repost: Siamese twins studied Hung Gar

[jun_erh]

I'm reading this book called "Chang and Eng". I didn't know this when I picked it up, but I guess they studied and were highly skilled in Hung Gar. Pretty imposing opponent(s)!! They were the original Siamese Twins (from Siam aka Thailand) The book is one of those sort of fictional "biographies" the author researched them for three years, but the book is told in the first person (actually Eng, the more intelligent of the two.) If you're familiar with I,Claudius: it's sort of like that. The whole reason I got it is because I was sick of reading about Martial Arts!! most of the story isn't about that though. As Eng describes it, Shaolin Temple burns, two monks Hung and Lau, Tiger and Crane masters respectively, escape. Chang and Eng were actually descendents of the Hung Family and their father taught it too them. crazy. When one of them got nervous or something the other could feel it because they shared the same stomach.

Check it out at chengandeng.com

[Sho]

Originally posted by jun_erh
When one of them got nervous or something the other could feel it because they shared the same stomach.That's scary!

I wonder how they sparred and I bet it was unfair for the partner as it was 2 persons against 1. :p

[jun_erh]

For the first part of their life they lived on a boat in the Mekong Delta in the early 1800's. I think they didn't really come into contact with people very much out there. I think they learned it largely for the most brutal type of self defense. There's a crazy scene when these kids attack them and they're swinging bamboo sticks in two of their four arms coming at their assailants who are utterly terrified as anyone would be. They also fathered 21 children. but that's another story