Ng Yim Ming - famous Tibetan Hop Gar leader and Chinese Army General

[diego]

seeking info.....

[HopGar]

goto www.hopgar.com (http://www.hopgar.com), got some info there....goto http://www.geocities.com/Colosseum/9358/tibetan.html its comprehensive history of Tibetan Lama.......just my two cents.

Zvika

"There is a fine line between coincidence and destiny"

[diego]

if you decide to email todd4@angelfire.com
can you tell me how you got into kf,and hg.
what kind of warmup basic drill conditioning do you guys do;why is your sifu a name on the tip of my tongue??,do you know anything about david chin hopga sifu i have his book and got a bit of history from his site,his teacher is harry wu,my teachers teachers teacher.............

[handsome]

Sifu Ng Yim-Ming used to teach kungfu in San Francisco, Chinatown. But he was killed during 1960 SF gang war, soon after that his students all disappeared and the only one loyal student by the name of * Tony * , he might be still around somewhere in New York, hop gar kungfu was gone with sifu Ng forever... at least in this side of Pacific ocean!!!

[diego]

at least tell me how you know that,david chin says he was taught by ng yim ming,i think he teaches in new york, i read he was killed in 1972,and alexander "kaito"polintain learnt from him,now in kaitos bio it states he moved to sanfrancisco in 1968 so how long he studyied from harry????????????????and kaito would have been 24 at the time of harrys death.kaito was killed in the late 80s i think,same situation kaidos students as harry....i have had some kaito trix for the last 8yrs if you could give me any info of the historical characteristics of hopga,,much apreciated....my techniques are a mix of i think 7* mantis and hopga from a kajukenbo perspective with a bit of philipino flavor.....

[handsome]

I used to live in SF, many of Sifu Ng's students were into gang war and this was a well known history in chinatown community. If you wish to know more about Sifu Ng's pass. you may contact Sifu Ng 's famous movie star student by the name of * Kim Tung *, He was a hop gar student under Sifu Ng... Kim Tung might be still living in Hong Kong, there're no one teaching hop gar kung fu in SF and I have talked to some of my kungfu friends there!!!

[diego]

Is he a kung fu or just general asian movie star,havnt heard of him,can you think of any keywords besides that name so i could general search and find an email address hopfully.
thaanx.....do you think he would know english,do you have any idea what harry studied and how old he was at his passing..thanx :cool:

[handsome]

Kim Tung was a famous kungfu star back in 1970-80, I dont know if he hnows English or not and I dont really know who's harry??? There're only one person left in SF , name Liu Kua-Wai, he might be the only one hnows more about Sifu Ng and hop gar, but he wont talk to no strangers... also he was a very secret person himself. sorry , cant help you anymore!!!

[diego]

man this is gonna be a journey i have bin studying these methods since i was 14 am 23 now,its my thinking im not evn financially secure so these next twenty years are gonna be hella interesting first im lookin for harrys student and im getting links to his students in ottawa and montreal then im looking for general ma that relate to lama
now you got me emailing hong kong and knowing without a doubt the gentleman in sf most definatly probably wouldnt talk to me.....

from what i gather harry was ng-yim-mings nickname...thanx again hope to chat soon.....

[HopGar]

well, good luck with this...I'll help if I can.

Zvika

"There is a fine line between coincidence and destiny"

[handsome]

KIM TUNG means Golden Child in chinese and hope this will help. ;)

[ljeung]

goto www.hopgar.com (http://www.hopgar.com), got some info there....goto http://www.geocities.com/Colosseum/9358/tibetan.html its comprehensive history of Tibetan Lama.......just my two cents.

Zvika

"There is a fine line between coincidence and destiny"

The information regarding Ng Yim Ming's family and immigration to the United States at these two websites are not accurate. The reason I know this is because I am his grandson through his second wife Fannie Lee, who is now 103.

Lawrence

[ljeung]

if you decide to email todd4@angelfire.com
can you tell me how you got into kf,and hg.
what kind of warmup basic drill conditioning do you guys do;why is your sifu a name on the tip of my tongue??,do you know anything about david chin hopga sifu i have his book and got a bit of history from his site,his teacher is harry wu,my teachers teachers teacher.............

Technically, Harry Wu's name according to his immigration and vital record is either Ng Yim Ming, Harry Ng, or Wu Jan Ming.

Lawrence

[diego]

Technically, Harry Wu's name according to his immigration and vital record is either Ng Yim Ming, Harry Ng, or Wu Jan Ming.

Lawrence

Thanks for sharing, Phil Gelinas Kaido's black belt who learned some of your grandfather's techniques mentioned Alexander "Kaido" Polintain's father who's name I don't know was the one that helped him with his paperwork coming to America...in exchange he taught Kaido...or something, it's a cool little mystery in my household:cool:

Do you train Hop Gar?

James

ps

do you have the sword master film he starred in? I would love to find it on youtube...;)

[ljeung]

if you decide to email todd4@angelfire.com
can you tell me how you got into kf,and hg.
what kind of warmup basic drill conditioning do you guys do;why is your sifu a name on the tip of my tongue??,do you know anything about david chin hopga sifu i have his book and got a bit of history from his site,his teacher is harry wu,my teachers teachers teacher.............


Sifu Ng Yim-Ming used to teach kungfu in San Francisco, Chinatown. But he was killed during 1960 SF gang war, soon after that his students all disappeared and the only one loyal student by the name of * Tony * , he might be still around somewhere in New York, hop gar kungfu was gone with sifu Ng forever... at least in this side of Pacific ocean!!!

Actually, my grandfather was killed on 1972, specifically on the evening of March 13, 1972, at his Kung Fu studio (now the Kongming Glass Co. and Powell Florist) at 1230 Powell Street, Chinatown, San Francisco. My grandmother Fannie, father, little sister, and I were eating at the Asia Garden Restaurant (now called the New Asia Restaurant) about two blocks away, on 772 Pacific Avenue; and my mother and two maternal uncles were working there at the restaurant that night. Ironically, but sadly, my grandfather's wake was at Cathay Wah Sang Mortuary (now a park) across the street from his studio.

Lawrence

[diego]

Actually, my grandfather was killed on 1972, specifically on the evening of March 13, 1972, at his Kung Fu studio (now the Kongming Glass Co. and Powell Florist) at 1230 Powell Street, Chinatown, San Francisco. My grandmother Fannie, father, little sister, and I were eating at the Asia Garden Restaurant (now called the New Asia Restaurant) about two blocks away, on 772 Pacific Avenue; and my mother and two maternal uncles were working there. Ironically, but sadly, my grandfather's wake was at Cathay Wah Sang Mortuary (now a park) across the street.

Lawrence

I don't mean to sound stupid but march 9-14 is always an ill date for me...strange, but I believe in Fate karma and all that. :)

My condolences, that's a tragic memory.

[ljeung]

Thanks for sharing, Phil Gelinas Kaido's black belt who learned some of your grandfather's techniques mentioned Alexander "Kaido" Polintain's father who's name I don't know was the one that helped him with his paperwork coming to America...in exchange he taught Kaido...or something, it's a cool little mystery in my household:cool:

Do you train Hop Gar?

James

ps

do you have the sword master film he starred in? I would love to find it on youtube...;)

Hi James,

Hmm, I have never heard of Kaido. My mother and some of her siblings tell me that they and my grandmother was the ones who helped my grandfather with his paperwork. My grandmother initially refused, because my grandfather had been very unfaithful to her. But after they told her that he was getting old and that he could die before seeing his grandchildren, she relented and signed the paperwork. He finally immigrated to the United States in 1969.

Most of the people that my grandfather associated with were Cantonese Chinese and spoke Cantonese, except for Tony Galvin and my oldest uncle's second wife, who was British. I will ask my mother and her surviving siblings who Kaido is.

No, I unfortunately do not train Hop Gar (the only thing I can train is astronomy, math, and physics:(.)

No, unfortunately, I do not have the sword master film he starred in. I would love to find it, too. In fact, my mother told me that he had acted in many films (so did she and my oldest uncle), but I have never seen any of his films (nor my mother's or uncles, for that matter:(.) I hope that the Hong Kong film industry did not allow the films to decompose. I would like to show them to my children, nephews, and nieces, Sifu Ng's great-grandchildren.

Lawrence

[ljeung]

I don't mean to sound stupid but march 9-14 is always an ill date for me...strange, but I believe in Fate karma and all that. :)

My condolences, that's a tragic memory.

Hi diego,

Perhaps, it is because that time period falls just before March 15, the Ides of March. It was on Ides of March in 44 BC that the Roman Senate assassinated the dictator Julius Caesar.

In a way, my grandfather was assassinated.

Thank you for the condolences. Yes, it was a tragic memory. For many years, I would not talk about my grandfather with my family. I would not even say the Cantonese Chinese word for maternal grandfather, gung, or any word that sounded like it.

But my family was not the only one touched by violence at the time. Several of my grandfather's students were also killed or their friends, including my youngest aunt's boyfriend Anton Wong.

San Francisco's Chinatown in the early to mid 1970's was a violent place. I am glad that is over. It is not good for children, even adults, to be exposed to this level of violence.

Lawrence

[ljeung]

Sifu Ng Yim-Ming used to teach kungfu in San Francisco, Chinatown. But he was killed during 1960 SF gang war, soon after that his students all disappeared and the only one loyal student by the name of * Tony * , he might be still around somewhere in New York, hop gar kungfu was gone with sifu Ng forever... at least in this side of Pacific ocean!!!

The Tony that you mention is probably Tony Galvin. He last visited my grandmother and parents in the mid to late 1980's, when they still lived in the San Francisco Bay Area. I did not know that Tony moved to New York.

Lawrence

[ljeung]

at least tell me how you know that,david chin says he was taught by ng yim ming,i think he teaches in new york, i read he was killed in 1972,and alexander "kaito"polintain learnt from him,now in kaitos bio it states he moved to sanfrancisco in 1968 so how long he studyied from harry????????????????and kaito would have been 24 at the time of harrys death.kaito was killed in the late 80s i think,same situation kaidos students as harry....i have had some kaito trix for the last 8yrs if you could give me any info of the historical characteristics of hopga,,much apreciated....my techniques are a mix of i think 7* mantis and hopga from a kajukenbo perspective with a bit of philipino flavor.....

I do not recall hearing of a David Chin or an Alexander "Kaito" Polintain. I do remember a George Long and Jack Hoey, besides Tony Galvin. I will ask my parents about David Chin and Kaito.

Lawrence

[ljeung]

I used to live in SF, many of Sifu Ng's students were into gang war and this was a well known history in chinatown community. If you wish to know more about Sifu Ng's pass. you may contact Sifu Ng 's famous movie star student by the name of * Kim Tung *, He was a hop gar student under Sifu Ng... Kim Tung might be still living in Hong Kong, there're no one teaching hop gar kung fu in SF and I have talked to some of my kungfu friends there!!!

Yes, many of my grandfather's students were into gang war (but some of them were probably just unwittingly caught up by it.) Some of them were killed. The first that I know of was a young man named Gary (I unfortunately do not know his last name). He was shot to death while working on his 1950's-era car. Before he died, I had asked either him or my family why his car had mag wheels and a jacked-up rear axle. He was the first person I knew, who died, but murder is a very bad way for children to learn about death. Dying of old age is a better way.

You can also ask me about my grandfather's past, but only with regards to his immigration to and departure from the United States, his youth, marriages, family, acting experiences, military service, and the times he read Old Master Q magazines to me while hanging out with his associates very late on weeknights at the Golden Dragon Restaurant (the sight of the Golden Dragon Massacre of 1977, but now the site of the Imperial Palace Restaurant) on 816 Washington Street in San Francisco (I do not know what my parents were thinking, but I should have been at home in bed.)

I do not recognize the name Kim Tung. I will ask my parents.

Lawrence

[diego]

http://www.hygeia-design.com/Kaido

This is the article that mentions the link between the two...any thing look familiar?:D

[ljeung]

http://www.hygeia-design.com/Kaido

This is the article that mentions the link between the two...any thing look familiar?:D

Hi diego,

Thank you for the article. I don't recognize Kaido, but some of the positions of his hands and arms seem familiar. Perhaps, I don't recognize him, because I was in school whenever he went to my grandfather's studio.

Lawrence

[diego]

Hi diego,

Thank you for the article. I don't recognize Kaido, but some of the positions of his hands and arms seem familiar. Perhaps, I don't recognize him, because I was in school whenever he went to my grandfather's studio.

Lawrence

if you have some family photo's you care to put online...that would be awesome. There is a few members on this forum who would love to even see some vintage Chinatown pictures you may have in storage...to martial artists these things are priceless like your nephew birthday cards...:) just for inspiration keep you happy training and such.

Do you have any classic pic's of Bruce Lee dressed up as the Green Hornet signing autographs when you were a shorty?

[diego]

Do you know if your GF had any links to Kajukenbo out of Hawaii?...I think Kaido may have been in the army out there...:)

[ljeung]

Is he a kung fu or just general asian movie star,havnt heard of him,can you think of any keywords besides that name so i could general search and find an email address hopfully.
thaanx.....do you think he would know english,do you have any idea what harry studied and how old he was at his passing..thanx :cool:

Hi diego,

According to my grandfather's early immigration records, he was not sure of his birthdate. However, his headstone gives his birth year as 1908 - unfortunately, I cannot remember the rest of his birthdate, as I have not visited his grave for a while. I think the discrepancy arose, because when he was young, he did not know how to convert dates on the Chinese calendar to dates on the Western calendar. And when he got older, more financially stable, more mature, and more interested in his past, he probably asked a Chinese scholar to determine his birthdate. So if we go by his birth year on his headstone, then he was 63 or 64 at his passing, depending on the month and day of his birth.

By the way, dates on the Chinese calendar were either the number years into the reign of an emperor, like 光緒 (Kwong Seoi/Guāngxù) 34; or a name, like 戊申 (mou san/wùshēn) - both examples correspond to Chinese New Year 1908, to just before Chinese New Year 1909. I discovered this from researching my genealogy.

And the words in parentheses are the Cantonese and Mandarin transliterations of the Chinese characters.

Lawrence

[ljeung]

if you have some family photo's you care to put online...that would be awesome. There is a few members on this forum who would love to even see some vintage Chinatown pictures you may have in storage...to martial artists these things are priceless like your nephew birthday cards...:) just for inspiration keep you happy training and such.

Do you have any classic pic's of Bruce Lee dressed up as the Green Hornet signing autographs when you were a shorty?

Hi diego,

I have hundreds of family photos, but you are probably only interested in the ones with my grandfather. Unfortunately, I only have a few photos of him: one when he was a teenager; one when he was young man, with three of his buddies; one when he was in his Chinese Army Air Corps. uniform, with my grandmother, oldest aunt Virgilyn (his stepdaughter - my grandmother was previously married, too), and oldest uncle (the rest of the family was yet to born); one when he was an old man, with my grandmother, the two uncles, two aunts, and my mother (Aunt Virgilyn, sadly, had died of what my grandmother said was leukemia in Macau around 1940.) All of these photos were taken in China or Hong Kong, and all, except the last one, were taken in studios, so unfortunately, I do not have any photos of vintage Chinatown. My parents might though, unless theirs were lost, when moisture leaked into their storage place and destroyed their photo albums. To my family, all those lost photos were priceless, so losing them was really, really heartbreaking:(.

I will think about putting the existing photos online.

Since you mention Bruce Lee, some of these photos included friends of my grandfather and mother, including the man who portrayed the villain in "Enter the Dragon", Shih Kien. In fact, my mother and oldest uncle told me that my uncle and Bruce Lee used to roam the streets of Hong Kong to get into fights on purpose. I was shocked when they told me that.

While my family knew Bruce Lee, I personally never met him. And unfortunately, I do not have any classic pics of him dressed up as the Green Hornet:(.

Lawrence

[ljeung]

Do you know if your GF had any links to Kajukenbo out of Hawaii?...I think Kaido may have been in the army out there...:)

Hi diego,

No, unfortunately, I do not know if he had any such links.

Lawrence

[ljeung]

Kim Tung was a famous kungfu star back in 1970-80, I dont know if he hnows English or not and I dont really know who's harry??? There're only one person left in SF , name Liu Kua-Wai, he might be the only one hnows more about Sifu Ng and hop gar, but he wont talk to no strangers... also he was a very secret person himself. sorry , cant help you anymore!!!

Harry is my grandfather's American name.

I am not familiar with the name Liu Kua-Wai. I will ask my parents about him, too.

Actually, there are still many people who know about my grandfather, and they are the members of my family who still live there. However, most of us do not know much about Hop Gar.

Does Mr. Liu not talk to strangers, because he fears for his life?

Lawrence

[ljeung]

man this is gonna be a journey i have bin studying these methods since i was 14 am 23 now,its my thinking im not evn financially secure so these next twenty years are gonna be hella interesting first im lookin for harrys student and im getting links to his students in ottawa and montreal then im looking for general ma that relate to lama
now you got me emailing hong kong and knowing without a doubt the gentleman in sf most definatly probably wouldnt talk to me.....

from what i gather harry was ng-yim-mings nickname...thanx again hope to chat soon.....

Hi diego,

Who is General Ma?

As I mentioned one of my earlier posts, Harry was my grandfather's American name. It was used on his Social Security card, headstone, and death certificate.

Lawrence

[ljeung]

well, good luck with this...I'll help if I can.

Zvika

"There is a fine line between coincidence and destiny"

Yes, good luck, diego. I will help if I can, too.

Lawrence

[ljeung]

seeking info.....

Hi diego,

My grandmother told me that my grandfather's highest rank in the Chinese Army was colonel.

Lawrence

[jdhowland]

Lawrence, welcome to the forum and thank you for the info about your grandfather.

I practice his version of Hop Ga as taught by his student and business partner, Tse Cheuk Tong. Tse sifu knew your grandfather from his Hong Kong days and still owns two swords that belonged to Ng sigung (I was priveleged to be permitted to hold one and help repair the green snakeskin hilt wrapping. I know it's silly, but I felt as if I could feel a little of the old man's personality in the sword).

When your grandfather was killed, my sifu was teaching in Hawaii so he avoided most of the violent repercussions. I never knew the name of the kid who did the shooting, but of course he was only obeying someone else's orders. That mentality is not completely gone from the SF region as witness the Leung shooting a few years ago, but I hear it's a little safer. I lived two blocks from the Golden Dragon during the infamous shooting in the 70s. Chinatown gung fu students were wary of even going out for noodles after classes. We always made a point of covering up our "colors" or uniforms in order to avoid being mistaken for gang members.

Your grandfather's death was a tragedy for America's gung fu heritage. But he has a legacy and you have an extended family.

Sincerely,

John Howland

[ljeung]

Lawrence, welcome to the forum and thank you for the info about your grandfather.

I practice his version of Hop Ga as taught by his student and business partner, Tse Cheuk Tong. Tse sifu knew your grandfather from his Hong Kong days and still owns two swords that belonged to Ng sigung (I was priveleged to be permitted to hold one and help repair the green snakeskin hilt wrapping. I know it's silly, but I felt as if I could feel a little of the old man's personality in the sword).

When your grandfather was killed, my sifu was teaching in Hawaii so he avoided most of the violent repercussions. I never knew the name of the kid who did the shooting, but of course he was only obeying someone else's orders. That mentality is not completely gone from the SF region as witness the Leung shooting a few years ago, but I hear it's a little safer. I lived two blocks from the Golden Dragon during the infamous shooting in the 70s. Chinatown gung fu students were wary of even going out for noodles after classes. We always made a point of covering up our "colors" or uniforms in order to avoid being mistaken for gang members.

Your grandfather's death was a tragedy for America's gung fu heritage. But he has a legacy and you have an extended family.

Sincerely,

John Howland

Hi John,

Thank you for welcoming me. I really appreciate it. And you're welcome about the info about my grandfather.

I have never heard of Tse sifu. He is another person about which I will ask my parents.

Nevertheless, your sifu was very fortunate to have avoided the violent repercussions.

Two of my maternal cousins told me the nickname of the the kid who did the shooting. My mother told me that he shot my grandfather, because my grandfather was having a relationship with his mother - as I mentioned in an earlier post, my grandfather was not very faithful to my grandmother. To verify all this, I asked the San Francisco Police Department about twenty years ago for a copy of the file on my grandfather's murder case, but it said the case was still unsolved, so it could not release the file. I will try asking again, as I now have friends and one cousin who are law enforcement officers in both the police department and sheriff's department.

As for the Leung shooting, you must be talking about the shooting of Allen Leung. It is unfortunate that the mentality that you mention is not completely gone from SF, but yes, it is a little safer, as the frequency of shootings have decreased noticeably.

When the Golden Dragon shooting occurred, my family and I had already moved out of San Francisco to the suburbs, so I never had to worry about gangs, although I did detest them.

Indeed, my grandfather has a legacy, two legacies in fact: Hop Gar and the Ng side of my extended family.

Lawrence

[htowndragon]

Hi, I am Jason Liao, student of David Chin, and therefore grand-student of your grandfather Harry Ng.

1. Did any of your family members practice your grandfathers Hop Gar?

2. Interesting you bring up the terms of his death, I was told that it was a "hit". The man who shot si gung has since then been released from prison.

[once ronin]

What's the story Lawr?

Jason is saying the shooter is already out of prison for the shooting and you are saying the police told you it is still a unsolved murder.

Someone put 5 or 6 tongs together money wise to sponsor the hit. The dollar amount was about someone's weight.

Tell us something from the inside. If not please dont misuse Harry Ng's name.

Relative or not.

[ljeung]

Hi, I am Jason Liao, student of David Chin, and therefore grand-student of your grandfather Harry Ng.

1. Did any of your family members practice your grandfathers Hop Gar?

2. Interesting you bring up the terms of his death, I was told that it was a "hit". The man who shot si gung has since then been released from prison.

Hi Jason,

Yes, some of my family members, including my mother, did practice Hop Gar, but all but maybe one stopped after my grandfather died. They were just too distraught and traumatized.

My grandfather's death may well have been a hit. I am sure the man or men who ordered the hit had to find someone who was not only financially and socially hungry enough to follow the order, but also someone who was emotionally hungry. My family told me the man who shot my grandfather was just a child. If he has since been released from prison, I sincerely hope that he has been rehabilitated, has stayed far away from the gangs, has become well educated, and has lived an upstanding life of a family man, teaching his children to be good, honest, decent, charitable, loving human beings. If he has fallen again, then I will be saddened, for while the loss of one life is a tragedy, the loss of two is worse.

Lawrence

[ljeung]

What's the story Lawr?

Jason is saying the shooter is already out of prison for the shooting and you are saying the police told you it is still a unsolved murder.

Someone put 5 or 6 tongs together money wise to sponsor the hit. The dollar amount was about someone's weight.

Tell us something from the inside. If not please dont misuse Harry Ng's name.

Relative or not.

Hi once ronin,

The story is in the police, immigration, and vital records, family photos, the memories of students and grandstudents, the love and memories of a traumatized family. I have access to only part of the story, and I have told the forum as much of that part as I can without breaching the privacy of my family. My elders would know other parts of story. My grandfather's friends, students, and associates would know still other parts. The government, police, Chinese hospital, and paramedics would know still other parts. No single human being can know the whole story.

So what Jason is saying and what I am saying can both be true. Perhaps, the police classified the murder as unsolved, because the murderer was a child, and the police never discovered the men who ordered him to murder my grandfather.

You state that someone put 5 or 6 tongs together money-wise to sponsor the hit, and that the dollar amount was about someone's weight. This I do not know. How did you learn of this yourself?

When you request that I tell you something from the inside, do you feel that I am not? Is not a young elementary school child seeing and hearing the last couple of years of his beloved grandfather's life inside enough? Is not the love of a child for this beloved grandfather inside enough? Is not the infinite depths of the human soul inside enough? With that said, do you feel that I am misusing my grandfather's name?

Lawrence

[diego]

Hi once ronin,

The story is in the police, immigration, and vital records, family photos, the memories of students and grandstudents, the love and memories of a traumatized family. I have access to only part of the story, and I have told the forum as much of that part as I can without breaching the privacy of my family. My elders would know other parts of story. My grandfather's friends, students, and associates would know still other parts. The government, police, Chinese hospital, and paramedics would know still other parts. No single human being can know the whole story.

So what Jason is saying and what I am saying can both be true. Perhaps, the police classified the murder as unsolved, because the murderer was a child, and the police never discovered the men who ordered him to murder my grandfather.

You state that someone put 5 or 6 tongs together money-wise to sponsor the hit, and that the dollar amount was about someone's weight. This I do not know. How did you learn of this yourself?

When you request that I tell you something from the inside, do you feel that I am not? Is not a young elementary school child seeing and hearing the last couple of years of his beloved grandfather's life inside enough? Is not the love of a child for this beloved grandfather inside enough? Is not the infinite depths of the human soul inside enough? With that said, do you feel that I am misusing my grandfather's name?

Lawrence
I think you should publish an English bibliography and from that money get some one to restore the lost sword film;):D

[ljeung]

I think you should publish an English bibliography and from that money get some one to restore the lost sword film;):D

Hi diego,

Do you mean publish an English-language biography on my grandfather? I wish I could that, but as I tried to say in my previous post, I do not know the whole story of his life. once ronin made me realize that what I do know is just so fragmentary, skeletal, and personal as to be dubious to some people. If I were to write something comprehensive, substantial, well documented, factual, and scholarly, I would have to do a lot of research and pester a lot of people in my family, in the martial arts, in the SFPD, at Chinese Hospital, at SF City Hall, in the Hong Kong film industry, in the U.S. government, in the Republic of China Air Force, and, might I dare say, in the gangs and tongs. I would need to do a lot of traveling. I would need many years to write it. And I would need lots of support and encouragement.

Also, I was also planning to write a book on my grandmother's family, which had arrived in the U.S. in 1869, survived the Great SF Earthquake and Fire of 1906, and knew, sheltered, and aided Dr. Sun Yat Sen.

And I have a family to raise and a mortgage to pay.

So I would also need to do a lot of prioritizing.

Sorry, diego, I hope I did not sound too discouraging. I too want to see the lost sword film.

Lawrence

[ljeung]

Hi once ronin,

The story is in the police, immigration, and vital records, family photos, the memories of students and grandstudents, the love and memories of a traumatized family. I have access to only part of the story, and I have told the forum as much of that part as I can without breaching the privacy of my family. My elders would know other parts of story. My grandfather's friends, students, and associates would know still other parts. The government, police, Chinese hospital, and paramedics would know still other parts. No single human being can know the whole story.

So what Jason is saying and what I am saying can both be true. Perhaps, the police classified the murder as unsolved, because the murderer was a child, and the police never discovered the men who ordered him to murder my grandfather.

You state that someone put 5 or 6 tongs together money-wise to sponsor the hit, and that the dollar amount was about someone's weight. This I do not know. How did you learn of this yourself?

When you request that I tell you something from the inside, do you feel that I am not? Is not a young elementary school child seeing and hearing the last couple of years of his beloved grandfather's life inside enough? Is not the love of a child for this beloved grandfather inside enough? Is not the infinite depths of the human soul inside enough? With that said, do you feel that I am misusing my grandfather's name?

Lawrence

Hi once ronin,

The situation of Jason and I saying apparently contradictory things about the same event is an instance of the Rasho-mon* effect, at least one step removed.

By the way, did you know my grandfather or ever meet him?

* Sorry about the dash, but the forum software automatically censored the word when it did not have the dash.

Lawrence

[ljeung]

Hi Jason,

Yes, some of my family members, including my mother, did practice Hop Gar, but all but maybe one stopped after my grandfather died. They were just too distraught and traumatized.

My grandfather's death may well have been a hit. I am sure the man or men who ordered the hit had to find someone who was not only financially and socially hungry enough to follow the order, but also someone who was emotionally hungry. My family told me the man who shot my grandfather was just a child. If he has since been released from prison, I sincerely hope that he has been rehabilitated, has stayed far away from the gangs, has become well educated, and has lived an upstanding life of a family man, teaching his children to be good, honest, decent, charitable, loving human beings. If he has fallen again, then I will be saddened, for while the loss of one life is a tragedy, the loss of two is worse.

Lawrence

Hi Jason,

I am curious though. I do not recall ever reading or hearing in the news about a trial by jury for the child who committed the murder (I started following the news when I was very young). How did the state imprison him without due process?

Lawrence

[htowndragon]

i do not know. what i "heard" , mind you, I am also getting a fragmented story from a certain group of people, that they hired a 14 year old to show up at his door, and fired four shots from a .22 caliber pistol. someone i know met the man since he has been released. how the entire trial process was carried out, etc. is not something i know about. what i know of the assassination is in line with what "once ronin" says it to be. that's the only account i've ever heard of in regards to your grandfathers death.

[ljeung]

i do not know. what i "heard" , mind you, I am also getting a fragmented story from a certain group of people, that they hired a 14 year old to show up at his door, and fired four shots from a .22 caliber pistol. someone i know met the man since he has been released. how the entire trial process was carried out, etc. is not something i know about. what i know of the assassination is in line with what "once ronin" says it to be. that's the only account i've ever heard of in regards to your grandfathers death.

Hi htowndragon,

My mother told me something similar to what you heard. Ever the actress, she even reenacted the shooting (she started acting as a young girl in order to help support the family, some time after they had fled to Hong Kong from the Communist Revolution in China in 1949.) In hindsight, this seems rather macabre, since her father was the shooting victim. Did the person who met the shooter tell you in which prison the latter served time and indicate how he is faring? Since the shooting occurred in the U.S., the shooter should have been given due process, and his court case should have been recorded. However, since he was a minor, the courts probably sealed the case files.

Actually, "once ronin" did not seem to have said much about the assassination. Did I miss a second post that he made in this thread?

Lawrence

[htowndragon]

no i believe he was hinting... me and once ronin have corresponded privately and what we know seems to be the same story.

i called my si hing today, any information about your grandfather, in regards to martial arts training would be greatly appreciated. as well as him as a "family man" so to speak. with all due respect to my kung fu grandfather, the stories i have heard about him have only portrayed him as a tough and hard man. of course, there are always two sides to the story.

[once ronin]

This post should not continoue the direction of Harry Ng's life and times.

Speculation is no way to speak of anyone. It is just dialogue with no facts.

Lawr, seems to be a little lost of who the real Harry Ng is.

It doesnt make sense for a non-martial artist to find his way to this forum.

Harry Ng has a linage of Eagle claw which he also taught in San Fran. Who was his teacher Lawr?

[Lama Pai Sifu]

This post should not continoue the direction of Harry Ng's life and times.

Speculation is no way to speak of anyone. It is just dialogue with no facts.

Lawr, seems to be a little lost of who the real Harry Ng is.

It doesnt make sense for a non-martial artist to find his way to this forum.

Harry Ng has a linage of Eagle claw which he also taught in San Fran. Who was his teacher Lawr?

OMG, give the guy a break. After all, it's his own Grandfather!!!

[mickey]

Greetings,

Golden Child (Boy) aka Cliff Lok


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=73ayvxJ9F-8&translated=1


You owe me one diego.


mickey

[ljeung]

no i believe he was hinting... me and once ronin have corresponded privately and what we know seems to be the same story.

i called my si hing today, any information about your grandfather, in regards to martial arts training would be greatly appreciated. as well as him as a "family man" so to speak. with all due respect to my kung fu grandfather, the stories i have heard about him have only portrayed him as a tough and hard man. of course, there are always two sides to the story.

Hi htowndragon,

I will try to provide as much useful information about my grandfather, in regards to martial arts training, as I can. A few times at George Long's kung fu studio and after the grand opening of my grandfather's own studio, I did see my grandfather train my parents, my oldest uncle, some of my male cousins, Jack Hoey, George Long himself (until my grandfather opened his own studio) and some young men, but after that, I did not see much, as most of the time, I was either in school or at home doing homework and/or watching TV. Although he did train the aforementioned cousins, he, interestingly, never trained me, or even encouraged me to learn martial arts, perhaps because I seldom visited Chinatown.

However, he was more interested in having me sit on his lap and reading Old Master Q [老夫子 (Lǎo Fū Zi)] magazines to me, while eating Chinese noodles (at Golden Dragon) or roast beef (at the Ping Yuen Restaurant formerly at 1066 Grant Avenue, SF). And he always loved the birthday and Christmas presents I gave him. So he was a great grandfather. My mother and some of her siblings said he was also a great father and occasionally a good husband. For instance, during World War II, my mother suffered from an infestation of very long worms in her gastrointestinal tract. To find someone to care for her, my grandfather risked his life to carry her back, in his arms, to his home village in 順德 (Shun Tak/Shunde), Guangdong, under the cover of darkness, through rice paddies patrolled by the Japanese military. Also, before he lost everything during the Communist Revolution, he loved cooking roast beef for the family.

I never saw him as a tough and hard man, but my mother and her siblings told me things that indicated that he was. For instance, he ran the family like a military unit. At meal times, he had the family sit around a circular table, from oldest to youngest. However, by the time he reached his 60's, he had mellowed tremendously, perhaps due to illness, age, and separation from his family, who had all returned to the U.S in the late 1950's and early 1960's.

Another thing that my family told me was that he was an extremely versatile man. He was not only a kung fu master, but he was also a barnstorming pilot: a former U.S. airman told me he had witnessed my grandfather flying under a bridge over the Pearl River in Guangdong Province; he said people called him Crazy Ming. He also had a very flexible, strong, and dynamic personality. He was a heavy drinker and smoker, but he quit drinking and smoking cold turkey.

Yes, I agree with you that there are always two (or more) sides to the story. The Rasho-mon effect.

Lawrence

[diego]

Hi htowndragon,

I will try to provide as much useful information about my grandfather, in regards to martial arts training, as I can. A few times at George Long's kung fu studio and after the grand opening of my grandfather's own studio, I did see my grandfather train my parents, my oldest uncle, some of my male cousins, Jack Hoey, George Long himself (until my grandfather opened his own studio) and some young men, but after that, I did not see much, as most of the time, I was either in school or at home doing homework and/or watching TV. Although he did train the aforementioned cousins, he, interestingly, never trained me, or even encouraged me to learn martial arts, perhaps because I seldom visited Chinatown.

However, he was more interested in having me sit on his lap and reading Old Master Q [老夫子 (Lǎo Fū Zi)] magazines to me, while eating Chinese noodles (at Golden Dragon) or roast beef (at the Ping Yuen Restaurant formerly at 1066 Grant Avenue, SF). And he always loved the birthday and Christmas presents I gave him. So he was a great grandfather. My mother and some of her siblings said he was also a great father and occasionally a good husband. For instance, during World War II, my mother suffered from an infestation of very long worms in her gastrointestinal tract. To find someone to care for her, my grandfather risked his life to carry her back, in his arms, to his home village in 順德 (Shun Tak/Shunde), Guangdong, under the cover of darkness, through rice paddies patrolled by the Japanese military. Also, before he lost everything during the Communist Revolution, he loved cooking roast beef for the family.

I never saw him as a tough and hard man, but my mother and her siblings told me things that indicated that he was. For instance, he ran the family like a military unit. At meal times, he had the family sit around a circular table, from oldest to youngest. However, by the time he reached his 60's, he had mellowed tremendously, perhaps due to illness, age, and separation from his family, who had all returned to the U.S in the late 1950's and early 1960's.

Another thing that my family told me was that he was an extremely versatile man. He was not only a kung fu master, but he was also a barnstorming pilot: a former U.S. airman told me he had witnessed my grandfather flying under a bridge over the Pearl River in Guangdong Province; he said people called him Crazy Ming. He also had a very flexible, strong, and dynamic personality. He was a heavy drinker and smoker, but he quit drinking and smoking cold turkey.

Yes, I agree with you that there are always two (or more) sides to the story. The Rasho-mon effect.

Lawrence

I have a good question Lawrence, why did your Grandfather do Gung Fu?. I'm under the impression that he had to use it throughout his life based on the stories I've read. You hear some stories talking about how some masters inherit the title from their father while others are like gypsies they use the title to get by with little academic education... I'm curious what his attitude on Chinese martial fitness was, did he do it religiously or just as basic calisthenics to make money on the side?.

Maybe one day a fortune will fall into your hands and you will have time to put together a biography:)

general ma...Martial Arts!.

Cheers

James

[diego]

Greetings,

Golden Child (Boy) aka Cliff Lok


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=73ayvxJ9F-8&translated=1


You owe me one diego.


mickey

and maybe one day a huge fortune will fall onto your lap and I won't owe you this heavy ass debt:D Thanks man I love how he busted out the long fists at the end leaving me wanting more like I never got a call back in the morning!...:confused::(

[ljeung]

This post should not continoue the direction of Harry Ng's life and times.

Speculation is no way to speak of anyone. It is just dialogue with no facts.

Lawr, seems to be a little lost of who the real Harry Ng is.

It doesnt make sense for a non-martial artist to find his way to this forum.

Harry Ng has a linage of Eagle claw which he also taught in San Fran. Who was his teacher Lawr?

Hi once ronin,

When you say post, I assume you mean thread. However, did not diego start this thread by saying that he is seeking info on Ng Yim Ming - famous Tibetan Hop Gar leader and Chinese Army General?

Several people responded, but they provided some inaccurate info. So I, in turn, responded by pointing out the incorrect info, and provided the correct info from eyewitness accounts of his family, including myself, and from his immigration and vital records.

I concede that I did do some speculation, but I only did so mainly in trying to explain the discrepancies between Jason saying that the man who shot his si gung had since been released from prison and my saying that the police stated that my grandfather's murder case was unsolved. However, I constructed my explanation logically using facts provided by my family and the police.

You state that I seem to be a little lost as to who the real Harry Ng was. That is true in that no one can know the whole story of another person's life. However, if you read my previous post, you will see that I am not that lost. My grandmother, mother, uncles, and aunts certainly were not. We each saw and heard a real human being named Harry Ng, albeit in different periods, from different perspectives, and with different biases.

By the way, how well did you know my grandfather?

You state that it does not make sense for a non-martial artist to find his way to this forum. Actually, it does makes sense, because when one googles my grandfather's various names, at least one of the hits is this forum. However, I do not think your statement is what you intended. Did you mean that it does not make sense for a non-martial artist to post on this forum?

You ask me who was his teacher. I can, of course, google for this info or ask my family. Now, if you expected me to have learned this from my grandfather and to know it by heart, I must regretfully say that I did not:(. If you did not expect me to do so, then are you testing me, or perhaps, trying to spar with me verbally?

Lawrence

[ljeung]

Hi htowndragon,

I will try to provide as much useful information about my grandfather, in regards to martial arts training, as I can. A few times at George Long's kung fu studio and after the grand opening of my grandfather's own studio, I did see my grandfather train my parents, my oldest uncle, some of my male cousins, Jack Hoey, George Long himself (until my grandfather opened his own studio) and some young men, but after that, I did not see much, as most of the time, I was either in school or at home doing homework and/or watching TV. Although he did train the aforementioned cousins, he, interestingly, never trained me, or even encouraged me to learn martial arts, perhaps because I seldom visited Chinatown.

However, he was more interested in having me sit on his lap and reading Old Master Q [老夫子 (Lǎo Fū Zi)] magazines to me, while eating Chinese noodles (at Golden Dragon) or roast beef (at the Ping Yuen Restaurant formerly at 1066 Grant Avenue, SF). And he always loved the birthday and Christmas presents I gave him. So he was a great grandfather. My mother and some of her siblings said he was also a great father and occasionally a good husband. For instance, during World War II, my mother suffered from an infestation of very long worms in her gastrointestinal tract. To find someone to care for her, my grandfather risked his life to carry her back, in his arms, to his home village in 順德 (Shun Tak/Shunde), Guangdong, under the cover of darkness, through rice paddies patrolled by the Japanese military. Also, before he lost everything during the Communist Revolution, he loved cooking roast beef for the family.

I never saw him as a tough and hard man, but my mother and her siblings told me things that indicated that he was. For instance, he ran the family like a military unit. At meal times, he had the family sit around a circular table, from oldest to youngest. However, by the time he reached his 60's, he had mellowed tremendously, perhaps due to illness, age, and separation from his family, who had all returned to the U.S in the late 1950's and early 1960's.

Another thing that my family told me was that he was an extremely versatile man. He was not only a kung fu master, but he was also a barnstorming pilot: a former U.S. airman told me he had witnessed my grandfather flying under a bridge over the Pearl River in Guangdong Province; he said people called him Crazy Ming. He also had a very flexible, strong, and dynamic personality. He was a heavy drinker and smoker, but he quit drinking and smoking cold turkey.

Yes, I agree with you that there are always two (or more) sides to the story. The Rasho-mon effect.

Lawrence

Hi htowndragon,

I forgot to mention that any good pilot can fly under bridge. However, the ex-U.S. airman said that the bridge was very low and that my grandfather had flown his plane, which had an open-coc-kpit, upside down.

Lawrence

[once ronin]

This is a martial arts forum. So maybe stick to the martial arts side.

Harry Ng's personal life in any way speculated is not right. Especially on a forum.

I have no need to spar with anyone on a forum.

I just hope to see people look after the best interest of Harry Ng's name in martial arts. In or outside of forums.

In most of my post on this forum it is mostly about protecting someone's name or reputation.

[jdhowland]

ljeung, I have a question. Do you know if your grandfather ever taught for the Suey Sing Association?

jd

[ljeung]

Hi diego,

According to my grandfather's early immigration records, he was not sure of his birthdate. However, his headstone gives his birth year as 1908 - unfortunately, I cannot remember the rest of his birthdate, as I have not visited his grave for a while. I think the discrepancy arose, because when he was young, he did not know how to convert dates on the Chinese calendar to dates on the Western calendar. And when he got older, more financially stable, more mature, and more interested in his past, he probably asked a Chinese scholar to determine his birthdate. So if we go by his birth year on his headstone, then he was 63 or 64 at his passing, depending on the month and day of his birth.

By the way, dates on the Chinese calendar were either the number years into the reign of an emperor, like 光緒 (Kwong Seoi/Guāngxù) 34; or a name, like 戊申 (mou san/wùshēn) - both examples correspond to Chinese New Year 1908, to just before Chinese New Year 1909. I discovered this from researching my genealogy.

And the words in parentheses are the Cantonese and Mandarin transliterations of the Chinese characters.

Lawrence

Hi diego,

I finally had a chance to reread some of my grandfather's immigration records. I need to clarify that he knew his month and day of birth on the Chinese calendar, but he did not always remember his year of birth on the Chinese calendar nor his birthdate on the Western calendar. In any case, these records give his birth year as 1910 (it also gives 1912 in one record, but that is inconsistent with the rest of the records.) So at his passing, he was 63, according to the Chinese calendar, and 62, according to the Western calendar.

The birth year on his headstone is unfortunately incorrect. In fact, his name on the headstone is also unfortunately incorrect. I actually discovered these errors several years ago, and informed my family.

Lawrence

[ljeung]

I have a good question Lawrence, why did your Grandfather do Gung Fu?. I'm under the impression that he had to use it throughout his life based on the stories I've read. You hear some stories talking about how some masters inherit the title from their father while others are like gypsies they use the title to get by with little academic education... I'm curious what his attitude on Chinese martial fitness was, did he do it religiously or just as basic calisthenics to make money on the side?.

Maybe one day a fortune will fall into your hands and you will have time to put together a biography:)

general ma...Martial Arts!.

Cheers

James

Hi James,

Unfortunately, I do not have the answers to your questions, but I have forwarded them to my elders. I only recall my family telling me that in his approach to kung fu, he was very disciplined.

Thanks for the nice thought about a fortune falling into my hands:).

And thanks for the definition of general ma. I thought you had meant an army general by the name of Ma:).

Lawrence

[ljeung]

This is a martial arts forum. So maybe stick to the martial arts side.

Harry Ng's personal life in any way speculated is not right. Especially on a forum.

I have no need to spar with anyone on a forum.

I just hope to see people look after the best interest of Harry Ng's name in martial arts. In or outside of forums.

In most of my post on this forum it is mostly about protecting someone's name or reputation.

Hi once ronin,

Yes, I understand this is a martial arts forum, so I respect your suggestion that contributors should maybe stick to the martial arts side.

I reread my posts, and I see that I have only speculated one thing about my grandfather: I speculated on why he was not sure of his birthdate. I have since determined that he did know it, but he just had forgotten his birth year on one of his immigration records.

Everything else that I have posted are facts from government documents and from eyewitness accounts, and one explanation of a discrepancy, based on some of those facts.

If you are concerned that I am idly speculating about my own grandfather, I am not. However, you are correct that I am not sticking to martial arts by posting certain aspects of his personal life. I sincerely apologize for that. I only wanted to provide accurate info to diego and any other interested reader of this forum.

I understand that you are not sparring with anyone on this forum.

I am very grateful that you hope to see people look after the best interest of my grandfather's name in martial arts, both in or outside of forums. I myself hope that if people want info about other aspects of his life, they should get the most accurate info, without breaching the privacy of my family.

And I am very grateful that most of your posts on this forum are mostly about protecting someone's name or reputation.

I am, most of all, grateful for the devotion to my grandfather, of the many contributors to this forum. My family is very touched and very amazed.

Lawrence

[ljeung]

ljeung, I have a question. Do you know if your grandfather ever taught for the Suey Sing Association?

jd

Hi jdhowland,

I regretfully do not know. I will ask my family.

Lawrence

[diego]

Hi James,

Unfortunately, I do not have the answers to your questions, but I have forwarded them to my elders. I only recall my family telling me that in his approach to kung fu, he was very disciplined.

Thanks for the nice thought about a fortune falling into my hands:).

And thanks for the definition of general ma. I thought you had meant an army general by the name of Ma:).

Lawrence

He was in the Army so you would think heavy discipline would be the key:) I know there is closed door Gung Fu and performance Gung Fu I was lucky enough to see home video of Kaido's closed door methods before I even started to take training seriously. It seems Hop Gar has a bit of a curse on it...it's picked up by people who live in places not filled with peace because it kicks butt...I'm curious what body guards think about Gung Fu training, because fighting is fighting it's very simple, but the power you can build from Chinese Martial Arts can make you an ******* so I can see some oriental-fighting-man-body-guards turning the power drills into a way of life...see Kaido got shot, and supposedly he learned from your grandfather who was also shot...I'm getting better at my drills and it makes you feel very self righteous where I'm like wow I better not argue with people as I'm getting stronger I may get shot... The long fist punches with the spinning footwork really make you hyperventilate and walk around like an ******* on steroids...I can see why they promote the Bhuddism in the Hop Gar fighting forms just to create some Tai Chi like tranquility while dancing like a savage...:D

[diego]

Lawrence, welcome to the forum and thank you for the info about your grandfather.

I practice his version of Hop Ga as taught by his student and business partner, Tse Cheuk Tong. Tse sifu knew your grandfather from his Hong Kong days and still owns two swords that belonged to Ng sigung (I was priveleged to be permitted to hold one and help repair the green snakeskin hilt wrapping. I know it's silly, but I felt as if I could feel a little of the old man's personality in the sword).

When your grandfather was killed, my sifu was teaching in Hawaii so he avoided most of the violent repercussions. I never knew the name of the kid who did the shooting, but of course he was only obeying someone else's orders. That mentality is not completely gone from the SF region as witness the Leung shooting a few years ago, but I hear it's a little safer. I lived two blocks from the Golden Dragon during the infamous shooting in the 70s. Chinatown gung fu students were wary of even going out for noodles after classes. We always made a point of covering up our "colors" or uniforms in order to avoid being mistaken for gang members.

Your grandfather's death was a tragedy for America's gung fu heritage. But he has a legacy and you have an extended family.

Sincerely,

John Howland

Hello John, I'm wondering if you can give me some tips on TWC kicking combo's?. I've been at the beach almost every day for the last three months studying fitness and shadow boxing and recently got my stand up kicks down pat on my power leg...I like to do right roundhouse counterclockwise, switch the legs and then right back hook kick clockwise spin around into right shuffling steal step side kick or tiger tail kick, pull that leg back and spin around and right front kick to face with full power. There is a few Brazilians at the local beach so i had to get some Capwera footwork tips to get my spin kicks down...what do you know after making the spin hook heel kick natural all of my spinning long fist hand are tight and crisp like the Bak Hsing Panther Fists...You tube is a godsend to better understand one's southern style basics...I'm stuck on the round kick, back kick, side kick to front kick combo using basic Capwera staggering steps...Do you have any video of advanced white crane kicking combo's?. It seems Capwera may be more advance when it comes to flash and spinning...most the Kaido kicks are solid power steps...I need some momentum drills, like if you do double tiger claw to the sides of your shoulders and hold your arms there with chi centered and then start spinning it makes your kicks completely effortless!.

[ljeung]

He was in the Army so you would think heavy discipline would be the key:) I know there is closed door Gung Fu and performance Gung Fu I was lucky enough to see home video of Kaido's closed door methods before I even started to take training seriously. It seems Hop Gar has a bit of a curse on it...it's picked up by people who live in places not filled with peace because it kicks butt...I'm curious what body guards think about Gung Fu training, because fighting is fighting it's very simple, but the power you can build from Chinese Martial Arts can make you an ******* so I can see some oriental-fighting-man-body-guards turning the power drills into a way of life...see Kaido got shot, and supposedly he learned from your grandfather who was also shot...I'm getting better at my drills and it makes you feel very self righteous where I'm like wow I better not argue with people as I'm getting stronger I may get shot... The long fist punches with the spinning footwork really make you hyperventilate and walk around like an ******* on steroids...I can see why they promote the Bhuddism in the Hop Gar fighting forms just to create some Tai Chi like tranquility while dancing like a savage...:D

Hi diego,

When my grandfather served in the military the second time from 1933 to 1949 (the first time was only for several months some time between his first acting tour in the U.S. in 1924-1925 and his second one in 1932-1933), he served as an aviator for several years. In a previous post, I mentioned that he flew under a bridge upside down. According to the book "Advanced Aerobatics" by Geza Szurovy and Mike Goulian, this kind of flying, which is called aerobatics, as hinted by the book's title, requires the pilot to have good physical conditioning in order to pull high G's and to coordinate visual cues and flight control movements. It also requires him to have good mental training in order to concentrate on flying and manage the mental stresses of flying. Would this conditioning and training also be key to kung fu?

Anyway, please take care of yourself and do not get into any arguments. I do not want you to get shot.

By the way, you mentioned that Buddhism is promoted in Hop Gar. How are the teachings of Siddharta Gautama incorporated?

Lawrence

[ljeung]

Hi diego,

I have hundreds of family photos, but you are probably only interested in the ones with my grandfather. Unfortunately, I only have a few photos of him: one when he was a teenager; one when he was young man, with three of his buddies; one when he was in his Chinese Army Air Corps. uniform, with my grandmother, oldest aunt Virgilyn (his stepdaughter - my grandmother was previously married, too), and oldest uncle (the rest of the family was yet to born); one when he was an old man, with my grandmother, the two uncles, two aunts, and my mother (Aunt Virgilyn, sadly, had died of what my grandmother said was leukemia in Macau around 1940.) All of these photos were taken in China or Hong Kong, and all, except the last one, were taken in studios, so unfortunately, I do not have any photos of vintage Chinatown. My parents might though, unless theirs were lost, when moisture leaked into their storage place and destroyed their photo albums. To my family, all those lost photos were priceless, so losing them was really, really heartbreaking:(.

I will think about putting the existing photos online.

Since you mention Bruce Lee, some of these photos included friends of my grandfather and mother, including the man who portrayed the villain in "Enter the Dragon", Shih Kien. In fact, my mother and oldest uncle told me that my uncle and Bruce Lee used to roam the streets of Hong Kong to get into fights on purpose. I was shocked when they told me that.

While my family knew Bruce Lee, I personally never met him. And unfortunately, I do not have any classic pics of him dressed up as the Green Hornet:(.

Lawrence

Hi diego,

I just remember today that my mother had photos of my grandfather gripping the midsection of a vertical pole, with his body stretched out perpendicularly from the pole. Unfortunately, I do not know if any of these photos survived the water damage.

Lawrence

[diego]

Hi diego,

When my grandfather served in the military the second time from 1933 to 1949 (the first time was only for several months some time between his first acting tour in the U.S. in 1924-1925 and his second one in 1932-1933), he served as an aviator for several years. In a previous post, I mentioned that he flew under a bridge upside down. According to the book "Advanced Aerobatics" by Geza Szurovy and Mike Goulian, this kind of flying, which is called aerobatics, as hinted by the book's title, requires the pilot to have good physical conditioning in order to pull high G's and to coordinate visual cues and flight control movements. It also requires him to have good mental training in order to concentrate on flying and manage the mental stresses of flying. Would this conditioning and training also be key to kung fu?

Anyway, please take care of yourself and do not get into any arguments. I do not want you to get shot.

By the way, you mentioned that Buddhism is promoted in Hop Gar. How are the teachings of Siddharta Gautama incorporated?

Lawrence

In the physical postures lies the prayer hands and soft yoga influenced stretching movements...when you go through your spinning fist drills when you finish you stand at attention and the muscle pump you feel naturally puts you into the monks prayer hand position. Let me reverse it. I can see how Bhuddist meditation postures came from calming one's fighting forces. The prayer hand is the perfect posture to keep the martial pump while relaxing the senses and letting the heart breathe...if you walk around like a boxer with your fists clenched all day:) you can grow into an *******...You read many stories about the one family member in the household mastered Gung Fu and used it to get his way with his family and in life. If you just practice mastering your opponent without learning to relax and how to lose the martial art can possess you and all of your arguments are dealt with from a fighting posture. I find if I don't maintain a zen like mind state while doing form my power is hindered by my thoughts and my limbs don't fly out of socket with proper control like they are supposed to. On that note I'm jealous of your grandfathers flying skills, I'm laughing visualizing a crazy Gung Fu guy pretending the plane is one of his hand held weapons flying around spinning crazy blowing **** up like a video game.

Most martial art in the popular media is fancy legends to inspire people to lose weight, it would be very useful to the public if the real masters legacies were made open to the public...90% of the population since JFK was president are overweight and all these "Kung Fu" fads aren't helping. once the 60's hit the kids got into electronics they lost that war time discipline and it sucks when you want to talk about proper "Kung Fu" to the average joe...like the other day i was shadowboxing at the beach and this chubby drunk guy comes up asking if i was doing the Brazilian art of Capwera not even knowing Capwera has no long fists...:D I was just like "nah, it was "Kung Fu" you can't tell the average guy what style it's just movie talk to them, so you tend to just generalize and keep it moving I'm not gonna spend 3 years breaking down all of the links for the guy...:cool:

Also, I'm a student right now I don't go into environments where I will get into trouble, it's just the stronger you get the more like a hero you tend to feel, and that's just dumb:) besides when you first learn Martial Art you are scared and want to defend yoursefl, so the bigger you get the more the ego comes into play and we all know when it comes to fighting it's best not to think too much...look more!.

Nice chatting Lawrence,

Cheers

James

[jdhowland]

[QUOTE=diego;940963]Hello John, I'm wondering if you can give me some tips on TWC kicking combo's?. QUOTE]

Hop Ga has the same kicks as TWC, but since it's not really a topic of this thread it might be enough to note here that Hop Ga and TWC both emphasize simplicity in execution with multiple applications for simple techniques rather than elaborate series of moves.

I'm in Seattle, now and don't get to a computer often so give me a little time and I'll either pm you or start a new post. Hop Ga combos would be a good subject.

Be well.

jd

[mpstaples]

Nice to see all the interest in Hop Gar. I have a short section in my latest book.. Focusing Emptiness...which isn’t technically a gong Fu book this time around, about White Crane and Hop Gar in San Francisco at the time. If interested, it’s on Amazon. Type in a search for Michael P. Staples. Don’t forget the “P.”

[windwalker]

Nice to see all the interest in Hop Gar. I have a short section in my latest book.. Focusing Emptiness...which isn’t technically a gong Fu book this time around, about White Crane and Hop Gar in San Francisco at the time. If interested, it’s on Amazon. Type in a search for Michael P. Staples. Don’t forget the “P.”

10659


A good book, with pictures in a short section
detailing aspects of the style.