HuSanYan

thought I would start this thread as the other big NCK thread is getting very long, didnt know which would be prefered.

Ngo Cho Kun History

Ngo cho kun is one of the most popular styles of kung-fu hailing from
Fukien province, China. (The style is known as ngo cho kun in the Amoy
dialect; in Mandarin, it is known as wu chu chuan) . Long the pride of
Fukien province, ngo cho kun has since spread to other Asian countries
including Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam. Burma, Indonesia, the Philip-
pines, Japan, and Hong Kong.
During the Chinese revolution, many of the top kung-fu masters fled their homeland, emigrating to various countries in Southeast Asia. In the
Philippines, the renowned ngo cho kun masters have made their mark.

SIJO CHUA GIOK BENG

The roots of ngo cho kun can be traced to Sijo Chua Kiam, also known as Giok Beng and I-Ho. Chua Giok Beng was born in 1853, in Fukien province, amidst the turmoil of the declining years of the Ching dynasty (1644-19 1 1). He lived in the village of Pan Be, a few miles from the city of Chuan Chiu. Raised in a wealthy family, Beng's parents were engaged in the sauce manufacturing business. They owned a sauce garden, which is where Chinese food is processed by immersing it in a salty sauce.

Despite the business's increasing prosperity over the years, Beng's heart
was with the practice of kung-fu. To him, material and monetary gain was
secondary to the practice of martial arts. Beng's intense desire to learn
kung-fu led him to be accepted as a pupil of venerated master Ho Yang,
a native of Honan province. Beng's lessons were conducted in the sauce garden, thus enabling him to utilize his time efficiently. When Ho Yang
died of old age, it was Chua Giok Beng who escorted Yang's remains to
his hometown province of Honan. On his journey back) Beng took the
hard route; he wandered throughout China for ten solid years, continu-
ously searching for new techniques and ideas, practicing and combining
them until he created a composite style of kung-fu which he considered
the perfect fighting art. This style is ngo cho kun, or "fists of the five
ancestors.

In creating his new style, Beng combined the five distinctive techniques
from the five styles peho (Fukien white crane), kao kun (monkey boxing),
Tai Cho (grand ancestor boxing), Iohan (internal Buddhist boxing)) and
tat chun (Tamo's iron-body training) .The peho style consists of a vari-
ety of hand techniques. Ngo cho kun's hand movements, arm move-
ments, and finger strikes often resemble the wings of a crane, as they are
patterned after peho techniques. The kao kun style offers ngo cho kun
many evasive tactics such as jumping, dodging, and dropping into low,
squatting stances. The palm strikes of kao kun are likewise incorporated
into ngo cho kun. The Tai Cho style was named after Sung Tai Cho, first
emperor of the northern Sung dynasty (A.D. 960). He reportedly prac-
ticed a system that featured numerous jumping, sweeping, and scissors-
kick attacks. These same leg techniques are a part of advanced ngo cho
kun training. The lohan style is an internal kung-fu system, relying on
short steps that serve as the basis for ngo cho kun's footwork. It is also
recognized as the original form of Shaolin boxing.
Finally, the tat chun style forms the basis of ngo cho kun's iron-body training. The Indian monk Tamo introduced the Muscle Changing Classics (Yak Kun Kieng, in Fukien; Yi Chin Ching, in Mandarin) and the marrow washing exercises (swe che kieng, in Fukien; shi sui ching, in Mandarin) to the monks at the Shaolin Temple. These exercises were adapted to condition the ngo cho kun practitioner's body.

After spending his entire fortune on his odyssey through China, Beng
returned home, Not surprisingly, the family business, with nobody to
attend to it, had closed. Dispassionate over the loss of material wealth,
Beng concentrated his body and mind on the study of kung-fu. He
opened a kung-fu school called Lin Gi Tong (Hall of Humanity) . On its
door hung a sign which read: "Gentlemen, Iet us study the way of sam
chien, and warrior, please observe my ngo ki lat (five parts power)." In
addition to teaching kung-fu, Beng also made use of his medical kuowl-
edge by offering his services to the community. As was the custom, many
masters from different schools came to challenge and test Beng's art. The
Sijo went undefeated, becorning so well-known in his region that he soon
earned the moniker Mua Lo Hiong (Popular all the Way) .
Chua Giok Beng was a man of peculiar character-unworldly, and dis-
interested in the glitter of riches and wealth. To Chua Giok Beng, kung-
fu was the heart and soul of being. In his forties, Beng had passed the
government test for bu siu chai (a post in the military) with flying colors.
This examination tested one's expertise in shooting arrows while astride
a running horse. Instead of accepting a position in the government, Beng
chose to continue his pursuit of kung-fu. This was during the decline of
the Ching dynasty. Since corruption was rampant in the government,
Beng felt he could not compromise his integrity. Instead, he rose to
greater heights in the field of kung-fu and became well known for his pat
wat (eight methods deadly technique) .
Sijo Chua Giok Beng was also an expert in both the iron palm (ti sha
chiong) and light body (kin gung; methods. It is said that he could effort-
lessly leap to the roof of a two-story house in a single bound. As a result
Sijo Chuo and many masters of other styles came to study under him, consequently incorporating ngo cho kun into their respective styles. Anyone who had a specific ability in kung-fu was welcomed by Beng and invited to stay in his house. Beng's house in Pan Be had no doors, only windows-anyone
POSsessing the ability to jump from the ground to the window of his
house, was welcomed as an honored guest.

In his last years Beng was a nomad, wandering from one place to the
next. Shunning materialism, he dressed in ragged clothes. If Beng
received new clothes or money, he offered them to the destitute, making
him a philanthropist of sorts.
In Chuan Chiu, Chua Giok Beng's first students became known as the
"Ten Tigers of Ngo Cho Kun." They included Kiu Lu of Chuan Chiu
(also known as Kao Sai), Yu Chiok Sam of Kuan Kio, Wei Bun Pa (also
known as Wan Tian Pa), Lok Te Kim Kao, Bicho Seller, Phoenix Hand
Ho Hai Sai, Tan Tao Sai, Hong Kiao Sai of Ching Yong, Kua Chai Hun
Sai, and Tan Kiong Beng Sai (also known as Golden Wings Tai Peng) .
Each became famous in their own right, some for their specialty techniques, others for their extraordinary feats.They were held in high esteem
and revered.Thus, people from the nearby regions came to study under
them.
(was taken from the great writings of Big Fat Uncle HuSanYan-Fukien Province, Red China. Registered Trademark, Copywrited 2004)

SanShou

very interesting and in depth post HuSanYan. Great stuff.

sterre

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