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Wuzuquan - the fourth branch of Sifu Wong's lineage
With Sifu so kindly agreeing to teach this Art in September 2011 in Zurich, I thought it would be interesting to look at this art and discuss aspects of it. To kick things off, here are a couple of quotes from Sifu's Q&A series:
Wuzuquan or Five Ancestors Kungfu is a style of Shaolin Kungfu initiated by Bai Yi Feng during the Yuan Dynasty. It is quite difficult to classify it as Northern Shaolin or Southern Shaolin. Athough it developed from the northern Shaolin Manastery in Henan (pronounced like "Her-nan", and not "Hi-nan"), its features are closer to Southern Shaolin Kungfu than to Northern Shaolin.
This is because another master, Cai Yi Ming, who contributed much to its later development came from the southern Shaolin Monastery in Fujian in south China. Hence, Wuzu Kungfu is sometimes called Yi-Ming Kungfu. As many of its exponents are Fujian speaking, Wuzu is also called Goh Chor, which is the pronunciation in Fujian dialect.
Wuzu, or Goh Chor, means Five Ancestors. It is so called because this style originated when Bai Yi Feng combined five of the best Shaolin styles of that time into one style. The five styles were White Crane, Taizu (or First Emperor Kungfu), Lohan, Monkey and Damo (or Bodhidharma Kungfu, in honour of the First P:atriarch of Shaolin Kungfu).
The most important set in Wuzu Kungfu is San Zhan, which means "Three Battles". This set is used to train internal force as well as teach combat techniques. The advanced set called Sanchin found in many karate styles is derived from the San Zhan of Wuzu.
The Patriarch of Wuzu Kungfu (in Malaysia) is Sifu Chee Kim Thong, who was also my Wuzu teacher. In recognization of his distinguished service to the community, Sifu Chee was made a "datok" by Malaysia, not China. "Datok" is a prestigious title bestowed by the King of Malaysia, and is equivalent to a knight. Wuzu exponents are well known for their internal force. Sifu Chee, for example, could stand causally in his stance, yet a few adults could not move him.
This is because another master, Cai Yi Ming, who contributed much to its later development came from the southern Shaolin Monastery in Fujian in south China. Hence, Wuzu Kungfu is sometimes called Yi-Ming Kungfu. As many of its exponents are Fujian speaking, Wuzu is also called Goh Chor, which is the pronunciation in Fujian dialect.
Wuzu, or Goh Chor, means Five Ancestors. It is so called because this style originated when Bai Yi Feng combined five of the best Shaolin styles of that time into one style. The five styles were White Crane, Taizu (or First Emperor Kungfu), Lohan, Monkey and Damo (or Bodhidharma Kungfu, in honour of the First P:atriarch of Shaolin Kungfu).
The most important set in Wuzu Kungfu is San Zhan, which means "Three Battles". This set is used to train internal force as well as teach combat techniques. The advanced set called Sanchin found in many karate styles is derived from the San Zhan of Wuzu.
The Patriarch of Wuzu Kungfu (in Malaysia) is Sifu Chee Kim Thong, who was also my Wuzu teacher. In recognization of his distinguished service to the community, Sifu Chee was made a "datok" by Malaysia, not China. "Datok" is a prestigious title bestowed by the King of Malaysia, and is equivalent to a knight. Wuzu exponents are well known for their internal force. Sifu Chee, for example, could stand causally in his stance, yet a few adults could not move him.
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