Chiu Chuk Kai and Lee Kwan Shan

[NorthernMantis]

I heard from both a friend of mine's and my sifu that Chiu Chuk Kai and Lee Kwan Shan were friends during the brief period that Lee Kwan Shan was in Vietnam. Does anyone have any info on this? Like how long they knew each other, wether they exchnaged info or not etc?

[mantis108]

According to an old post by Old Mantis who has left KFO:

<<Here is some info based on my old correspondence with Ilya Profatilov:

There were two Praying Mantis masters called Li Kunshan.

1. The first and the most famous in China and Taiwan was Li Kunshan (1894-1976) from Laiyang, so called "One of the Three Mountains of Laiyang" (Laiyang sanshan zhiyi). Li Kunshan was a master of Plum Blossom Praying Mantis and a disciple of masters Jiang Hualong and Song Zide.

Li Kunshan was well known in Laiyang-Yantai area in the 30s, thus Zhao Zhuxi (1900-1991), when in Yantai, possibly met Li Kunshan. Both masters practiced the same style of mantis anyway.

2. The second Li Kunshan "Lee Kwan Shan" (1867-1948) was a teacher of Hualin (Wah Lum) Mantis style and had two disciples Chen Yunqing and Chen Bei (master Pui Chan).

Zhao Zhuxi (Chiu Chuk Kai) moved to Vietnam (Saigon) after 1945 from Macau (Macao) and could not meet Li Kunshan "Lee Kwan Shan" of Wahlum Mantis, who lived in the remote village near Canton and died in 1948. Master Zhao Zhuxi and master Pui Chan have indeed met but not Zhao Zhuxi and Li Kunshan "Lee Kwan Shan" of Wahlum Mantis>>

This info is also available on the TJPM forum. BTW, GM Chiu spent about 23 years (1945-1968) in both North (9 years) and South Vietnam (14 years). So the information seems to suggest that if there were any information exchange between CCK TCPM and Wah Lum, it would have been more recent and would have been between GM Chiu and GM Chan.

Mantis108

[NorthernMantis]

Oops hey thanks for the correction I meant to say sigung Chan Pui. :o

Thanks alot for sharing your knowldege with me. I've been wondering about this for a while now. :)

[mantis108]

The info was provide by Old Mantis via his communication with Sifu Ilya Profatilov. So I can't take the credit for it. Still, you are most welcome, my friend. Hope it helped.

Regards

Mantis108