Anyone trained in Hong Kong?

[friday]

hi just wondering if anyone has trained in hong kong
and wat the experience was for them. particularly caucasian ppl - how was it, the calibre? ppl? sifu's especially their openess towards teaching western ppl and non chinese. wat did u do etc how did u find them basically anything that comes to mind

[Chinwoo-er]

To be honest, you could have a very safe bet that most sifus in HK will be hiding alot of the critical little things from westerners. They believe that if those are taught to westerners as well, then there will not be a chance for a chinese to beat them in a fight.

Hence, I won't be hoping for any "real" openess if I was you.
However, just the surface elements of kung fu is enough if you ask me.

[friday]

i think that would be a correct statement to make about many of the sifus in HK - holding back of 'secrets' etc.

but i don't think that will be true of all of them. particularly one of the sifus i know in Hong Kong. i once heard one of his students say that its not necessary to teach everything to western/caucasian ppl that parts of kung fu should be hidden from them. i was very happy to hear the sifu's opinion when we had a private discussion. he basically said things along the lines of
if the student wants to learn and is willing to put up with the training etc, he/she is a good person then he will teach that student everything they can learn. it shouldn't matter whether that student is chinese/caucasian etc. if all these sifus held back their knowledge bit by bit the kung fu style will lose itself. in this age there should not be any differentiation based upon racial background.

i feel this is a great attitude to have.

i remember telling a story on kfo about this guy who got ripped off in hong kong trying to learn a style of kung fu( no style names shall be mentioned) paying ridiculous sums of money to be taken swimming each lesson or lion dancing. if u don't want to teach a western guy fine...but to then go and rip them off is so unfair and reflects badly upon yourself.

[fiercest tiger]

Hi Mate,

Ive been to HK and china 4 times training and i was always welcomed. It is a great experience and it gives much face to the sifu that you train with there. So you do learn alot if you show you want to learn and train hard for the sifu.

Are you still pak hok pai? I was in a tram in hongkong and went past a kwoon on the street, i should have went and had a look.

anyway do it at least once!

take care
FT

[friday]

Hey FT,

I am sure there are some open minded people in China and Hong Kong who would teach their kung fu freely to ppl who are humble and willing to learn whatever their cultural or racial background.

However, even then I would not be surprised if some of them would hold back knowledge.

Chinese ppl have a phrase which in cantonese sounds ruffly like the following:

"Gao sik tou dai mo sifu" - complete teaching of disciples/students there is no more sifu.

thats a literal translation and as i m not any qualified interpreter it could be incorrect . it means a number of things. that after u have taught the student everything u r no longer 'sifu' as they know everything u do. it also implies that a sifu shouldn't teach everything to a student to safeguard against betrayal, to ensure livelihood etc.

my experience in Hong Kong and stories i have been told by trusted chinese ppl and caucasian kung fu ppl would suggest that a westerner should be careful in selecting ppl to learn from in Hong Kong and China. by this statement i do not mean they are all terrible ppl - many are good, some are willing to teach etc. there is an attitude in some chinese ppl that kung fu secrets should be withheld from 'westerners'.

as for Pak Hok Pai , yes i m still with Pak HOk and i think will always be...its in my blood. the one that u saw in hong kong do u remember what suburb u were in? i don't think its the one i studied from as the kwoon didn't have any trams outside. also there are many pak hok lineages in hong kong

anyway how are u going?

[fiercest tiger]

I here what you are saying bro, i think trust is a better word! The grandmaster in hongkong really didnt show me half as much as my 2nd ,3rd, and last time. Also a letter from my sifu of introduction and myself performing at the aniversary dinners etc showed i was ykm do or die.

I think safe guarding the system is good but it can lead to destroying it if you cannot trust your student in the first place. also maybe they shouldnt teach kung fu if not going to pass on everything they own.

do you think that the older they get they may pass on more then if the sifu was young-ish?

talk to you soon mate.

take care
FT