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The following sections of Sifu Wong's Questions and Answers Series have also always fascinated me and so I thought I would reproduce them below for others to read...
Question 1
Grand Grandmaster Lam Saiwing writes in his book on Gungji fuk fu kyun (Gongzi fu hu quan) that Venerable Jisin taught Luk Achoi (Lu Acai) in Hoitung (Haizhuang) monastery in Canton, and not in southern Shaolin temple. Can you explain this contradiction? Why are most Hungga (Hongjia) exponents today descendants from Luk Achoi and not Hung Heigun?
Pavel, Czech Republic
Answer 1
As a great lover of kungfu classics, I too have a copy of the book you mentioned. The book was Grandmaster Lam Sai Weng's work, but was recorded by his disciple using the pen-name Nim Fatt San Yein (which literally means "Mountain Man who Recites the Buddha"). The part in question appears in "Introduction to Kung Tze Fuk Fu Kheun" written by the grandmaster's nephew, Lam Cho, who himself is a kungfu master. The following is my literal translation of the relevant part:
Kung Tze Fu Fu Kheun, or Taming-Tiger Set, originally came from Shaolin. Initially Shaolin burnt in fire. The Venerable Chee Seen escaped and arrived at my Guangdong Province at Hoitung Monastery. Worried that the supreme art of Shaolin be lost. Inside the monastery, taught students and transmitted the art. Became the direction of Shaolin Kungfu flowing to my Guangdong Province. Luk Ah Choy, his first disciple. Received the secret transmission of the Taming-Tiger Set. Then ransmitted to Wong Thai of Sei Chiew of Nam Hoi District. Thai transmitted to Wong Kei Yin. Kei Yin transmitted to his son, Fei Hoong. Fei Hoong transmitted to his uncle, Grandpa Sai Weng.
Firstly, one should realize that Chinese writing is concise. The above literal translation would give some idea of Chinese writing. Secondly, unlike many westerners, the Chinese are generally not so concerned with factual details; they are more concerned with the practical benefits that the writing can give. Hence, the first "Shaolin" above may refer to "Shaolin Kungfu" or to "Shaolin Monastery".
It does not matter much which is referred to because the end result is about the same. But it is more likely to refer to "Shaolin Monastery", as the second "Shaolin" obviously indicates. However, it is not stated whether the Shaolin Monastery was at Henan in the north, or at Quanzhow in Fujian, or at Juilian Mountain also in Fujian. With some background knowledge, I would interpret it as the Shaolin Monastery at Juilian Mountain.
Similarly, the adjective "first" does not necessarily mean that Luk Ah Choy was Chee Seen's first or most senior disciple. I would interpret it as amongst Chee Seen's disciples who had learnt the Taming-Tiger Set, Luk Ah Choy was the best.
The adjective "his" in "his uncle" was a mistake (which could be made originally, or by the printer). It should be "my uncle". Wong Fei Hoong did not teach his own uncle, but Lam Cho's uncle, who was Lam Sai Weng. The term "grandpa" does not actually mean "grandfather"; it is a conventional term for a kungfu patriarch.
Now, we come to your questions proper. There was no contradiction why Chee Seen taught Luk Ah Choy at the Hoitung Monastery and not at the southern Shaolin Monastery. He might, or might not, have taught Luk Ah Choy this set at the Shaolin Monastery, but after the monastery was burnt and Chee Seen escaped to Guangdong, Lok Ah Choy often met up with his master.
Although Hoong Ka Kungfu is named in honour of Hoong Hei Khoon, most of Hoong Ka exponents today are descended from the lineage of Luk Ah Choy. Please note that Hoong Hei Khoon and Luk Ah Choy did not call their kungfu Hoong Ka, they called it Shaolin. "Hoong Ka" is a modern term; even as recent as Lam Sai Weng's time, which was about 50 years ago, what is now called Hoong Ka by many people was then called Shaolin.
For example, in this kungfu classic Lam Sai Weng and all the others refer to the art as Shaolin, and not as Hoong Ka. Perhaps it may be more appropriate to ask the relevant persons why they call their Shaolin art Hoong Ka, than to ask me why I call my Hoong Ka art Shaolin. Nevertheless, for me there is one significant reason for calling my art Shaolin. i.e. my training programmes are generally "softer" and involves more of qigong than what is usually expected in Hoong Ka training today, which frequently uses sandbags and sometimes weights.
One reason why Hoong Hei Khoon's lineage is not as popular as Luk Ah Choy's, has something to do with the philosophy of his wife Fong Wing Choon and his successors Hoong Man Ting and Wu Ah Piew. Although Fong Wing Choon was a superb fighter, she preferred peaceful living to fighting, knowing that there would be no end to taking revenge. She persuaded her husband not to go after Pak Mei.
Yet, the "crime" of Pak Mei in burning the Shaolin Monastery was too great to be ignored. She did not want the world to point at them and accuse them of choosing comfort over righteousness. So when Hoong Man Ting and Wu Ah Piew decided to fight Pak Mei, she let them go on one condition, that their fight irrespective of success or failure would be the last one.
Thus, after righting the wrong by killing Pak Mei, Hoong Man Ting and Wu Ah Piew as well as Hoong Hei Khoon and Fong Wing Choon retired from society to avoid further fighting. Personally I consider this to be good philosophy. The aim of kungfu training is not to seek fame, or worse, seek revenge, but to enable us to live rewardingly and peacefully
Many, many years later, when Hoong Hei Khoon was in his eighties, a young girl was found fainted outside his doorstep. Hoong Hei Khoon and his wife pitied her and adopted her into the family. She worked hard, serving them as a dutiful daughter, which pleased them very much as they did not have a daughter of their own.
One evening about eight months later she served tea to Hoong Hei Khonn as usual. As he raised the cup to drink, she drove a phoenix-eye fist into a deadly vital point on his left ribs. She fled, leaving a message that she took revenge for her father whom Hoong Hei Khoon had killed many years ago.
That single strike was fatal. In his dying breath Hoong Hei Khoon categorically instructed that no one should go after that girl nor to investigate any further, reminding them of his wife's wisdom that revenge would continue without end. He accepted his karma, blessed the girl and died peacefully, leaving us the memory and heritage of a great master.
On the other hand, Luk Ah Choy's lineage produced Wong Fei Hoong who taught thousands of civil guards during the early Republican period. Wong Fei Hoong was so well known that he was called the "Tiger after the Guangdong Ten Tigers", and his adventures were made into movie films.
His disciple, Lam Sai Weng, brought his style of kungfu to Hong Kong, where it spread to various parts of the world. The top-class Hong Kong kungfu film director, Lau Ka Leong, who has been instrumental in spreading the popularity of genuine Shaolin kungfu movies throughout the world, is the son of Lau Cham, a disciple of Lam Sai Weng.