[TenTigers]

that is a great experience and memories you will always have.
I remember my Sifu taught us Tiet Sien Kuen only after everybody had left the school, and when we practiced it during school hours, we had to go into the dressing room.
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'My Gung-Fu is MY Gung-Fu. It may not be YOUR Gung-Fu"
Gwok Si, Gwok Faht

[abiraghi]

Thinking back to those days, I must admit that in the beginning the feelings I had from learning Tit Sin Kuen were mostly a matter of personal satisfaction. I was young, i was fit, I was very "external" in my approach to martial arts. The effects of my karate and contact background were still present. I played Tit in Kuen because I liked the idea, because it was like wearing a black belt, but I didn't feel all the power he has on oneself. Talking with my si-hings years later they confirmed that it was natural, because its subtle power builds up silently in years and years, hour after hour, repetition after repetition. In the beginning, it was kind of a religion, I did it because I believed I had to do it.

That 1984 was a great year for me and sad one at the same time. After Christmas the Gmn was going to be closed. The old building was pressed between two skyscrapers, the value of the land on Nathan Road front was immensely greater than the money it could produce adding all the small activities that were run. And, what's worse, master Chan was giving the first signals of the disease that would have obscured his minds in the next years.

When I came back in 1985 the Hon Chun Gymnasium at 729, Nathan Road wasn't there anymore and my natural home became Cheung Yee Keung's new place in Mongkok. It was a great gymn, tailored after our old one, with all the weapons, the mirrors, the pictures, the heavy smell of chinese medicine. It wasn't a community, as the original, with people going back and forth doing their businesses, it was 100% a-Keung's place and creature, more quiet, clean, in order.

I was there when the monk came for the ceremony of "enlightning" it, with incense, fruits, chants and other assorted holy paraphernalia. It was a n intense feeling, happy and sad at the same time. Master Chan's mind had gone quickly worse in he last months, he had built sort of a senile anger that had converged on his beloved and best pupil, so he never declared him as his official successor (in my opinion, somebody in his family eased this situation, hoping to take advantage of his fame and carry on his business without a brave competitor as Cheung Yee Keung, but nobody of them even had a fraction of his attitudes, so they could never accomplish this project). Cheung Yee Keung is in every way the successor of master Chan and the fact that he as no an official paper stating it doesn't change the evidence. His approach to the art, his movements, his attitude are 100% Chan Hon Chung, with an added extra touch of kindness that make him a unique master.

The end of the Chan Hon Chung era was like the end of a solar system. Once the star was turned off, the planets left their orbits and left. The happy late evening dinners ended, also people had their jobs, in a country where the competition was so tough that working 15 hours a day was considered normal. Lee Yun Fook has his transportation company, Lau Kam Fy became a furniture salesman, Chan Kwoon Kwok an accountant and my dear Seto Wing was selling clothes on Women's Street, building the foundation for the company of casual wear he would have started in China, that now gives work to hundreds of people. The only other who stuck to martial arts was Kong Pui Wai, but in spite of all the love and respect I have for him, I must say that he could never reach the human greatness and wisdom of his master.

I kept visiting Honk Kong every year until sifu's death. Every time I brough my respect to master Chan, but he could barely recognize me. I didn't care, he still liked teaching kung fu so I pretended I wanted to learn the Mui Fa Kuen and after some movements I thanked him, gave him a red envelope with some money, see him smiling then left. It was sad, but I hoped that my innocent comedy could give to his obfuscated mind some of the old feelings. When he died, the emotion was too much to bear. It was nearly the same as loosing my father, I remained aside, paralyzed, couldn't take part to all the official ceremonies. It's a moment I don't want to remember, it is a wound never totally recovered.

After Sifu's death I went to Hong Kong just a few times, occasionally, for a few days, just to see friends. I kept on training, but I slowly let the weapons go mostly for logistic problems. Training a Kwan Do alone in a normal house is an hard task. On the other side, I concentrated on the Tit Sin Kuen, feeling his power building up year after year. It still does build up, when I play it every morning after the first cup of tea. It's a life companion that I found on my side in the good and bad moments of my life. When the times get too good or too rough, the Tit Sin Kuen is the way of putting things back in order, in a good balance. This is master Chan's precious inheritance and the subtle wire (an iron wire!) that contributes to keep him alive in this world.

Thank you for reading my story.

--
Alberto Biraghi, senior student of grand master Chan Hon Chung.

[Asmo]

Hello Abiraghi,

Thanks for sharing, its a bit of a view into an era not many were able to enjoy or take a share in. Some of your writing sparked some controversy, but that is good, it makes people relativate their own experiences and knowledge which can be used to grown from.

Thanks again, and don't become a stranger now on the forum. Would love to see you participating in one of the other discussions taking place here
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Pain is weakness leaving the body.
Don't mind me, whatever I think I know today might be entirely different tomorrow!

[abiraghi]

Controversy is always a good thing, a fair discussion between people is the best starting point for evolving ideas and growing. As I wrote in the beginning, this is my story, a pure description of the feelings I had from one of the most exciting experiences of my life.

About the not-teaching matter, there's no intent of convincing that my choices are correct. They are just the choices I made at the time and I still do, trying to be alway as critical as possible with myself. I do not want to convince anybody, myself included

In conclusion. When I look at my past and I see you young Hung Kuen guys on YouTube, I feel like a Kwan Tak Hing of the old B/W movies, when we compared him to the students of my generation;-) But I think this is a natural evolution and do not blame the modern approach, since it seems the best thing to give back to our art the original importance and prestige.

When I started writing this story, I had no other intent than sharing an experience that due to Sifu's death cannot be duplicated. Thank you for hosting it. I will surely keep on reading your forum and eventually I will post my opinions.
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alberto

[PM]

Alberto, thank you for your story. a lot of food for thought for me.
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Pavel Macek

Lam Ga Hung Kyun 林家洪拳

www.lghk.org

[jow yeroc]

Wow, very captivating stories alberto. Thanks for sharing!!
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no matter how many times the ball bounces, there's still no bones in ice cream.

[abiraghi]

Hi everybody. I keep on receiving emails from people asking me to teach them. As I made clear here [link], I do not teach on a regular basis. But in these years, I never refused to meet people interested in discussing the Art, comparing the forms, even hearing my memories about Master Chan and the Hon Chung Gymnasium. I live in Milano, my teapot is always ready and my house is always open to people interested in the Hung Style.
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alberto

[PM]

Alberto, i hope sooner or later we will meet each other, either in Milano or in Prague! all the best!
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Pavel Macek

Lam Ga Hung Kyun 林家洪拳

www.lghk.org

[abiraghi]

I hope so, too, also because I never saw your beautiful Praga and this is a bad thing. I think in spring I will try to arrange a weekend.
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alberto

[PM]

cool! as i said before, you do not need to worry about hotel, lunches and dinners, guide, watever, be my guest! Frank has also said he might come in the spring, would be nice to have you both here!
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Pavel Macek

Lam Ga Hung Kyun 林家洪拳

www.lghk.org

[Frank Bolte]

Ha Pavel,it might be even earlier than spring

[PM]

the sooner the better, bro looking forward to see you again!
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Pavel Macek

Lam Ga Hung Kyun 林家洪拳

www.lghk.org

[blackz]

[Yogicmotion]

Forgive me but I can't remember, was Chan hon Chung a student of Lam Sai Wing or Lam Jo sigung?

The reason I ask is in all the videos I have seen of him he moves ALOT like my sifu (who is a student of Lam jo sigung).

[PM]

well, i would say, stories differ

(although i am 100% sure it was a well meant and honest question, i would not start the "who was a student of who" discussion)
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Pavel Macek

Lam Ga Hung Kyun 林家洪拳

www.lghk.org