Hung Sing USA

 

 

 

 

蔡李佛拳

 

 

                                         It is without a doubt that the Choy Lee Fut style-regardless of who created it first-is one of the most famous and saught after styles of Chinese martial arts taught around the world today. In the bigger scheme of things, who was first, how many forms, and other mind numbing ideas can only cause harm to our families. What should matter more is “how good is your Choy Lee Fut?” As well as what we are doing to promote our great system. Each branch has made major contributions to Choy Lee Fut, and each branch has “their” story to be told.

As it stands, there are 3 branches of the Choy Lee Fut system. Each branch-Great Sage Hung (Xiong Sing), Hung Sing Kwoon(Glorious Victory) and the Buk Sing Kwoon (Northern Victory) is linked together by Choy Lee Fut’s “Root” techniques such as Kum Na Kwa Sau Chop Biu Jong Pow Kup and Ding.

Aside from these “Root Techniques” each branch teaches different material specific to each branch which is not taught in other branches (with the exception of the first two forms of the Buk Sing Kwoon-Ping Kuen and Kau Da Kuen which are from the Fut San Hung Sing Kwoon). Although each branch teaches different material is it unfair to say one or the other is not Choy Lee Fut because it’s not taught by Chan Heung.

Although the same sets are not taught in each branch, from these roots rose gung fu from such great masters as Chan Heung, Jeong Hung Sing, and Tam Sam. And that is the reason why I believe there are “3 Families of Choy Lee Fut.”

Hopefully in the future we would see Choy Lee Fut taught based off of all 3 branches with all they have to offer, which i hope will bring much unity from all our great families.—

Sifu Frank McCarthy.

 

 

 

蔡李佛拳

 

(洪圣 /鴻勝 /北勝 )

 

written by Sifu Frank McCarthy

 

 

 

Chan Heung was a native of the King Mui village in the Sun Wui Province of Kwantung. He was born in *1815 and grew up in a village where everyone shared the same last name of Chan. At the age of 7 years old he began to learn gung fu from an elder in the Chan Village by the name of Chan Yuen Wu who was at one time a shaolin monk and a master of Hung Kuen.

Under Chan Yuen Wu Chan Heung’s gung fu skills improved rather rapidly and eventually Chan Yuen Wu asked him to set up his own school. By the age of 15 Chan Heung was becoming a local champion and gaining a lot of recognition from other gung fu masters. Although he was pretty young Chan Heung was taking in many students.

One day Chan Heung got wind of a new local gung fu master which was asked to come and open a school in the area. Since he was well known in the area Chan Heung thought this would be a great opportunity to make a name for himself if he could defeat this new master.

The name of this new gung fu master was Lee Yau San, founder of the Lee Ga system and student of Li Sik Hoi-one of the Hung Mun Society founders, but Chan Heung knew nothing about him. So he came up with a plan to ambush him to see what Lee Yau San could do. Soon after he learned that Lee Yan San would be at a local restuarant and this is where he would launch his plan.

As Lee Yau San exited the restaurant Chan Heung lunged forward grabbing Lee Yau San around the waist intending to pick him up and slam him on the floor. Yet Lee Yau San reacted quickly and swept Chan Heungs legs and then kicked him as he was falling sending Chan Heung a few feet away.

Lee Yau San was sure that his kick would have totally injured his attacker, but he was amazed to see Chan Heung get up to his feet. Lee Yau San then demanded an explanation and to know whom his teacher was. But Chan Heung being defeated so easily and embarrassed refused to implement his sifu who had no knowledge of his actions.

A few days later Chan Heung received word that Lee Yau San was talking about him, saying the Chan Heung was wasting his potential with his selfish pursuit of greatness. He was 17 at the time and this somehow this touched Chan Heung who then realized what Lee Yau San meant and resigned from his post as a teacher and asked Lee Yau San to take him as a disciple.

Lee Yau San agreed to teach Chan Heung, and for the next 10 years Chan Heung reached a level it usually took 20 years to achieve. Along the course of his training, Chan Heung and Lee Yau San heard that a survivor of the Shaolin Temples destruction was on Mt. Lau Fu and the decided to go and pay him a visit to check him out.

Monk Choy Fook (Cai Fu) was one of the survivors of the temples destuction and escaped with his head on fire. The scar left behind earned him the nickname of “Lan Tau Fook” or scarred head Fook. It is also believed that he was master of the Choy Gah System.

Both Chan Heung and Lee Yau San went to Mt Lau Fu and came across a temple with a person sweeping the stairs. They asked about Monk Choy Fook but the person-a older, but still in great physical shape and mentally sharp-said that Choy Fook was away but would return shortly, and they were welcom to wait if they wanted.

Lee Yau San must have been a very competitive person, because after the monk offered to make some tea and chopped the firewood with his bare hands, he (Lee Yau San) took it as if this monk was bragging about his skills. So he walked over to a rice grinder and kicked it straight up and out of his hole in responce to the monks actions.

However, the monk then walked over to the rice grinder and chopped off a corner of it and pulverized it in his hands then proceeded to throw the dust at Lee Yau Sans feet as a warning to anyone wishing to cause trouble at the temple. The message was quite clear to Lee Yau San who said goodbye to Chan Heung and took his leave.

Chan Heung was undoubtedly impressed with the monks abilities and begged the monk to take him as a disciple, but the monk refused because he only wished to study Buddhism. But Chan Heung continued to plead with the monk to reconsider until he actually did.

The monk agreed to teach Chan Heung Gung Fu on one 3 conditions, and follow them completely or leave. The first was he had to stay and study Buddhism for ten years, second was he wasn’t allowed to show off, kill, or maim with the gung fu he learned. And the third was to kick the rice grinder back into its original resting place.

Chan Heung immediately kicked the rice grinder back into place and the Monk agreed to teach him. Ten years later, Chan Heung completed his training under this monk in the art of Shaolin Gung Fu. A feast had been prepared for Chan Heung by the monk who at that point revealed he was indeed Monk Choy Fook, and he wasn’t sure whose good fortune it was, but he thought he would die alone on that mountain.

*** Presently, there is question to whether Chan Heung’s actual birthdate is 1805 or 1815. Without the actual birthrecords it will be impossible to verify. However, according to the “History of Choy Lee Fut pt 1″ written by Mr. Alan Yee, a member of the Li Iu Ling Chan Family lineage Chan Heung was 48 years old in 1864. If you subtract 48 from 1864 you will get the date of 1815/16.

Still, according to the Fut San Hung Sing Kwoon, and various other sources on the web, Chan Heung’s birthdate is believed to be 1815 and not 1805. With Alan Yee’s information, it seems that the 1815 date is more plausible than the earlier date.

Monk Choy Fook then said that 6 years is a great accomplishment but 10 is even better, and to really follow along the true path of Shaolin he should learn Chinese medicine, and the 6 magic spells. Chan Heung quickly decided to stay another two years and study with Monk Choy Fook who was in his late 90’s.

Upon his departure Chan Heung asked Monk Choy Fook to guide him in what to do next. Monk Choy Fook said he wasn’t made for the life of a government official, but he and his children will become leaders of men if they were to follow the Shaolin tradition. He then presented Chan Heung with a pair of couplets that read : “The dragon and tiger met in Heaven to revive our shaolin ways,” and “Teach your followers righteousness and let each generation uphold and enliven.”

Chan Heung was then escorted down Mt Lau Fu by Tung Kwan, Jeong Tin Cheung, and Chan Chung Nin who was a native of Sun Wui also. And that was the last time Chan Heung ever got to see Monk Choy Fook again who died at the age of 112.

Back in King Mui Chan Heung immediately set up a medical clinic called the Wing Sing Tong. Afterwards, the village elders of the Chan Clan asked Chan Heung to open a school in the villages ancestral temple where he could teach only Chan Family members.

According to the Chan Family Chan Heung opened his school under the name of Hung Sing (Hong Xiong) which means “Great Sage Hung” and began teaching a mixture of Monk Choy Fooks, and Lee Yau Sans gung fu. As he developed his system he figured he would honor his two sifu’s and call the style Choy Lee Fut, the “Fut” meaning buddha while representing its shaolin roots.

According to available Chan family records he had an original group of 18 students all of the same last name of Chan except for one outsider. They were: Loong Gee Choy (a possible cover for Jeong Yim), Chan Din Yao, Chan Din Fune, Chan Din Bong, Chan Din Wai, Chan Dai Yup, Chan Mau Jong, Chan Din Sing, Chan Din Jen, Chan Din Duk, Chan Sun Dong, Chan Dai Wai, Chan Yin Yu, Chan Cin Hing, Chan Ding Sing, Chan Dai Sing, Chan May Wing, Chan Din Gung.

Over the years Chan Heung travelled all around China Spreading Choy Lee Fut. During his travels he managed to return to Mt. Lau Fu to visit Monk Choy Fook only to discover that in his absence his sifu passed away at 112 years old. The passing of his sifu saddened him but also inspired him to promote his gung fu even further.

Back at home in Ging Mui he established his own family, while his personal development and continual creation of new techniques

which would become exclusive to his family branch went on until his death in 1875.

Out of the original 18 students of Chan Heung, many had went on to open other Choy Lee Fut schools in the area and usually did pretty well for themselves. Yet, none had received more notoriety than Jeong Ah Yim, the founder of the Fut San Hung Sing branch of Choy Lee Fut.

Jeong Ah Yim was born in Kwantung around 1824, and was from the Sun Wui Shan Shui Dong Ling Village. It is said that his parents were killed when he was a boy, and possibly had a price on his head for avoiding conscription. According to the late Master Qian Wei Fang, (Jeong Yim’s main apprentice) Jeong Yim was a disciple of Lee Yau San prior to being taken as a student of Chan Heung, but had a strong passion for gung fu. By the time he was 12 years old his uncle Jeong Kwan was no longer able to care for him. Jeong Kwan took the young Jeong Yim to the ging Mui village with hopes that his old friend Chan Heung may help him out of this tough situation. He needed to hide the young boy from the grasp of the government. However because of village rules against outsiders Chan Heung had to turn them away.

Denying help to his old friend was the last thing Chan Heung wanted to do. But Jeong Kwan continued to plead with him to reconsider until Chan Heung had an idea. *The only way to bring in Jeong Yim was to take him in as a handyman/grounds keeper. Still, Jeong Yim would not be allowed to learn their gung fu as one of the conditions. Jeong Kwan agreed and then said his goodbyes to his little nephew.

As Chan Heung taught his daily gung fu classes Jeong Yim couldn’t resist watching them practice in secret. He possessed a strong desire to learn gung fu and eventually began to memorize the techniques so he may practice them in privacy. One night he was out practicing his stolen gung fu until he was caught in the act by Chan Heung who was quite amazed at how masterfully this outsider was performing their villages marital art.

* (It is very possible when considering the political climate of that time that chan Heung changed Jeong Yims name to Loong Gee Choy in order to hide his true identity fromChing Soldiers. It was commonplace during that era for criminals to have many alias).

Jeong Yim was clueless to Chan Heung spying on him. Suddenly Chan Heung appeared from out of the shadows. This was grounds for immediate expulsion. But Jeong Yim confessed to stealing the moves, and his honesty impressed Chan Heung, who couldn’t deny his great potential. It would be a shame to let go of such a talented student who showed more dedication than his own. Therefore he agreed to teach Jeong Yim in private during the midnight hours.

In about 5 years Jeong Yim was able to master Chan Heungs techniques. He was no doubt becoming one of Chan Heungs most accomplished and strongest students, until a few of the senior students began to pick on him. He tried so hard not to fight back but eventually they pushed the right buttons and he fought back ferociously and injured some of Chan Heungs students.

The parents of the defeated students complained to the village elders about the incident. They scolded Chan Heung for allowing an outsider into their village much less teach him gung fu. Their secret had been revealed and now chan Heung was faced with having to kick out his top disciple.

At their next private meeting Chan Heung reluctantly told jeong yim that their secret arrangement was discovered and the he must leave the Chan Village. He told Jeong Yim to travel to Kwangxi and locate an old Famous Shaolin Monk, give him this letter of recommendation and ask him to complete your training.

Jeong Yim set out for the Pak Pai Mountain to search for this Shaolin master called the Ching Cho Woe Serng (Green Grass Monk) a.k.a. *Cai DeZhong as well as Monk Um Ging of the Julianshan Southern Shaolin Temple which was located in the Fukien province of Putian County in Guangzhou. This monk was a feared agitator of the government, and heavliy involved with the Hung Society revolutionary movement.

After the passing of the temples Abbott Gee Simm, Monk Ching Cho Woe Serng was left in charge of 108 fighting monks. Out of that 108 only 5 survived the destruction of the temple. They were Lei Sik Hoi a.k.a. Qingsheng Hu Dedi or even Qing Fu, Wu Dak Dai, Fong Dai Hong a.k.a. Ching Fong, Ma Chow Sing a.k.a. Ching Tse, and Cai DeZhong. Later these 5 would become known as the “5 Ancestors” not to be confused with the 5 Founder of Souther Shaolin Gung Fu. According to legend it was the Green Grass Monk that killed the shaolin common disciple turned traitor known as Ma Ninger a.k.a. Ma Chut for assisting the Ching Military in the destruction of the temples and the for lives of the countless dead monks.

Meanwhile, as Jeong Yim arrived at Mt. Pak Pai he came across the Shajian Temple. He began to inquire about the whereabouts of the Green Grass Monk. No one seemed to have any answers, but he kept ups his serach for this elusive old monk.

Finally, he crossed paths with an old man and asked if he knew anything about the monk. The old man pretended not to know whom this person was but asked a question in return. “Why are you looking for him, are you the police?” But Jeong Yim explained that he was sent by someone to complete his gung fu training.

The old man wanted Jeong Yim to humor him and demonstate his abilities for him, and almost immediately he recognized the techniques as having roots to the Shaolin Temple. He then revealed his identity as the Green Grass Monk, and that he only hid it because the government has a high price on his head for attempting to overthrow it. He accepted Jeong Yim as his student and began to teach him the deadly art of Fut Gar Kuen (Buddha Palm Style) as well as herbal medicine.

It only took Jeong Yim about 5 years to master the Fut Gar Style. One of the most important hand forms that the Green Grass Monk passed on to him was called “In and Out Ba Gua Kuen” which contained a total of 1080 moves in it.

Prior to Jeong Yim returning to Ging Mui the Green Grass Monk solidified his students beliefs in supporting the revolution and changed his first name from Yim to Hung Sing which is believed to contain a secret referral to the Hung Society winning the victory in overthrowing the Ching Government. He then instructed Jeong Yim to open a Hung Sing Kwoon in Fut San.

In 1839 Jeong Hung Sing opened the Fut San Hung Sing Kwoon which was just off of Yabang Street and gained instant widespread recognition. Because of his fame Jeong Hung Sing took on many challengers, but remained undefeated. Many of the ones who lost to him asked to join his school.

Word of his former disciples success got back to Chan Heung in Ging Mui. He was very proud and impressed with Jeong Yim’s acheivements and showed him the utmost respect for him by treating him like an equal. Yet, Jeong Yim attributed all of his success to the guidance and training from Chan Heung.

In return for all of Chan Heungs assistance Jeong Yim shared with Chan Heung what he learned from the Green Grass Monk. Together they closely studied the new techniques and Jeong Yim was at work redefining Chan Heungs system by adding the “Fut” in Choy Lee Fut. They created many new techniques as well including the secret call signs and the salutations.

Once Jeong Hung Sing and Chan Heung was finished adding in the new techniques, Jeong Hung Sing became known as the true founder of Choy Lee Fut. Upon returning to Fut San, Jeong Hung Sing started developing his gung fu separately from that of Chan Heung based on his personal needs, as well as his students too.

In the meantime, Jeong Hung Sing was heavily involved in supporting the revolution and training members of the Hung Mun Secret Society. At the same time he was busy defeating many more newcomers interested in challenging him to make a name for themselves.

Because of it’s effectiveness in combat Jeong Hung Sings gung fu was spreading thoughout Southern China like wildfire. It also created a few enemies amongst those who were jealous of his success. Some of the ones that were defeated by him went to the Ching Government to report the Fut San Hung Sing Kwoon was a hotbed for freedom fighters.

In 1848 the Ching Empire sent their soldiers into Fut San to close down the Hung Sing Kwoon and arrest or even kill the rebels if necessary. The Opium wars, of 1840, the Tai Ping Rebellion in 1851, and the Red Turban Revolt in 1854 was just some of the famous revolutions the Hung Sing Kwoon was involved in.

Every time a Hung Sing Kwoon closed a new one would emerge elsewhere. The blood of the revolution ran deep into the heart of the southern Chinese who refused to submit to foreign rule. Once the situation cooled down in Fut San and the attention was taken off of the Hung Sing Kwoon, Jeong Yim would keep returning to re-open it.

His fighting method was widely chosen by most of the Southern Chinese hardcore fighters of that era. As it was being created for immediate use it was in constant evolution. According to accounts, his gung fu continued to be revised even after his death.

In 1864 once again the Fut San Hung Sing Kwoon was on the Ching’s hit list. It was closed down and Jeong Hung Sing escaped to Hong Kong while his students spread throughout the countryside to hide and re-establish more Hung Sing Kwoons. Then in 1867 Jeong Hung Sing returned to Fut San again to re-open his school. Relentless in his pursuit to fight for the cause of the people, evidence of hos dedication, and commitment is found in the pair of Couplets that hang on the walls of all Hung Sing Kwoon’s.

In the southern part of China they strongly supported the Hung Mun Society. So much so that most of the men during that time changed their names to replace it with the word Hung. Jeong Yim’s original Hung in his name had to be changed to shake any ties to the secret society. Therefore he changed over to use the Hung meaning Glorious.

Also, the new Hung means Goose, but to the Chinese the goose has a special meaning. It represents longevity, and since the Chinese language is so colorful, it possible there was a hidden interpretation inferring longevity to the Hung Society.

Jeong Hung Sing had many, many students during his time. Some of the more famous ones were Yuen Hai, Lee Yan, Lui Chun, Wong Fook, Jeong Sam Bing, Wong Sei, Chun Mien, Lee So and Chan Ngau Sing..

In 1893 Jeong Hung Sing returned to Fut San after attending a social gathering. It is thought that he was poisoned and passed away leaving behind a wife named Chan Kay, and two sons who died pretty early on. His body is buried in Song Sui Jong Goon.

Tam sam was born in 1873 in a Hoi Ping suburb. He grew up in the Toi Ting Village of Canton, China. Since he was the third son to his parents they named him SAM pronounced SOM… And by nature, he was a lover of a good fight, he was strong willed as well as very intelligent. Hung Ga was his first style of gung fu he learned under master Chow Gum.

 

A friend of Tam Samfs practiced gung fu at a Hung Sing Kwoon under Master Lui Chun. Eventually Tam Sam gave in to his curiosity- because he passed the school everyday-and went in intending to see if their gung fu was worth its weight in salt. He had heard good things about Hung Sing Choy Lee Fut and wanted to know first hand.

Arrogantly Tasm Sam walked into Master Lui Chun’s school and asked if anyone wanted to spar a few rounds with him. Wong Sum who was a senior student stepped forward and accepted the challenge while Master Lui sat back and observed the match.

During the match Wong Sum struck Tam Sam with a powerful Sow Choy. Tam Sam managed to hit Wong Sum in the ribs. Then Wong Sum used his Hung Sing Jo Ma Kwa Sow technique which instantly ended the fight because Tam Sam was unable to continue the match.

Tam Sam was very disappointed by his own performance and was desparate to save face. Thinking that since Master Lui Chun was advanced in age Tam Sam felt the he would have a better chance at defeating him. His friend urgently tried to pursuade Tam Sam to change his mind and cautioned him that something like this was unwise. Still, Tam Sam ignored his friends warning and proceeded with the challenge.

Master Lui Chun never gave Tam Sam a chance. In a matter of seconds he floored Tam Sam who was scolded by his friend for acting so foolishly and said “see, I told you so. You are lucky my sifu controlled his punches or you would have been seriously hurt.”

Convinced that Hung Sing Choy Lee Fut was more than effective Tam Sam asked Master Lui to accept him as a student. Since Tam Sam was already trained in the martial arts Master Lui agreed to take him in. Only a few years later Tam Sam excelled in the Hung Sing fighting art, and was eventually appointed as the assistant instructor teaching the younger students who would call him Sam Sook.

Regardless of anyonefs position in life Tam Sam wouldnft let anyone bully him. For example, one afternoon he got into an altercation with his Si-Sook (gung fu uncle) Ngan Yiu Ting and a few of his family members. The incident was later referred to as the “Kuen Da Sam Ngan” which means “fist that defeated 3 Nganfs, after he beat all of them up.

Master Lui Chun discovered what happened, however his hands were tied, there wasnft much he could do. It was against the code of Choy Lee Fut to fight another brother, but to beat up an elder left Master Lui with no other options but to ask Tam Sam to leave.

Unfortunately at this point Tam Sam had not completed his training under Master Lui. But what he didnft already he later learned it from his friend Wong To who trained with Tam Sam very hard.

To Tam Sam the only way to get better was to go out and challenge people and learn from those experiences. Often these challenges end up in bloody battles, and he began to develop a name for himself as a fighter. Yet, he realized that his reputation may begin to tarnish the of Master Lui Chun and the Hung Sing Kwoon.

Out of respect for his sifu Tam Sam moved his school north into a temple called Siu Buk Di Mew. He named his school the Siu Buk Hung Sing Kwoon. Over time students such as Chow Hing and Lai Gum pursuaded Tam Sam to shorten the schools name to Buk Sing Choy Lee Fut because it was too inconvenient to repeat over and over, and he agreed, ultimately creating the 3^rd branch to the Choy Lee Fut system.

Following in the tradition of the Hung Sing Kwoon Tam Sam had a pair of double couplets made. They read: “Turn around like a tiger raising its head, and punch like a dragon raising its claws.”

The second read: “Hands are like the wind blowing out the candle, and The footwork is like walking on clouds.”

Since Tam Sam was so adept at fighting he went on to create new techinques and redefine old ones,. An “extra in means extra power” was his motto for his school. He would invite many of his gung fu brothers and elders over for intensive, in-depth studies of Choy Lee Futfs techniques. It is then that he became known for his Lin Wan Chop Choy (continuos cyclic panther punches).

He often encouraged his students to go out and challenge and would preach about how more experience you get the better your skills would be. Tam Sam loved to fight so much that he hired a biographer to record his encounters. The book was to be called “the record of 100 victorious fights” but the author passed away in Hong Kong during its early stages and was never completed.

After the formation of the Republic of China was formed in 1912 the following decades were filled with the government publicly promoting martial arts as national treasure. They held regular competitions throughout the year, and because of this the Kwantung and KwopZhou Chinese Martial Arts Associations were formed.

The government also invited many northern styles to come to the south and teach gung fu. A competition was to be held in Canton with the southern styles competing against the northern styles. Ku Yu Jeong, a well known northern stylist who was renowned for hos iron body techniques was nominated to head the northern Team.

Tam Sam was nominated to be the southern teams coach. And his reputation was so widespread that even Ku Yu Jeong heard of him and regarded him as a fellow hero and actually wanted to train with him. But Tam Sam had different intentions, he wanted to fight Ku Yu Jeong. In place of fighting an arrangement was set up between them to each exchange a group of students for cross training purposes.

In his heart Tam Sam was a die hard Hung Sing man and did not want to learn anything northern himself. Some of his favorite techniques were Kwa-Sow-Chop (Back hand, Sweeping Fist, and stabbing punch). It was techniques like these that he used to defeat many of his challengers. Although he preferred the wider horse stance and the longer ranging punches of the Hung Sing Kwoon.

Then, during World War II and the Japanese invasion Tam Sam was elected to head the “DI DO (Big Sword) training camp. Durning this time he was also a member of the Canton National Board of Martial arts, a husband and a father. Sadly, in 1942 Tam Sam passed away at the age of 69 years old.

Finally in 2002, members and elders of the Choy Lee Fut Buk Sing branch moved Tam Sams original burial site to its final rest place back in his home town of Hoi Ping, may he rest in peace.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

鴻 龙 館

 

 

 

鴻 勝 蔡 李 佛 拳

 

 

Authentic Fut San Hung Sing Choy Lee Fut

passed down from our founder Jeong Hung Sing

TheHung Loong Hung Sing Kwoon (Glorious Dragon Gung Fu Studio) is one of the newest editions to San Francisco’s long history of Martial Arts in the Bay Area. In fact, the Hung Loong Kwoon descands from the Hung Sing Kwoon ” THE OLDEST GUNG FU SCHOOL IN THE UNITED STATES” through Sifu Frank McCarthy, who, is a senior disciple of Grand Master Dino Salvatera, the 2nd inheritor of the American Hung Sing Kwoon.

Frisco, Tx students pose with Sifu McCarthy-the one on the right is our Dai Si Hing.

The Hung Loong Kwoon is primarily a traditional school of Chinese martial arts, but :”WE” as the current generation and lineage holders of our direct lineage have taken it upon ourselves to “EVOLVE” our system. We teach traditional Fut San Hung Sing Choy Lee Fut from the Yuen Hai lineage-which is one out of three of the oldes lineages in the Hung Sing Choy Lee Fut system-as it was handed down from generation to generation. Yet, we take on a modern approach with our traditional gung fu.

We are a very “SELF PRESERVATION” minded school that approaches our gung fu in a realistic manner. There’s no better feeling than walking down the street in a bad neighborhood, or even your own and knowing that if you HAD TO, you could protect yourself in any situation. First and Foremost, we DO NOT promote violence, but we are very aware of the real dangers the streets has to offer us regardless of age, sex, race, or physical capabitlities. In fact, Sifu McCarthy HAS effectively taught Choy Lee Fut to those even in WHEELCHAIRS and has taught people how to use their walking impliments-be it a cane, two canes, crutches, or whatever to their advantage.

At our school you will learn both traditional and modern Hung Sing Choy Lee Fut, Sparring,Lion Dancing, Self Defense, and any and all types of weapons as well as getting a great work out. We train hard, but have fun doing so.If you are interested in giving our school a try, we are located in Golden Gate Park, only feet away from the Japanese Tea Garden. We encourage anyone of any age interested to contact us. Please check our schedule and times in the “Schedule” section of our site.

Posted by HSK Warrior at 10:13 PM 0 comments

 

 

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About Me

HSK Warrior

I have been involved with the martial arts for the better part of my life. But, the Lau Bun lineage of Hung Sing Choy Lee Fut was really caught my eye. Till this day(1981-the present) i am still under Sifu Dino Salvatera. Today, GM Salvatera along with senior disciple Hannibal Yusef, B. Jang, Frank McCarthy, Troy Dunwood, and a few other s are striving to promote the Yuen Hai/Lau Bun lineage of the original Fut San Hung Sing Kwoon. If interested, pay us a visit at www.hungsing.com or www.hshlk.zoomshare.com

 

GRAND MASTER DENNIS “JEW TIEN LOONG” SALVATERA

(1945-PRESENT)

HEAD MASTER OF THE U.S.A. HUNG SING BRANCH

鸿胜 蔡李佛

2ND SUCCESSOR
4TH GENERATION MASTER OF THE
HUNG SING CHOY LEE FUT SYSTEM

Grand Master Dennis “Dino” Salvatera is the current head master of the Yuen Hai/Lau Bun lineage of the Fut San Hung Sing Kwoon. This lineage is responsible for being the very first gung fu school to be established on American soil (circa 1921), specifically teaching the Hung Sing Choy Lee Fut system. Today its the oldest existing school of chinese gung fu in the United States.

GM Salvatera was born in San Francisco’s Chintatown at the Chinese Hospital. He was born in 1945, and raised during a very racially turbulent period in America’s history. Westerners didn’t take too kindly to Asians, and often mistreated them. And since GM Salvatera was of a racially mixed background, and physically smaller than most his own age, he often had to defend himself from bullies of all walks of life.

 

Due to the circumstances, GM Salvatera had to become a fighter from a very young age. Many of his friends were already in street gangs, which was very common within the inner city. It was in 1958 in fact that through one of his friends who was a student of Professor Lau Bun that GM Salvatera received his first exposure to the Hung Sing Choy Lee Fut system.

Professor Jew Leong was the 1st inheritor of Professor Lau Bun’s Hung Sing Kwoon. And after the passing of Master Bing Chan, GM Salvatera and a group of his classmates decided they wanted to continue their gung fu training, and chose Professor Jew as their new sifu. This way they never went outside the family to keep up with their learning.

After shaking off the after effects of his former life, GM Salvatera chose to delve into learning gung fu full time. Under Professor Jew, he trained every day for at least 4-5 hours a day, even if no one else showed up. It was appearant that gung fu began to take on a positive role in his life. Instead of going out and getting into trouble, he would focus on refining and perfecting his gung fu religiously.

 

Over time, GM Salvatera was becoming the main attraction in Hung Sing street peformances held all over the San Francisco bay area. Some of his more notable peformances were when he demonstrated the Kwan Do, Double Hatchets, or even his 5 animal internal form.

In 1970, at the age of 25, Salvatera began to privately teaching with his first student (Yusef Hannibal). But his reputation as a good teacher grew, and many wanted to come and learn from GM Salvatera. Over time, the demand was so great GM Salvatera decided he would need a bigger place to teach. So, at the advice of his first student, he began teaching members of the Black Muslims, the Black Panthers, and other youths and adults at the Famous Glyde Memorial Church. At the same time, he was teaching San Francisco’s version of the “Red Guard” at the old historical Hungry I.

 

Approximately 1975, with the encouragement of his students and friends, Salvatera opened his own school in the Sunset District in San Francisco, calling it the “Tien Loong Gung Fu Club”. Although he had his own group of student now Salvatera continued to make it a point to keep returning to Professor Jew to study at the Hung Sing Studio as often as he could and regularly returned to assist his Sifu in supervising all the lion dance performances.

A milestone in GM Salvatera’s martial arts career happened at the turn of the century when he and a small group of students travelled to China to uncover their roots by visting the birthplace of Hung Sing Choy Lee Fut. Not knowing what to expect, GM Salvatera and his students intended to make a good impression on the members of the Fut San Hung Sing Kwoon, and set up a little demonstration where the elders of the Fut San HSK instantly recognized Professor Lau Bun’s Gung Fu as true and authentic, directly coming from Fut San.

The very next year in October of 2001, GM Salvatera and his school was invited back to participate in the Fut San Hung Sing Kwoon’s 150′th anniversary celebration where he and a couple of his students were directly involved in the opening ceremonies at one of the original Hung SIng Kwoon’s which was owned by Tong Sek. At the same time he and his students were presented with a rare opportunity of taking new sifu’s from the birthplace itself.

In October of 2001 Grand Master Salvatera was instrumental in re-introducing Professor Lau Bun and the long forgotten son (Yuen Hai) to the Fut San Hung Sing Kwoon who in turn welcomed Grand Master Salvatera back into the family with open arms re-installing Lau Bun to his rightful place in the family tree of the original Fut San Hung Sing Kwoon. Since then he (GM Salvatera) continously returns to Fut San to train under his sifu Ho Cheuk Wah. Gm Salvatera not only teaches Hung Sing Choy Lee Fut from the Lau Bun and Chan Ngau Sing lines, outside of China he is the only person teaching Choy Lee Fut from the Wong Sei lineage in the United States.

Hung Sing Choy Lee Fut’s “Yuen Hai” 1st generation and senior disciple of Jeong Hung Sing   Master Yuen Hai was one of the very first students of the Fut San Hung Sing Kwoon. It is believed that he was born around 1821 and came from vietnam, or somewhere from South East Asia. His martial arts background began back in his homeland, where he often got into a lot of trouble. Being gifted athletically as a child he naturally excelled in martial arts quickly. But he had a hot temper and got into a lot of street fights. By the time he turned 18 years old he was wanted by the police for viciously beating someone up. The police were hot on his trail, Yuen Hai needed to go into hiding to avoid prosecution. So he left his homeland and eventually found himself in Fut San, China. For the time being he felt this place would be good to start over until things cooled down back home.   Yuen Hai came across the Fut San Hung Sing Kwoon, and instantly wanted to go in and challenge the sifu. Little did he know he was about to fight Jeong Yim, who defeated Yuen Hai easily 3 straight times, and each time was literally tossed out of the studio by Jeong Yim.   Shocked and amazed at the fighting prowess of Jeong Yim, Yuen Hai admitted defeat and begged to be accept him as a student. He was accepted into the Fut San Hung Sing Kwoon, and began learning Hung Sing Kuen. He was there side by side with Jeong Yim through every time the government closed down their school and tried to arrest all the Hung Sing Kwoon members, and was one of the lucky ones to escape the clutches of the Manchu by fleeing to Hong Kong.   While in Hong Kong, Yuen Hai began teaching Hung Sing Choy Lee Fut to many members of various workers unions, while a good number of his students were Longshoreman, who are universally known to be very tough people.   Yuen Hai and his classmate Chan Ngau Sing were very close friends. Chan Ngau Sings business wasn’t doing to well so he decided to go to Hong Kong and stay with Yuen Hai for a short time. But sometime after that Chan Ngau Sing had flee back into China because he had gotten drunk in Hong Kong and managed to beat the hell out of a British Police officer, and was now a wanted fugitive.   It was not known if Chan Ngau Sings actions in Hong Kong brought any negative attention on Yuen Hai’s school in Kowloon, but one afternoon Yuen Hai was approached by 4 local gung fu masters who all challenged him to a fight to the death. Armed with a pair of butterfly short swords and adhering to the Hung Sing rule of “never backing down from a enemy” he accepted the challenge and proceeded to fight ferociously until no one was left standing. He then had to close his school and go into hiding, fleeing to Canton where he tried to live the rest of his life peacefully.   Yuen Hai was living with his wife who was said to be a well known Northern Stylist, until one day a young man named Lau Bun came knocking on his door looking for him. Lau Bun explained that he had heard of his reputation, and was hoping he could learn the Choy Lee Fut system from such a great master. However, Yuen Hai explained to Lau Bun that he only wanted to live a nice quite life, and politely declined his request.   Lau Bun wasn’t set to take no for an answer and offered to take him into his own home and pay for his room and board if he agreed to teach him. Eventually Yuen Hai agreed, moved he and his wife into Lau Buns home, where he taught Lau Bun authentic Fut San Hung Sing Choy Lee Fut until his death around the early 1900’s. Lau Bun was his final student. Master Yuen Hai’s body is reported to be buried in Fut San within a small Hung Sing Cemetery.   Note: Outside of Professor Lau Buns Hung Sing Branch, information about Yuen Hai was extremely hard to come by. His memory, along with so many other masters have began to fade away with the years. Many times our search to learn more on Yuen Hai hit brick walls.   But thanks to Grand Elder Lun Chee-the oldest living student of Tam Sam, Chia Yan Soon-the Jeorng Moon Yan of the Singapore as well as his trusted disciple Alfred Poon. Wu Soh, Sifu Leo Chu, and the Fut San Hung Sing Kwoon for aiding us in our search because since then information on Yuen Hai has resurfaced and his name will once again be added and remembered throughout the Choy Lee Fut fraternity.

美国 鸿胜馆

鸿胜 蔡李佛

HUNG SING KWOON U.S.A.

 

UNDERGROUND FROM THE MID 1920’s
UNTIL OFFICIALLY ESTABLISHED IN 1939

FIRST AND OLDEST GUNG FU INSTITUTION IN THE UNITED STATES

WRITTEN BY SIFU FRANK MCCARTHY
www.hungsing.com
www.hshlk.zoomshare.com

 

IN HONOR OF:

PROFESSOR LAU BUN

刘彬

(1891-1967)

AMERICA’S GUNG FU PATRIARCH

FOUNDER OF THE FIRST AMERICAN HUNG SING KWOON

(FORMALLY EST. 1939)

Try asking any of the elder martial artists such as Ralph Castro, Wally Jay, or even Y.C. Wong, about the Hung Sing Kwoon in America and instantly Professor Lau Bun’s name would come to mind. Because long before any of the “Old School Masters” ever set foot in the United states he had already been well established, tightly locked away within the confines of San Francisco’s Chinatown for some time.

Professor Lau Bun’s memory alone breeds thoughts of what a true master really was, or even should be. A teacher. A fighter. A healer. Not only that, but he was a man with many loves and passions. In one sense you can say as a man, Professor Lau Bun exemplified the very meaning of Yin and Yang. On the hard side of the coin he was a seasoned fighter who grew up during revolutionary turmoil of the Ching Dynasty back in his homeland of Toi San, China. He Survived the extremely bloody “Tong Wars” in America between the 1920’s to the 1940’s, while living in a country that didn’t really welcome him.

On the soft side of the coin, he was a man with many talents from music and Art, to Chinese Philosophy and medicine. However, it has always been the darker side to his life that many Americans like focus on. Still, the Chinese are a very closed society, very rarely allowing outsiders into their world. Therefore, giving up information about someone such as Professor Lau Bun, was something many people that knew him weren’t and still aren’t willing to do so easily, unitl now.

For the first time, a detailed history has been put together of the man, the gung fu pioneer, the Master and the legacy he left behind.

Professor Lau Bun is a highly ranked 2^nd generation master of the Fut San Hung Sing Kwoon (the biggest gung fu organization at that time in Southern China), and the founder of the 1^st American Branch of Fut San’s Hung Sing Kwoon. Meanwhile, he is also the first gung fu pioneer to establish a gung fu school on American soil.

Professor Lau Bun was a native son to Toi San, China. He was born in 1891 and grew up during the tail end of the Ching Dynasty (1644-1911). Starting at a very young age he took up learning the Hung Ga style of gung fu as was very skilled with it. According to Professor Jew Leong (one of Lau Bun’s eldest surviving students) “he didn’t start learning Choy Lee Fut until he lost a friendly test of skills with one of his friends.

As Professor Jew Leong recounts the story: “On his way to meet his friends for lunch one day, Professor Lau encountered two men carrying poles walking along the same path he was using. Words were exchanged between them and a fight ensued, with Professor Lau being the champion. He then continued on to meet with his friends where he excitedly explained what had happened to him. One of his friends who happened to study Choy Lee

Fut politely asked for a light weight match of skills after hearing this story. Lau Bun readily accepted the friendly challenge and as quickly as the match started it was over, with Lau Bun on the losing end.

Impressed with his friends abilities, Lau Bun inquired to whom his teacher was. The friend admitted his sifu was Master Yuen Hai of the Fut San Hung Sing Kwoon, but was now retired from teaching. Still, Lau Bun was determined to locate this old master and convince him to change his mind. Somewhere in Canton Lau Bun finally found Master Yuen, who initially turned down Lau Buns request to be taken in as a student.

Lau Bun wasn’t going to take no for an answer, and offered to take Master Yuen and his wife into his own home and pay for their room and board if he would agree to teach him Hung Sing Choy Lee Fut. After discussing it over with his wife, Master Yuen Hai agreed to move into Lau Buns home where he taught Lau Bun the true essence, art, and spirit of Jeong Hung Sing’s gung fu until his death. Lau Bun would then become Master Yuen Hai’s final student.”

Under Master Yuen Hai, Lau Bun learned bonesetting skills, and Chinese Herbal medicines in which later on he became well known for his Dit Da Jow medicine. Not only that, after Master Yuen passed away, Lau Bun continued to care of Master Yuen’s wife. In turn for his generosity, she honored him by teaching him a rare Shaolin 5 animals Internal form. He was the only person she had ever chose to teach in her life.

Some time after this, Lau Bun chose to leave his homeland and head for “Gum San-Golden Mountain” in search of a better life (however there are a few rumors to why he left china when he did.)

A GUNG FU PIONEER

At the time of Lau Bun’s arrival to California, he entered the United States (via Mexico)illegally under the Paper Name of Wong, On Low during the very early 1920’s. Naturally, he settled down in the Los Angeles Chinatown community, where he opened a small gung fu school called “Wah Keung(meaning Strong Chinese).

In those days it was extremely possible that there were other gung fu masters in America due the to Railroad business, but Lau Bun was the only one known to open a gung fu school and teach Chinese Martial Arts here. Everything was running smoothly for Lau Bun until a gambling establishment was raided by the police. Not wanting to get arrested, and possibly deported back to China, Lau Bun chose to jump out of a second story window.

One of the first Associations that was set up to aid newly arriving Chinese to America, learned of Lau Bun, and made him a member of their Association. At the same time, he was hired as their Chief Gung Fu instructor. This was sometime in the early 1920’s. But in 1931 they approached Lau Bun and offered to get him out of L.A. and send him to San Francisco. Then hired as well as a Body Guard, Bouncer. Some of the things he was hired to do was protect Association owned gambling houses and Opium Dens, as well as a few other duties.

Since Lau Bun was the only one teaching gung fu in the bay area as well, most of the association members took their own children to learn gung fu from him. As the numbers of students and requests to take more students grew, Lau Bun eventually and officially re-opened his Wah Kue Kwoon in San Francisco’s Chinatown in 1939 (exactly 100 years after the founding of the original Fut San Hung Sing Kwoon). Later, in order to reflect their true lineage, Lau Bun changed his schools name to the Hung Sing Kwoon.

Old Style Teacher

When Lau Bun officially opened the doors of his school to the general Chinese community, he set down some very strict rules. First one was “don’t expose your gung fu.” He was dead set against any of his students showing off their skills. If anyone asked about gung fu they were to act clueless, and not answer. Lau Bun looked at gung fu as possessing a gun, you don’t pull it out unless you planned to kill with it.

Another of his most strictist of rules was “never teach outsiders.” With a lot based on his own personal experience with the Americans ill treatment of Chinese, while in his mind “why should I teach the enemy our national treasure, and only form of self protection the Chinese had?” He often instructed his students if an outsider walks into the school stop what you are doing and sit down don’t say anything.

However, Lau Bun was a true master and Old Style Teacher. He trained his students in the exact same way his Sifu Master Yuen Hai taught him. For the first 6 months, you could spend doing the Jot Ma (Horse Stance Training). Unlike most schools today, just learning one hand form could take over 1 year to complete.

Also, during class Lau Bun was known to sneak up behind you while you were practicing, expecting to be hit with effective strikes, or to check if you were using a strong horse. Either way, if you weren’t you would go crashing to the floor because he wanted to you to understand why basic training was so important.

During the 1950’s and 60’s Lau Bun’s name was quickly circulatng amongst the American martial arts community. But dure to the lega issue of his residency here, they were forced to keep their mouths shut about him. However, would regularly come to pay their respects to him.

Talents, Loves, Passions

In hindsight, Lau Bun was well known for more than one reason. A true gung fu master, a known Tong member, a gung fu pioneer and America’s first gung fu teacher, still, this is only one aspect of who he truly was. The strong and tough side of him are almost always the main topics of conversations. Yet, there are sides to him rarely ever discussed outside of his original students.

Aside from being a great gung fu master, Lau Bun was a man with many talents , loves, and passions. Not only was he intelligent, an incredible teacher and skilled fighter, he was also a very cultured individual as well. Some of his talents lay with his love of music and art, while his passions were medicine and philosophy. At the same time he was a very talented Bone Setter as well.

Lau Bun had a strong love for music and art. He was an accomplished Butterfly Harp Player, and loved to perform for the children of his students who were busy practicing their gung fu. While he played, he took this opportunity to share his philiosophy with the children since he had all of their attention.

Chinese calligraphy was another of Lau Buns many talents. He was well known for his calligraphy, and specialized in Dai Gee, the writing of extremely large letters which usually took the skill of a gung fu master to do. At the Hung SIng Kwoon’s current Head Quarters are a pair of couplets that were written in Lau Bun’s own hand writing.

The loss of a great master

In September of 1967 the Hung Sing people, Chinese and martial arts communities were left with a huge void at the passing of Professor Lau Bun, the founder of the American Hung Sing Kwoon. At the age of 76 he passed away from a massive heart attack, while living for some time with a Hernia. He left behind no wife or children, but an incredible legacy.

Since the association was heavily apart of Lau Buns Hung Sing Kwoon history, they felt it was only right that one of their own should fill the position, and backed Jew Leong who was one of Lau Buns more senior desciples. Jew Leong stepped up and assumed the responsibility of keeping the school and Lau Buns memory alive, therefore becoming the first successor of the American Hung Sing Kwoon.

 

Professor Jew Leong (Jimmy Ming Jew) or Leong Goh (brother Leong) as he is called by his close friends was born on October 02, 1926, and is a native of Southern China’s Say Yup village in Canton. In the late 1930’s Professor Jew’s family left their home and headed for the United States in search of a better life, and decided to move to San Francisco. As did many of the Chinese new to the bay area, they settled down in the city’s Chinatown district.

In 1941 there were only about two gung fu teachers in the whole San Francisco area, they were Lau Bun a Hung Sing Choy Lee Fut master, and T.Y. Wong- a Shaolin Fut Ga master. Professor Jew was just a young boy then and really wanted to learn gung fu. A friend of his mentioned that he could possibly set up a meeting with Lau Bun since he was accepting new students.

At the time Lau Bun, was calling his school “Wah Kueng” meaning “Strong Chinese” which was located at 916 Clay Street. Professor Jew couldn’t wait, and after meeting Lau Bun, at the age of 14 he expressed his wishes to become a student and Lau Bun accepted him into his school which later changed its name to Hung Sing Kwoon to reflect their lineage to the birthplace in Fut San.

Lau Bun was recognized as one of the most authentic gung fu masters ever to set foot on American soil. A true master from the old school, and an old fashioned teacher. According to Professor Jew training under Lau Bun was tough because he demanded a lot from his students. Just the first 6 months could be spent doing the Jot Ma, or Horse Stance training before learning any hands.

 

It was obvious that Professor Jew was dedicated to learning gung fu. “He was determined to train hard, and when he wasn’t at the gung fu school he would practice at home often. However, due to World War II Professor Jew had to cut his gung fu training short to serve in the Army/Aircore. Once the war was over, he returned to the Hung Sing Kwoon and continued his learning under Lau Bun. Lau Bun taught Professor Jew to pay strict attention to every detail of the techniques he was taught, which according to Grand Master Dino Salvatera later earned him the nickname of “The Master Technician” by his students.

Between 1939-1967 public gung fu performances were a rare treat for most non-Chinese folks. Lau Bun’s Hung Sing Kwoon was the first to ever demonstrate Chinese gung fu to the general public. Professor Jew quickly rose in the ranks amongst the senior studenst while gaining much recognition for his awesome street performances. Due to his great physical shape and massive arms, his hand and weapon forms such as Sup Ji Kau Da, Tiger Fork, Steel Whip, Staff and the Kwan Do to name a few was an incredible sight to behold. One of his trademark sets to perform was the Shaolin internal 5 animal form called Um Ying Kuen.

 

Professor Jew followed in Lau Buns footsteps and also joined the Hop Sing Tong, . and eventually became a one time President of their association as well as a youth group called Sing Keung. He also took on a night job working as a bartender at the “Buddha Bar” which is still located in San Francisco’s Chinatown today. He also began teaching gung fu to members of the Gee Tuck Sam Tuck Family Association on Waverly Street. Meanwhile, outside of the Hung Sing Kwoon, Professor Jew was keeping himself busy. He learned and began practicing making Dit Da Jow from Lau Bun as well as other herbal medicines and often supplied these medicines to the Chinese community free of charge for those who couldn’t afford it.

Professor Jew and the Hung Sing Kwoon were hit with terrible news on September 06, 1967. The students of the Hung Sing Kwoon were informed that their sifu Lau Bun had passed away and this greatly affected Professor Jew because he often took care of Lau Bun, and truly honored the very close relationship they had together.

As the uncontested and newly accepted successor, Professor Jew Leong moved the Hung Sing Kwoon to 38 Spofford Alley, one of the most notorious alleys in Chinatown known to be the battlegrounds for San Francisco’s tong wars.

To the uninitiated, one would never guess by first glance that behind the doors of 38 Spofford alley would be the oldest gung fu school in the United States. To some of the Chinatown locals Professor Jew was recognized as the sifu of the “Red Door People (Hung Moon).” Some time later he moved the Hung Sing Kwoon to the Gee Tuck Sam Tuck Family Association due to skyrocketing increases in rent prices.

 

Professor Jew continued to teach Hung Sing Choy Lee Fut in the same manner as Lau Bun had taught him, therefore preserving the integrity and tradition of the Hung Sing Kwoon. Although some may claim that he was a very tough teacher, he was even tougher to speak to since he was a man of very few words. He expected his students to practice hard and always stressed how important it was to perfect their gung fu. More often than not Professor Jew would only demonstrate a move once and expected his students to pick it up quickly.

In 1987, Professor Jew announced in the Chinese newspaper that he was going into semi-retirement, and based on the recommendation of Ms. Adeline Luey, this 1987 news paper article stated that Dino “Jew, Tien Loong” Salvatera was to be his next successor. This article ran in the Sing Tao newspaper for 3 days.

Then in 1995, Professor Jew Leong, a long-standing pillar in the Chinese community finally decided to retire from teaching for good after spending more than 56 years of his life in the martial arts, fully handing over the Hung Sing Kwoon to Dino Salvatera. Jew Leong still resides in San Francisco’s Chinatown and can often be seen walking up Washington Street on his way to either play Mah Jong, make herbal medicines, or just hang out reading his newspaper at the Gee Tuck Sam Tuck Family Association on Waverly Street.

Professor Jew Leong will always be loved and respected by his peers and as “The Man” by his countless number of students and grand students for years to come.

The present Grand Master of the American Branch of Hung Sing Choy Lee Fut is its second-generation inheritor, Dennis “Dino” Salvatera. He is known and respected throughout the Chinese community as Jew, Tien Loong.

On October 20, 1945, Dennis Salvatera was born at San Francisco’s Chinese Hospital. He was raised by someone his father completely trusted, and grew up on the streets of the South of Market district of San Francisco, which was a tough place for any child to grow up in. Since Salvatera (being mixed with Filipino and Chinese) was smaller in comparison to other children his own age. Schoolyard, and neighborhood bullies often thought him to be an easy target. Maybe for a short time he would be, until he got up. Out of necessity for survival, he began to fight back against the bullies and began earning himself a reputation as a fighter.

In 1958, Salvatera got involved with a Chinese street gang called the Chinatown Deacons. The leader of this gang was a student of the Hung Sing Studio under Professor Lau, Bun. Salvatera was so impressed with the gang leaders fighting abilities he asked if he could be taught a few techniques to enhance his own fighting skills. This was his first introduction to the style of Choy Lee Fut.

During the 1960’s, the American pop culture revolved around “Sex, Drugs, and Rock-N-Roll.” Unfortunately, Salvatera fell victim to the temptation of drugs after being turned on to them by someone he completely trusted. His life was becoming more and more complex, and in the meantime the combination of drugs and his gang activity caused him to go in and out of incarceration until 1966.

 

Feeling the desperate urge to make a change in his life, Salvatera made an attempt at escaping the torments of drugs, jail, and gangs by receiving his High School Diploma, quit abusing drugs, and chose to add some discipline to his life by joining a gung fu school.

On May 11, 1967, Salvatera officially joined the Lup Mo gung fu studio under Master Bing Chan, a student of Professor Lau, Bun. Unfortunately, Master Bing Chan passed away less than a year later, and Salvatera with some of the other students of Lup Mo transferred over to the Hung Sing Studio under Professor Jew Leong, Master Bing Chans Senior classmate.

About this time, Salvatera was introduced to Professor Lau, Bun by a senior classmate (Adeline Louie) who acted as translator when the Professor asked if he wished to become a student of his school. But his current teacher was a student of the Professor, and Salvatera politely declined the gracious offer.

Meanwhile, Salvatera had become a member of the very same association that his sifu, and Grand Master had been apart of, and it was shortly after this that he joined one of San Francisco’s most notorious Chinese gangs. Although he was working at straightening out his life, gangs were the only family he knew. Street fighting came with the territory, and Salvatera often took advantage of these situations by testing out the gung fu he was learning.

On August 10, 1968, Salvatera joined the Hung Sing Gung Fu Studio, which was headed by Grand Master Jew, Leong. He would practice at Hung Sing every day for 4-5 hours, even when he was the only one that showed up to class. Over the years, he developed, refined and perfected his gung fu abilities. He was quickly becoming the main attraction in the gung fu / lion dance street performances, which were held all over the Bay Area from San Francisco to Marysville. It was at this point that he began building his reputation as a gung fu practitioner, becoming the most recognizable and charismatic student in Hung Sing due to his dazzling hand and weapons demonstrations.

In 1970, at the age of 25, Salvatera began to privately teach. His first student (Yusef Hannibal) was a member of San Francisco’s Black Muslims. But many wanted to learn from Salvatera, and the demand was so great, he would need a place to teach. So, at the advice of his first student, he began teaching other members of the Black Muslims, the Black Panthers, and other youths and adults at the Famous Glyde Memorial Church. At the same time, he was teaching San Francisco’s version of the “Red Guard” at the old historical Hungry I.

Approximately 1975, with the encouragement of his students and friends, Salvatera opened his own school in the Sunset District in San Francisco, calling it the “Tien Loong Gung Fu Club”. In the meantime, Salvatera continued to study at the Hung Sing Studio as often as he could and regularly returned to assist his Sifu in supervising all the lion dance performances.

 

Then, in 1987, Grand Master Jew, Leong went into semi-retirement. *It was at this point when Adeline Louie, Salvatera’s senior classmate, was instrumental in convincing Grand Master Jew that Salvatera had the skill, loyalty, and dedication to handle the welfare of the school, and the responsibilities should be passed on to him. Grand Master Jew then announced that Dennis (Dino) “Jew, Tien Loong” Salvatera was appointed to the permanent position of “Chairperson in Charge” by placing it in the San Francisco Chinese Newspaper.

Salvatera, with his newly appointed title, worked feverishly to promote his school of Choy Lee Fut, teaching students numbering in the many hundreds, as well as from all walks of life. He has performed for many of San Francisco’s city officials such as current Mayor Willie Brown, and former mayors Art Agnos, Diane Feinstien, Joseph Alioto, Police chief Fred Lau, and March Fong Yu. He has also worked along with famous Chinese actors like Jacky Chan, Shek Kin (Mr. Han from Enter The Dragon), the eternal Kwan Tak Hing (original Wong Fei Hung) and the late great Hung Sing Choy Lee Fut Master- Lee Koon Hung.

In 1995, Grand Master Jew, Leong officially retired from teaching gung fu, naming Salvatera as his only successor, as well as next Grand Master of the American Branch of Hung Sing Choy Lee Fut. Salvatera has since changed his school’s name of “Tien Loong Gung Fu Club” to the “Hung Sing Studio” in order to preserve and uphold the prestige, respect, and honor this school has earned over the years. He has moved the Chinatown based headquarters into his home where he has built a small gymnasium and continues to teach select groups of students, and has produced a number of qualified instructors who operate their own schools around the United States.

*Adeline Louie was the first to train Salvatera, and a major influence in the refinement of his movement. Ms. Louie has been an active member of the Martial Arts and Chinese communities for more than 30 years, and is currently active in promoting Chinese Opera. She is also credited with implementing and coordinating the lion dance and martial arts demonstrations for the Self Help For The Elderly Foundation. Together, she and Salvatera continue to work side by side in many of San Francisco’s Chinatown affairs.