Kung Fu Heritage
Chan initiated his kung fu by the age of four with Chan Cheoksing, who taught him Choileifat until he was 14. In 1949, with the constitution of the People's Republic of China, the young Chan moved with his family to Hong Kong, where he trained Shaolin Luohan with his uncle Ma Gimfung (馬劍風). When Yim Seungmou (嚴尚武) too left the PRC, he stayed in Hong Kong with Chan's family and taught him Gu Yujeung's (顾汝章) Northern Shaolin Style, along with many other systems: Gu's martial qigong (氣功), healing massage techniques, Taijiquan, Xingyiquan, Bajiquan and Tantui; and Baksing Choileifat, which Yim learned directly from its founder Taam Saam (譚三), a friend of Gu. Yim Seungmou also introduced the young Chan to teachers of other styles: Wong Honfan (黃漢勳) of Seven Stars Mantis; Jeung Jimman (張占文) of Eagle Claw; Wan Laisheng (萬籟聲) of Ziranmen and Liuhequan; Fu Wingfai (傅永輝), son of Fu Jansung (傅振嵩), of Baguazhang; and Doctor Yan Yiuchiu (甄耀超) of Hungsing Choileifat, with whom he learned everything he could for roughly ten years. It is interesting to note that aformentioned masters Gu Yujeung, Fu Jansung and Wan Laisheng, alongside Li Xianwu (李先五) and Wan's cousin Wan Laiping, were sent from Nanjing to teach northern styles to the South, specifically Guangzhou (Canton), around 1929, where their prowess's reputation earned them the nickname "Five Northern Tigers".
In 1960, Chan moved to Brazil, where he co-founded the Chinese Social Center (Centro Social Chinês, in Portuguese) through which he taught kung fu classes for twelve years. He also taught classes at the renowned Universidade de São Paulo (USP) for seven years. In 1973, Chan founded the China-Brazil Kung Fu Academy for which he is largely known today.
The heritage tree given below details the main characters of all kung fu styles taught by Chan. Many of these characters are famous; see section "See Also".
Read more about this topic: Chan Kowk Wai
Famous quotes containing the word heritage:
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