As much as he left a strong impact on Taiwanese martial arts his work in the area of classical arts , mostly painting is more important. He was on of the most important figures in foundation of the Republic of China Fine Arts Society .He was a head of the Chinese Painting and Calligraphy Exhibition and was elected as a lifetime professor at the College of Chinese Culture.

In 1964, Cheng moved with his family to the United States, where he taught at the New York T'ai Chi Association

In 1967 in collaboration with Robert W. Smith, and T. T. Liang, Cheng published "T'ai Chi, the Supreme Ultimate Exercise for Health, Sport and Self-defense,". He wrote over a dozen other books on a variety of subjects, including the I Ching, the Tao Te Ching, the Analects of Confucius, books of poetry, essays, medicine, and art collections.

He returned to Taiwan in 1974 and passed away a year later .

Cheng saw Tai Chi as an embodiment of natural laws and as a path of human growth – a way to live, a way of finding meaning, balance and peace and he taught his students in that manner. He was one of the first Chinese teachers who came to the west and openly taught his art, not to mention he taught foreigners much before famous Bruce Lee .Cheng Man-Ching was open minded and he changed his art making it easier for practice and understanding . Through his martial art school and his painting he introduced to the west all the treasures of classical Chinese culture , philosophy and art . He laid a foundation for all the Taiwanese martial artist who later came to the west and spread traditional Chinese martial arts 

Bobby Gabershek - everthing is Wing Chun

Everything is Wing Chun , even tactical military training including shooting , special forces training ,antiterrorist tactics ect. These words came from one of the most skilled and most knowledgeable martial artist and military instructors of modern times – Bobby Gabersek. Bobby came to Taipei last week to conduct a CQB seminar . We’ve met after he finished teaching for the day and stayed talking and me learning till late night. He brought his vast knowledge and excellent martial /military/combat approach to the group of very good, young Taiwanese combat enthusiasts .

Let’s say couple of words about Bobby’s experience .   

Božidar Bobby Gabershek started his martial career in early 70's with Karate and Jujutsu in which he has black belt and he won several competitions .After completion of University studies he had started his military career where he served in Special Operations Unit, Counter Terrorist Unit, and as Intelligence officer .He achieved military rank - lieutenant . After military service her served in Special Police Unit and Dignitary Protection Unit . Parallel with his military and police career Gabershek constantly improving his martial ,weapon and tactical skills in a large range of  different areas . In 1978 He was one of the first Europeans who studied Chinese martial arts , several years later he became first European who achieved Master level in Traditional Wing Chun Kung Fu style . In 1997 Gabershek moved to Australia .In Australia he started his work on development of new approach to close quarter combat . His work along with work of several other experienced martial artists and military veterans become foundation of modern close quarter combat .

                                       Bobby Gabershek

Today Božidar Bobby Gabershek is Director and Head Instructor of CQB group international . Organization have training centers in Australia , U.S.A. and Thailand . CQB group international offers different kinds of training courses and security

services .

http://www.cqbgroup.co.th/

As a practitioner of traditional Chinese martial arts I have no interest in modern military training , I have experienced war in its worst and I had enough of that for  life. On the other hand I was really surprised when Bobby said modern military approach is no different from Wing Chun, a traditional Chinese martial style. At the time when Wing Chun was invented by the members of Cantonese opera trope , it has same purpose as modern CQB approach . Wing Chun can be considered as CQB of it’s time. Same basic principles of efficiency and effectivity applies now as they applied 150 ago. Weapons changed but people , their physical and mental abilities stayed the same . Same rules and same approach to close quarter combat can be applied in any given time with any given weapon.

I have never thought about this subject but it is so obvious that Bobby is right. It is interesting how one traditional martial style started his journey in Foshan 150 years ago , went to Hong Kong where it fell  into a hands of young Serbian military officer who modernized it , made an excellent tool for modern day military and police needs and then returned it to the people who actually invented the art .

Bobby significantly changed my martial arts perspective and the most praised moment was when he called me his student , it is a great honor to be called that from one of the best martial artist of today

                                              Bobby and me 

Drunken kung fu

 “Drunken kung fu” , well known style of fighting among kung fu practitioners and fans of kung fu movies. This method of fighting was allegedly invented by the Shaolin monks in order to protect themselves from bandits when they returned to the monastery drunk at night . Many famous masters and “grandmasters” ffrom Hong Kong taught and still teach “drunken style” . among others Leung Ting is one of the most famous .

The truth is , drunken style was invented in the early 70’s by Shaw brothers studio and actor, filmmaker, choreographer and martial artist Lau Kar Leung .

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lau_Kar-leung

Before Bruce Lee’s time kung fu was unknown on the west ,after his untimely death kung fu had an unprecedented expansion, everything and anything that has any connection to kung fu was “swallowed without chewing” in huge quantities. Hong Kong movies were and unfortunately remained the primary source of information about the Far East and kung fu in general. Great number of people, influenced by Bruce Lee movies and later all other movies produced by Hong Kong were rushed to the East, demanding to be taught “kung fu “ they saw in those movies , and they got exactly what they were looking for. Drunken kung fu is the best example of actual impact of the Eastern cinema on Western view of Chinese culture and kung fu history and development . In the absence of real information, people just accepted what ever movie was show in those movies without a bit of a critical thinking and logic. Interesting thing is , Hong Kong movies shaped not only the western view on kung fu but also did that on the east almost as much as it was on the west. 

In one oft the latest interviews Lau Kar Leung told an interesting story about the creation of many kung fu styles . After kung fu craze begun and all traditional stories , legends and styles were “depleted”, under the pressure of great demand for new ideas and stories movie directors started to create purely fictional kunf fu styles with following histories . Many of these fictional styles became so popular that people started to search teachers who could teach them “drunken kung fu” “Golden Feniks” and others. Drunken kung fu became so popular that today can be found in Shaolin monastery practiced by monks.  

  That is the truth about drunken kung fu , it never existed before 1970”s . Monks do not drink , alcohol is forbidden in monasteries . I have never seen drunk Buddhist monk and I know a quite a few . Everybody know how alcohol influence body and mind. Drunk person cannot even walk , fighting and performing complicated body movements which require precise body mechanics , under the influence of alcohol is impossible . Still, many people believe in ancient Shaolin drunken kung fu .

Shaolin between myth and realty

I believe there is no martial artist today who haven’t heard about Shaolin monastery.

Frequent topic of martial arts films, source and subject of many legends, a place that many kung fu styles consider as their place of origin , Shaolin has a special place, not only in the kung fu, but among everyone who are involved in martial arts. Before I start I want to sat this article is based on research of one of the most important kung fu masters of the modern era, unfortunately almost unknown in the West, Tang Hao. This remarkable man was first who laid the foundations of modern, scientific approach in kung fu training back in the early 20 th century. He laid the foundations of modern MMA, he was one of the first who incorporated western boxing in his personal training as well as in the training of the Chinese army. He fought against  superstition, advocated training based on constant sparring and exchange with other styles. He was the first person who conducted real historical and archaeological research under the the criteria of modern science ,exploring origin of the various kung fu styles. He tirelessly worked to break the misconceptions and myths. He developed bayonet training for the Chinese army . This remarkable man and a remarkable master devoted his entire life to promotion and modernization of kung fu

Let’s now go back to Shaolin monastery. The legend, more or less known to everyone states that Iin 495 AD, the Indian monk Ba Tuo, came to China teaching a form of Buddhism known as Xiao Sheng Buddhism. He was given land at the foot of Shaoshi mountain by Emperor Shao Wen and founded the Shaolin Temple on this land. Some years later the third son of an Indian king left his homeland and journeyed  from South India to China. Eventually arriving near the famous Shaolin temple, it is said he sat in meditation facing a wall for nine years. Suitably impressed with his great spiritual power and discipline, the monks at the temple asked him to teach them his methods for gaining enlightenment. He began to teach them the Chan (later Zen) method of seated meditationin 526 CE. Upon gaining entrance to Shaolin, Bodhidharma observed that the monks were weak and could not complete the demanding meditation routines that they should have been practicing. Like himself, the monks often fell asleep while meditating due to fatigue, and for this reason, could not achieve inner peace. Bodhidharma created an exercise program for the monks that strengthened their bodies and could be used in self-defense. Bodhidharma's primary concern was to make the monks physically strong enough to withstand both ,their isolated lifestyle and the deceptively demanding training that meditation requires. Nonetheless, the techniques he taught also served as an efficient fighting system, which evolved into the Shaolin kung fu. Bodhidharma taught, however, that martial arts should never be used to hurt or injure needlessly. In fact, it is one of the oldest Shaolin axioms that 'one who engages in combat has already lost the battle.'In time Shaolin became a place of martial arts research and development. During the time of Mongolian occupation Shaolin became a center of resistance and was destroyed by the ruling Ching dynasty. Shaolin monls fought bravely but most of them were killed, few of them survived spreading Shaolin kung fu all over China.

More than 95 percent of the story is pure fiction. Apart from the fact that Bodidharma maybe existed ( there are no evidence to support his existence)

and maybe lived for some time in the monastery (latest research question this seriously) everything else simly is not true .Tang Hao dedicated an entire book in which point by point he disassembled the legend of Shaolin and presents valid historical data based on the material evidence and written sources.

Research conducted by Tang Hao and later by historians of PRC indicate that the legend of Shaolin has its roots in two pieces of popular literature from the early 20 th century .First work is popular novel 'Travels of Lao Can', written in the period 1904 to  1907. The second,which completed the story of Bodidharma is 'Secrets of Shaolin boxing' published if 1915. Before these books there is no evidence that the legend of Bodidharma and Shaolin existed in any form. The story was not a part of an oral tradition, nor is there any material nor written evidence , simply , before these two books there is no trace of Bodidharma and Shaolin in any form. Although the story these books was proven as false back in the days when they were published , they became so popular that the story eventually entered in history books and light entertainment story has become a historical fact.

This does not mean that there was no training in the monastery. There are clear historical references that indicate the monks were invited Chinese emperors to participate in military campaigns .This not unusual because the Buddhist monasteries were the owners of large estates, in Taiwan this is still the case today. As the feudal lords , monasteries had private armies or militias that were used for defense of their land and other economic and political interests. These private armies are being called on military campaigns as well as all other feudal conscripts at the time.

Despite of the wide spread opinion,( thanks to the Hong Kong kung fu movies and TV shows), Shaolin was not a place of martial arts research and development. What actually happened was that the monks brought the monastery whatever skills they have picked up ,mostly during the military training. No special training, development of new styles, research and all those things discussed in the legends did not happened. What monks really trained and what their lives depended on was classic infantry training usual for that time. So, the monks were practicing fighting and maneuvering in organized groups, trained with weapon , shields etc.. This was vital for the defense of the temple and its estate as crucial to the survival of the monks.

Bruce Lee between mith and reality

I have hesitated for a long time to say anything about this topic, well aware of the fact that Bruce Lee is an idol for a great number of people and any comment which would spoil the picture of unbeatable , supreme kung fu master and martial arts genius will provoke many negative comments toward me . At the end , I think the facts , the truth is more important than someone’s infantile worship of the late actor.

Let's go back to the past in order to clarify some things about Bruce and all that he said and done. After WWII Japan has opened to the world and exported their martial arts, culture, religion ... which became widely practiced in the West, and quite

Well known, well the world knew what Japanese wanted to present to the outside world . On the other hand, China has become completely closed after the Cultural Revolution. Chinese culture is traditionally closed toward foreigners and even in the places like Hong Kong and Taiwan Chinese people did not show any desire to share their culture, customs, martial arts, religion ... with the West.

There were individuals who had brought Chinese martial arts to the USA long before Bruce Lee but no one had such media attention as late Bruce. Little was known and is not a better situation today, about Chinese martial arts, lifestyle, philosophy , ect.

 

That vacuum in information gave Bruce the opportunity that all the treasures of Chinese culture , philosophy, literacy …present as his own .During his short life Bruce said a great amount of vise things , on the other hand , someone who spent some time living among Chinese and reading Chinese classics can easily recognize traditional proverbs and quotations form the classical pieces of Chinese literacy , some translated without changing a some in a little more liberal interpretation.

Bruce was very intelligent and well educated person, he had graduated at UCLA University, he had a gift to explain principles and concepts of his martial approach extremely well but we have to honest and say that most of the things he said about martial philosophy are actually borrowed from traditional Chinese culture and classical literacy .

Many people believe Bruce was the first person who taught kung fu to non Chinese. That is actually far from truth. Many americans during 50’s and 60’s were taught kung fu on Taiwan. The truth is there weren’t many foreigners at east in Bruce Lee’s time and most of them didn’t show any desire to learn martial arts , those who had , they were taught. The only truth is , after Bruce’s death Chinese martial arts reached global popularity.

Let’s go back even further into the past and briefly explain some of the events related to the development of kung fu. First, we do not know how kung fu looked like and how it was practiced before the 19th century. Many styles today claim that they are very old but actually all of them originated in the second half of the 19th century or even in the beginning of the 20^th  century. What we do know is that old styles put emphasis on the weapon training and fighting in the organized groups. When Machus overthroned the Ming dynasty two things happened, first , Manchus forbid practice of martial arts and second, they brought fire arms,. This pushed martial arts underground and over time changed focus and purpose of training . In the second half of 19^th century kung fu became popular among upper social class and focus was on empty hand techniques. It was matter of prestige not a matter of military importance or survival like it was in the past. After Boxer rebellion kung fu finally and completely changed to what we know today. It was not practice as a pure martial, military or survival skill but for self development , health , even religious reasons.

With the beginning of republican period a golden age of kung fu began.  

Republic of China had seen kung fu as a way of improving quality of life of its citizens and for the first time in the history  Chinese martial arts are accessible to all and many public schools where opened at the time. Furthermore, government established Goushu martial academy ,an institutions for the study and promotion of martial arts. In addition to this , government financed s several private associations of which the most famous was Chin Woo. What is completely unknown in the West is an amazing expansion and advancement of the martial styles that happened in this period. Thousands of kung fu manuals were printed at the time and there was serious work at the Goushu academy on improving and development of kung fu. All that work was printed and it was ​​available to a broader audience. Although this work was done by many influential martial artists of the time one name rises above all others.

His name was Tang Hao (1897- 1958). The first man who publicly advocated a scientific approach to training through his book. He advocated emphasis on physical attributes rather than on form, tradition, exotic techniques. He was a representative of daily sparring and controlled fighting as a basis of training. He advocated cooperation among styles and exchange of experiences, techniques, and taining methods. He traveled tirelessly all over China and interviewd and collected knowledge from a great number of kung fu masters. He traveled to Japan to learn Japanese martial arts skills, especially bayonet traaining in which Japanese were famous and later worked on a system of training in t bayonet combat for Chinese army. He studied and practiced Western boxing and inplemnet it in the Chinese army training.

In the early 20-ies of the last century, Chinese fighters have realized the value of Western boxing and many included it in their styles and boxing became the basis of “Sanda” hand techniques . Why is this important ? As we can see all the things attributed to Bruce Lee  were actually were done in China back in early 20th century and the work has been widely available to the Chinese, while on the West it was and still is completely unknown.

Bruce Lee came to the west with something about what west had no idea and he could present that as he wanted, which what he eventually done. None of the concepts and approaches that he represented were not new or unknown in the East, but they were completely new and unknown in the West. Later, after his death fans actually added and attributed to him a lot more than what Bruce Lee didand said during his life.

 Bruce Lee was and still is a legend, it is a fact that will not change, a name that has inspired a huge number of people to study  Chinese martial arts, and certainly his importance lies in the fact that he was the first who had such through media attention. On the other hand we have to be realistic , fair and honest to all those people who decades before Bruce Lee-I laid the foundations of modern martial arts but remain forgotten due to the political changes .. I want to speak on behalf of those forgotten whose names are rarely heard and honored, and praise  their work and lives because they certainly  deserve it..