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Post by Eric Ling on Oct 14, 2004 9:44:13 GMT -5
Okay, to promote my culture. Just send the other members 1 carton each and to me 5 cartons of ice-cold Carlsberg and we will consider your culture promoted. Hahahaha .
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Post by nothingness on Oct 14, 2004 10:45:30 GMT -5
As a Chinese Indonesian who grew up under Suharto's regime (meaning no Chinese speaking) and getting all of my higher education in the U.S., kungfu is also very important to me for my chinese identity. (Joke: "You don't think I am a Chinese because I don't speak Chinese? Well, you can talk to my Chinese fist!" ;D). I definitely appreciate people like Nataraya who really have passions for CTMA. I also appreciate people like Eric Ling, Suhana Lim, Konghan, and Pitbull who are realy zealous about preserving the TCMA tradition. I just hope that we can take a look at people on a personal based and not being biased by a prejudice based on a cultural stereotype. PS: My aunties still tell me not to marry a Hokjia (Fuzhou)descendant girl because they believe in a certain stereotypes . I need to be exposed more to these girls ;D.
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Post by nothingness on Oct 14, 2004 10:52:12 GMT -5
Hey nothingness, I fought Muay Thai boxers before and I tell you they hurt just the same. Maybe a higher threshold - but hit them right, you still knock them out. "A conditioned body still can't resist an internal punch". 8-)What movements did you use?
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Post by Eric Ling on Oct 14, 2004 17:16:33 GMT -5
Ha Ha, This was so long ago. A "sweeping" punch to the back of his head. My opponent was a MT exponent with the Royal Thai Police Force. I was lucky I guess - timing was just perfect. In fact, I sort of"took up" MT after that experience - just in case I need to face another MT player. Very effective system especially for those of you thinking about free-sparring tournies.
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Post by Eric Ling on Oct 14, 2004 17:22:48 GMT -5
Ha Ha Ha nothingness , This is so funny. My Dad is Hock Chew and my mom is Hokjia. They are forever warning me about marrying outside this circle. What did I do, I ended up marrying a Teo Chew girl. "Talk to my Chinese Fist' - hahahaha I really like this one. Defintely better than : "This is Chiiiny Kung Fu" - hehehe So what do you think of Susilo? Better than Mega?
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Post by nothingness on Oct 14, 2004 22:08:33 GMT -5
Although not a Teo Chew, I am so crazy about Teo Chew food. The best place to get a TC food here is in the Vietnamese community since most of the Chinese Vietnamese are TC.
My aunties say "They are never groomed to be a housewife, they are geared toward making money since they were kids. They will be really care about how much money you are making. Yet, they barely cook. However, the worst thing is that they always want to control their husbands"
I seriously dated a Hokjia girl before and I found it true. My aunties told me about this 2 years after ...
Oh btw, people often mistakenly think that I am practicing Taijiquan when they happen to pay attention for me while I am training in the park, especially when I am training my sam chien. I don't know why. I mostly do a slow tempo hard sam chien that focuses on the explosive power.
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Post by Eric Ling on Oct 14, 2004 22:35:26 GMT -5
Hi nothingness, You know what? You aunt is not wrong! ;D Fuzhou are known for their affluence. Even today in Sawarak, the richest dialect group must be the Fuzhou. There is a place here called Sibu that is so "controlled" by the Fuzhou that it is sometimes known as Xin Fuzhou or New Fuzhou. This is where the late Whooping Crane's GrandMaster Huang Xin Xian made his home after leaving China. Sibu is also the original base of Flying Crane - the Lee family. One of his students, a Canadian, is very actively promoting this art in the west. Go to Martin Watts' site and you will find the link. One of the biggest business groups in SE Asia is the RH Group of companies - they are into everything, timber, development and palm oil - all megabucks spinner. The owner is Datuk Tiong. His nephew is one of my students in White Crane. Datuk Tiong,was once, rumoured to be even richer than the Sultan of Brunei. Tiongs, in Sarawak, is a powerful Fuzhou family. My own grandfather left China, for Ipoh West Malaysia. He was like the second richest man there. The richest was the Sultan of Perak. In Fuzhou, we were considered "upper class". That is why he hired a Whooping Crane expert to be our live-in protector. That is how my dad started his Whooping Crane - trained by his protector. To the Fuzhou, monetary status is big. The pressure is always to be successful in business and not to seek employment. For the females, their marriage partners must be Fuzhou-like in the money-making aspect. I must be considered a failure in this respect.
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Post by nothingness on Oct 14, 2004 23:12:28 GMT -5
Ling Sifu,
Actually I might be one of the youngest here beside Pittbullz. In real life, I'd call everyone here Cian Pei ;D. However, if I do so, it will scare everyone off.
My mom is from Singkawang, West Borneo. That city is very close to the Sarawak's border. In that city, the RTM and TV3 have better reception than TVRI.
I recalled that went I went to Kuching when I was a much younger, a lot of people there speak the same dialect with my mom. I don't know what exactly it is, but it sounds like a branch of Hakka. My mom always refers it to "Ho Bo". I have no idea what it is. This is the same dialect the Chinese speak in Bangka and Belitung Islands.
There were a lot of respectful masters in Singkawang. My mom's uncle was attacked by 12 Bugis with blades and he had to defend himself. She witnessed it and said that what he did was standing in the front of a wall and took them down 1 or 2 at a time. This is the same strategy that I've been taught in NCK. I ponder if this is a universal strategy.
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Post by Eric Ling on Oct 15, 2004 6:50:47 GMT -5
Hi nothingness,
“Ho Bo” is Hakka or Kek, a twig in the Hakka tree.
Yes many Keks in Sarawak are “Ho Bo”. Do you take “Lei Cha”?
Hakka are famous for a number of Kung Fu – Evert will tell you that.
Top among these must be Hakka Southern Preying Mantis.
A little story for you:-
When I first got here with my wife, she is originally from Kuching, I did my expected round of paying respect to some of the bukoans here.
And typically, I was asked to do some kung fu. Most times I did forms but others, I played with them. You know, the “touch only” sparring.
The common comment I heard afterwards is that I fight like Hakka SPM. I like to go on the offensive and do quick short hands combo in most touch-hands situations. And folks here tell me this is precisely how a certain Sifu Chong fought. Like a machine gun is how they described it.
Sifu Chong (deceased) was originally from Kalimantan – somewhere cross the Indon border. He is said to be a fantastic fighter. Often fighting a number of men at one same time. He is Hakka and an expert in SPM. Killed some people in Indon and fled to Sarawak, This was during the racial turbulence period in Indonesia. He was later ambushed and killed by some Indons – hired assassins is what I was told. Around here, he is a legend among the local Chinese community. Folks still talk about him and his fighting skills with great awe.
I am trying to find out more about this gentleman and hopefully put out more info about him and his kung fu.
Both Evert and I are of the view that SPM is a product of White Crane kung fu in Fukien. Keks are the probable itinerant vehicle that relocated this and other kung fu from Fukien to Canton.
This could explain why if you look at Kek-based TCMA, you tend to see Fukien and Cantonese flavor intermingling. Some systems for you to see this would be Lung Ying, Bak Mei and of course SPM.
By flavor I mean physical expressions. Looking at Cantonese Kung Fu, you’ll see a certain distinctive “Cantonese” manner. Hung, Lau, Choy, Li, Mok, Choy Li Fut and Chou Gar are good illustration. From Fukien, you only need to look at your NCK, Tai Chor and Eng Choon peho to know that they are all from the same mould.
Hakka Kung fu overlap both styles.
Arrgh TeoChew food – what can I say? My wife, who is watching me type this, is saying, the best! I find it hard to argue with her. Hehehe. ;D ;D ;D
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Post by konghan on Oct 15, 2004 8:13:40 GMT -5
Ling Sifu, There were a lot of respectful masters in Singkawang. My mom's uncle was attacked by 12 Bugis with blades and he had to defend himself. She witnessed it and said that what he did was standing in the front of a wall and took them down 1 or 2 at a time. This is the same strategy that I've been taught in NCK. I ponder if this is a universal strategy. Staying in a narrow pass or path or with your back behind a wall is a good & a last resort tactic against multiple attackers. Becuase this strategy allow you to concentrate on your attackers one directional with your back or blind side protected by the wall. As long as the attackers donot use missiles, projectiles then you are ok if not you'll be like standing in front of a firing squad. Such historical facts that this kind of tactics work well are the famouse three hundred Spartans of Greece in the battle of Thermopyle & also the biblical character Samson when he fought & kill hundreds of Philistines armed only with the headbone of a jackass. In both instances the Spartans & Samson were position in a narrow path with their back & flanks protected by natural barriers.
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Post by Nataraya on Oct 15, 2004 9:59:53 GMT -5
I am sorry that we can’t integrate Chinese characters, that could have made communication easier. Therefore I will write it down in Mandarin. In Iron Wire Boxing we use the term of: “wu zhi yong li zhua di”, or “five points “[of gold] grab the Earth”. An important skill in the generation of power. I was wondering how much emphasis/ attention is made for this skill. It is like the hungry tiger waiting to catch his prey. A kind of outward rotation of the feet, clawing in the sand. Can anyone of you reflect the dynamical meaning of this skill as seen through the glasses of your own style?
Kind regards,
Evert.
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Post by nothingness on Oct 15, 2004 11:27:50 GMT -5
Nataraya: Could you be more details on this issue?
Eric Ling: My mother's family's name is Chong (Zhang). Do you know the complete name of this master? We could be talking about the same person here. My maternal grandpa was actually a Chinese Singaporean who moved to Singkawang.
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Post by Nataraya on Oct 15, 2004 14:18:20 GMT -5
My excuse for being vague, but I tried not to give an answer on my own question. What I tried to say is; “what happens in your feet/ legs” while launching techniques. I still hope that practitioners are willing to explain it from their perspective and understandings.
There is an old martial saying, in Cantonese it sounds: “Gan Jit Bat Ming, Din Fook Bit Saang” meaning that if you do not understand the root, there is nothing. In Sanzhan the feet play mainly the leading role. That’s why I asked this question about the way it is being taught in other branches.
Looking closely to the root, you will recognize the three divisions again. Within this there are specific dynamic processes, such as outward rotation of the feet/ legs. The way the balance is being made, and the amount of tension creating a specific quality of Jin/ Geng.
In a nutshell, this is what I like to ask to you all.
Thank you, and sorry for being incomplete…….
Evert.
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Post by nothingness on Oct 15, 2004 15:02:29 GMT -5
So, this is a general questions about leg movements in san zhan? Which is also the foundation for the arts ... I think I gave my opinion in the "hip movement" thread, but nobody takes it that seriously . Hip is the initiation or the seed, but rooting is everything. Arms are just for power transfer. A smaller person should have a wider stance to get more rooting, but a bigger person should have not a stance too wide which will actually be less efficient for him for rooting. Stances should be floating until it is needed to generate power.
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Post by Suhana LIM on Oct 15, 2004 19:24:35 GMT -5
Da jia ni men hao Forgive me for not showing up in the forum for the past days. It was a NT virus that crippled my computer. I've to visit library in order to keep in touch with you all, my belover brothers and sisters ;D
I never expected to created "chaos" in racial issue. But again that is my personal view. I believe everybody entitle to their own opinion. We are different and even our hairs are the same color but our thinking not the same.
I am not saying that non Chinese can't reach the same level as the Chinese. What I am saying is that it will take an extra effort for the non Chinese to absorb the Chinese arts. To be fair, we have to compare both individual with the same knowledge and experience. We can not compare school teacher with primary student, compare master chef with kitchen hand, etc. If I have to choose between two good sifu (with the same quality), then I will choose the one from Chinese background. But if I want to learn how to make good sushi, I will definetly choose the Japanese chef , not the Indonesian chef. Even both of them are equally good. Again that is my opinion. I know for some it's a bit extreme. Excuse me for this.
PS. This mentioning the "excuse me" for something that may offend other is also part of the culture I inherited and grown up with. Might be "funny" for the people from different cultutre to understand why I have to do that. Cheers.
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