Lau Bun's Hung Sing Kwoon 5 Animal Form
** pls don't merge this with Shaolin Do, as its about the Hung Sing Kwoon.
Most everyone knows that Professor Lau Bun of the Hung Sing Kwoon (USA BRANCH) was a major pioneer in the history of gung fu in America. His school has been here since the early 1920's and witnessed the arrival of many many famous gung fu masters who came after his own arrival.
Some will always point out the tong or secret society aspect of the Professor and his following generations. Others will talk about how respected he was within the Chinese as well as martial art communities. He was a great and honest man who was widely known to be the real deal, hands down. Even acknowledged as such by the late Bruce Lee.
Regardless of our origins or our connections, the Hung Sing Kwoon has always been a school of honor and respect. We don't go around bullying anyone and usually stay out of others business and just stick to our own. The truth of the matter is our lineage has produced awesome students, incredible masters, and hard working, honest, law abiding and productive individuals to date.
In the world or Kung Fu, there are focuses on ethics, skill sets, morality,self improvement, self discovery, and confidence building. we're taught to respect schools and teachers from all styles. We are taught that no style is better than the other and it really falls on the shoulders of the individual to prove that HE or SHE is better than another competitive individual, not style.
So in saying this, i want to focus on the Hung Sing Kwoon Shaolin 5 Animal form. In regards the this, there isn't another lineage known in existence to teach this specific form outside of the American Hung Sing Kwoon. In fact its been taught right here in the United States ever since the 1920's. Since then, countless schools of authentic Shaolin have made its way to this country and till this day, our 5 Animal Form known as Ng Ying Kuen (THE SHORT NAME) has NEVER been found in anyone of their schools.
Within the almost 100 years that the Hung Sing Kwoon has been in America, we've never seen anyone outside of our lineage with our 5 Animal form. We knew and know its exclusive to our lineage as it was taught to Professor Lau Bun by his teachers wife who NEVER took a student prior to him. She was alleged to have learned it from her parents. Where did her parents learn it from? this we don't know other than that they were Northern Stylists.
Our 5 Animal form, while it does contain some northern elements such as the Tan Tui, our Dragon techniques are similar to those found in authentic Shaolin lineages, it WAS and HAS been HUNG SING-ified (developed by us) because of the southern gung fu flavor of our Hung Sing Kuen (Hung Sing Choy Lee Fut). So what you see today may NOT have looked like in its original form. this is something we will never know.
Although its originally a NORTHERN 5 Animal Form, its rare because northern 5 animals aren't the same as the southern ones. but ours does have the southern animals. TODAY the only northern 5 animal forms you may find is Wu Xing Ba Fa Quan (5 Animals 8 Methods) which clearly isn't the same or even nearly close to the Hung Sing 5 Animal form of the Lau Bun lineage.
Today, the only schools known to teach our 5 Animal form are from the Hung Sing Kwoon which at one point included Doc Fai Wong and its sub branches. Outside of our direct lineage, there is no other lineages in existence passing on this form aside from ours. Unfortunately, i wish i could honestly say thats true. its been a recent discovery that a certain hybrid School with extremely sketchy and questionable origins have been teaching our form without our knowledge. and even gave it a new history.
I find it to be very sad and embarrassing for students who are lied to by their teachers. it's of utmost importance for all lineages to be honorable and honest about the material being taught. Especially when it comes from books and videos. It must be a total shock for a young student who has practiced what they were taught hard every day only to find out their teacher lied about how he learned it. this is a horrible situation for future generations because authentic traditional styles and schools are going to call the bluff these students had no idea they were even bluffing. this does no good for the student teacher or school.
if anyone is interested in learning the form from an authentic teacher and not from video, pls, come to its source. The only true sources for this form is the Hung Sing Kwoon and its affiliates and schools of Doc Fai Wong. IF you or anyone is practicing this form and you are not from these lineages, pls question your teacher where he learned it from. if its not from us, DFW or his video, then it was absorbed by your teacher who picked it up via DFW's book. but pls know, there are ear marks or identifying markers within the form that lets us know your source of this form.
In Advance, thank you.
HSK aka SIFUFRANK
