The Hakka Arts

[diego]

Thanks for the replies you guys. I have done some longfist from hop ga and now my sifu has me working on perfecting Bak Mei Sup Gee focusing on making my postures tighter so short ging or small power is my total focus right now. I read that SPM has nothing to do with the northern insect style of Shaolin the name was adopted as a political cover is this correct?.

[TenTigers]

y'know, it's funny. That is the story I heard, and to me , it makes sense, as the royal family was being hunted down and executed, so to hide the origins of the system seems logical.
However some schools have different 'Historical origins" that mention Mantis-but many of them echo Wong Long's Mantis and Cicada story, so I raise an eyebrow.

[sanjuro_ronin]

I heard it was a version of Bak Mei, also heard it was a version of dragon shape boxing.
Probably just a family system that was highly effective and that got press in the right places.
As for the origins, TCMA love to invent origins, they just can't admit that some poor slob took what he knew, perfected it and put his name on it.
No need for mysterious monk, no need for "animal influence", just plain old hard working and punching people in the face.

[taai gihk yahn]

just plain old hard working and punching people in the face.

just noting some subtext here...

[Faruq]

I got this from PakMei.net: "The grandmaster is now Cheung Bin Lam. The senior in North America is Chan Dor 1 2 . Any other claims are not truthful."

Of course Bak Mei is considered a Hakka Fist.

[diego]

We know Hung Ga used to be like wing chun small frame but with the tiger shape and then it mixed with white crane becoming the forms popular from HK...so like before Cheung Lai Chuen's time what families were the main holders of hakka small frame Pheonix Eye fist shadowboxings? I got the scoop on CLC from my school. I'm curious what his cousins were up to, just like the historical popular fitness ideas prevalent within the Hakka populated regions of Asia.

BM doesn't like to use hard power too much as it causes arthritis... That's idea #1 lol

[5thBrother]

Check out the Southern Praying Mantis Forums for more info:

http://www.tonglong.co.uk/forum/

Check out http://www.ozmaforums.com for Aussie Tong Long info ... Although i Think they link to the SPM Forums but yeah....

[Faruq]

Check out the Southern Praying Mantis Forums for more info:

http://www.tonglong.co.uk/forum/

Check out http://www.ozmaforums.com for Aussie Tong Long info ... Although i Think they link to the SPM Forums but yeah....

Are there Bak Mei forums somewhere on the net too?

[LaterthanNever]

Where to start. Well..lets see. Deigo..thanks for opening this up for discussion.

While I know that Chow Ga(s. praying mantis) is not the same as Jow Ga(GM Dean Chin,etc.), perhaps someone could answer the following for me?

1.) Do all styles of SPM have sets/applications with the Phoenix eye fist? If not all, which branches(Iron Ox, Jook Lum, which?) do?

2.) Is there anyone in the USA who teaches the SPM forms of the "Chukka" SPM style?(there was a book written by Master Mark Wiley and GM Cheong Cheng Leong which has those forms). I'm aware that GM Leong teaches in Malaysia but that is a bit far..

Thanks all.

Best,
LTN

[Mas Judt]

LTM - the Chuka Phoenix Eye Fist style from Malaysia is not South Mantis. It bears some superficial resemblance, perhaps somewhere down the line has some common roots, but it is something different.

I've talked to a number of Martial Art historians - they all tend to agree that the fundamentals of the various Hakka styles have their origins in the Dongguan region. Out of these peculiar methods, three systems gained fame - SPM, BM and LY.

From the stories I was told, all of these systems founders had some relation to each other - and the mythical origins are just that. The names of the various founders often have meaning within different 'secret society' or mythical code.

Now - I'm not the expert on this history, I'm just passing info on. I've heard multiple sources discuss this - both from the Bak Mei and SPM worlds...

[Mas Judt]

LTN - One more thing.

There is a 'Chuka SPM' style, but it is not found in Malaysia - it is found in the USA. Sifu Sammy Wong taught this method in Chicago. There are a few folks out in the Chicago area (Tony Blum, Joel Gunderson) and one in Ventura, Ca (Manny Rodriguez) - plus a few folks who prefer to be private.

[Firehawk4]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBMMDQIh0HU

[GeneChing]

Kung fu archivist in Hong Kong seeks Unesco listing for Hakka style of the martial art
PUBLISHED : Thursday, 30 April, 2015, 3:01am
UPDATED : Thursday, 30 April, 2015, 3:01am
Elizabeth Cheung elizabeth.cheung@scmp.com


Hung Kuen master Oscar Lam Chun-ho records some moves at the CityU Hong Kong Martial Arts Living Archive in Kowloon. Photo: K. Y. Cheng

An archivist who is preserving kung fu in Hong Kong is hoping to get the Hakka style onto Unesco's intangible cultural heritage list - with the ultimate goal being the protection of every style of the martial art.

"[Martial arts] is becoming lost at a more alarming rate than most people realise," said Hing Chao, chief executive of the International Guoshu Association, which is part of a joint project with City University, that uses 3D motion capture technology to preserve kung fu styles for future generations.

Using technology developed at the university, kung fu styles can be captured as animation.

More than 120 sets of kung fu styles and forms have already been documented in the Hong Kong Martial Arts Living Archive project since 2013. More than 40 kung fu masters have participated to preserve 19 styles, including Wing Chun and Lam Family Hung Kuen, so far.

Mary Jean Reimer, wife of the late kung fu master Lau Kar-leung, said she had mixed feelings about the archive, as it fulfilled a dream she had always had.

"I couldn't complete the archive [of Lau's kung fu] before he passed away two years ago … his illness held us [back]," said Reimer, whose Lau Kar-leung Film Boxing Director Charitable Foundation donated HK$130,000 - the largest single amount - to the archive.

"I really want to cry. This is what Lau could have done," Reimer said, after watching a motion capture demonstration.

She added that she hopes the project will someday be able to document how to master Lau's three-section whip - a two-metre long, bronze weapon.

The project raised around HK$266,000 between last August and March through the assistance of FringeBacker, an online crowdfunding platform. The digital archive aims to record up to 300 sets of kung fu by the end of next year and will be available to the public as an online archive, though there is no timeframe for completion.

Meanwhile, the association embarked on a martial arts survey two months ago, interviewing people from different styles with photography and film. Seven masters, mostly from the Hakka style, have taken part in the project so far.

Chao, who practises southern-style kung fu, says he hopes for something beyond documentation to preserve the martial art, which is why he is seeking Unesco cultural protection.

Wing Chun started an intangible heritage bid process last year.

[PalmStriker]

the 3-D animated style capture project sounds about right. Preservation of TCMA styles with online access is the way to go. Unesco status a plus!

[GeneChing]

This looks great. Anyone in Hong Kong now that can cover it?

Datebook: Multimedia Exhibition on 300 Years of Hakka Kung Fu at Hong Kong Heritage Museum
BY BLOUIN ARTINFO | SEPTEMBER 09, 2016


."The Kung Fu Studio - 360°"
(Courtesy: Hong Kong Heritage Museum)

VENUES
Hong Kong Heritage Museum

'300 Years of Hakka Kung Fu: Digital Vision of its Legacy and Future', a traditional and new media exhibition exploring the origin, development and future of Hakka martial arts, is on view at the Hong Kong Heritage Museum, Sha Tin, from September 2, through September 30, 2016.

Hakka travelled for 300 years from mountainous areas in eastern Guangdong to the center of the Lignan region. In the course of gradual migration from mountains to urban centers, Hakka Kung Fu transformed into a novel forms owing to constant interaction with neighboring cultures and finally appeared as one of the most significant cultural heritages in southern China. Jointly presented by the ICH Office and the International Guoshu Association, and curated by the Hakka Kung Fu Culture Research Society and the Centre for Applied Computing and Interactive Media, this demonstration gives an interpretation of the advancement of Hakka Kung Fu using 3D multimedia technology.


The exhibition is on view at Hong Kong Heritage Museum, 1 Man Lam Rd, Sha Tin, Hong Kong. For details, visit, hk.heritage.museum