Tweet
Hello there,
great to see the reaction, indeed it should be great fun to discuss some of the subjects that Sifu touches upon.
The title of this first chapter is....
although you will have to wait for a couple of installments to see the relevance of the title
lets begin,
(Please note that this chapter was written in the 1980s. Hence, some facts may have changed. For example, at the time of writing there were more than fifty kungfu schools in Penang, but now, 2009, there are very few.)
Kungfu in the Garden of the East
When I was just a little boy, I often heard thrilling stories of kungfu experts -- stories of their adventures and chivalry, fantastic feats and abilities. Little did I realize then that one day I myself would practise kungfu and could perform some of the seemingly impossible stunts which I had only heard in stories.
My initiation into kungfu happened unexpectedly. It happened in 1958 without any previous notion no arrangement. It occurred at Soon Tuck Wooi Koon ( ), which is situated at 51 Love Lane, Penang, Malaysia. I don't know exactly why that road is called "Love Lane"; probably it was a favourable haunt of lovers in the past. Anyway, it introduced me to my love of kungfu, the Chinese art of attack and defence, which has become my life-long hobby.
"Soon Tuck" is the name of a certain district in the Kwangtung Province of China; and "Wooi Koon" means "Association" in the Cantonese dialect of the Chinese language. Hence, Soon Tuck Wooi Koon is the Associ¬ation of Chinese who originated from the Soon Tuck District of South China.
The Chinese are noted for their organizational ability in forming associations to look after the social, cultural, economic and other interests of fellow clansmen coming from the same native areas in China. In Penang, which is the chief port-city of Malaysia and which is sometimes known as the Garden of the East because of its beautiful scenery, there are numerous associations of this nature. Some better known examples are Phoon Yue Wooi Koon, Nam Hoi Wooi Koon, and Tung Onn Wooi Koon, which cater for community members originating from the districts of Phoon Yue, Nam Hoi and Tung Onn respectively.
However, the modern Chinese in Malaysia who are Malaysian citizens and have accepted Malaysia as their country, are not so conscious of their native origins as their forefathers were. Hence, many activities organized by these Wooi Koons are not exclusively meant for their community members only, but are open to all Chinese, sometimes to other races.
One activity sponsored by Soon Tuck Wooi Koon was kungfu. This was not because Soon Tuck people were particularly keen pugilists, but rather because such was the traditional practice in China before the Second World War. In South China, almost every village collectively employed a kungfu instructor to teach kungfu to its young villagers at their village-hall, which incidentally functioned quite similarly to the Wooi Koons in Malaysia. In towns in South China, kungfu was also very popular. Canton, for example, was reported to have hundreds of kungfu schools during the pre-war days. However, the Chinese who migrated here probably did not bring along with them this traditional practice to Malaysia, for although the Wooi Koons have remained the usual places where kungfu was taught, not many Wooi Koons, nevertheless, organized kungfu classes. Soon Tuck Wooi Koon was one of the few Wooi Koons in Penang at that time that offered traditional kungfu lessons.
Very interesting I think you will agree!!!?
It is indeed a little saddening to hear of how many Kung-Fu school there were in Penang and how many are now left.
Personally I can also relate to Sifu's inspiration of the past Masters of Kung-Fu. When you read so many fantastic stories it definatley wets the apetite and creates a hunger to find out the truth of these stories.
Another interesting thing I found was that Sifu started Kung-Fu at 51 Love Lane in Penang. I am sure many of us have stayed on Love Lane where there are many guest houses nowadays. Before my first meeting with Sifu I stayed on Love Lane in a guest house, of course i was not to know that that was were Sifu first started Kung-Fu, but it is funny how these coincidences’ happen.
below is a valuable picture of Sifu as a 'cute little' boy with His Father and Mother.
all the best
Robin
great to see the reaction, indeed it should be great fun to discuss some of the subjects that Sifu touches upon.
The title of this first chapter is....
I'LL TEACH YOU FREE OF CHARGE
although you will have to wait for a couple of installments to see the relevance of the title
lets begin,
(Please note that this chapter was written in the 1980s. Hence, some facts may have changed. For example, at the time of writing there were more than fifty kungfu schools in Penang, but now, 2009, there are very few.)
Kungfu in the Garden of the East
When I was just a little boy, I often heard thrilling stories of kungfu experts -- stories of their adventures and chivalry, fantastic feats and abilities. Little did I realize then that one day I myself would practise kungfu and could perform some of the seemingly impossible stunts which I had only heard in stories.
My initiation into kungfu happened unexpectedly. It happened in 1958 without any previous notion no arrangement. It occurred at Soon Tuck Wooi Koon ( ), which is situated at 51 Love Lane, Penang, Malaysia. I don't know exactly why that road is called "Love Lane"; probably it was a favourable haunt of lovers in the past. Anyway, it introduced me to my love of kungfu, the Chinese art of attack and defence, which has become my life-long hobby.
"Soon Tuck" is the name of a certain district in the Kwangtung Province of China; and "Wooi Koon" means "Association" in the Cantonese dialect of the Chinese language. Hence, Soon Tuck Wooi Koon is the Associ¬ation of Chinese who originated from the Soon Tuck District of South China.
The Chinese are noted for their organizational ability in forming associations to look after the social, cultural, economic and other interests of fellow clansmen coming from the same native areas in China. In Penang, which is the chief port-city of Malaysia and which is sometimes known as the Garden of the East because of its beautiful scenery, there are numerous associations of this nature. Some better known examples are Phoon Yue Wooi Koon, Nam Hoi Wooi Koon, and Tung Onn Wooi Koon, which cater for community members originating from the districts of Phoon Yue, Nam Hoi and Tung Onn respectively.
However, the modern Chinese in Malaysia who are Malaysian citizens and have accepted Malaysia as their country, are not so conscious of their native origins as their forefathers were. Hence, many activities organized by these Wooi Koons are not exclusively meant for their community members only, but are open to all Chinese, sometimes to other races.
One activity sponsored by Soon Tuck Wooi Koon was kungfu. This was not because Soon Tuck people were particularly keen pugilists, but rather because such was the traditional practice in China before the Second World War. In South China, almost every village collectively employed a kungfu instructor to teach kungfu to its young villagers at their village-hall, which incidentally functioned quite similarly to the Wooi Koons in Malaysia. In towns in South China, kungfu was also very popular. Canton, for example, was reported to have hundreds of kungfu schools during the pre-war days. However, the Chinese who migrated here probably did not bring along with them this traditional practice to Malaysia, for although the Wooi Koons have remained the usual places where kungfu was taught, not many Wooi Koons, nevertheless, organized kungfu classes. Soon Tuck Wooi Koon was one of the few Wooi Koons in Penang at that time that offered traditional kungfu lessons.
Very interesting I think you will agree!!!?
It is indeed a little saddening to hear of how many Kung-Fu school there were in Penang and how many are now left.
Personally I can also relate to Sifu's inspiration of the past Masters of Kung-Fu. When you read so many fantastic stories it definatley wets the apetite and creates a hunger to find out the truth of these stories.
Another interesting thing I found was that Sifu started Kung-Fu at 51 Love Lane in Penang. I am sure many of us have stayed on Love Lane where there are many guest houses nowadays. Before my first meeting with Sifu I stayed on Love Lane in a guest house, of course i was not to know that that was were Sifu first started Kung-Fu, but it is funny how these coincidences’ happen.
below is a valuable picture of Sifu as a 'cute little' boy with His Father and Mother.
all the best
Robin
Smile from the heart!
.
.
Comment