INTRODUCTING HO CHEUNG, MY FATHER´S LIFE LEARNING MARTIAL ARTS (FIRST PART)

Introduction 

In the book published in the Hung Sing Kwoon in 2006 on the occasion of its 170th anniversary, it appeared for the very first time a text written by my Master, Ho Choek Wah, telling the life of his father in martial arts. It is a writing of great beauty, because of the enormous love and respect that my Sifu has for the man who was his father and Master, and also of great importance for those of us who come from this lineage because it gives us the opportunity to get closer to this wonderful Master who was the "Kwoon Cheong" , the Head Master, of the Futsan Hung Sing Kwoon. For this reason we wanted to translate the text into both English and Spanish, so that both the spanish and english-speaking students that Sifu Ho has around the world could read it.

I want to especially thank our brother Kio Zou (邹宇杰, Zou Yu Jie) for his help in reviewing the translation.

MY FATHER´S LIFE IN MARTIAL ARTS

My late father Ho Cheung (何祥, He Xiang), born in 1920 in Nan Hai, Guangdong, was a fourth-generation disciple of the Hung Sing Kwoon of Foshan. (Jeong "Hung Sing" - Chan Sing - Qian Wai Fong, Tong Sek - Ho Cheung).

My father was fond of martial arts since he was a child, at that time the Hung Sing Kwoon was the largest school in Futsan, the most popular. The Hung Sing is authentic in Fut Gar kung fu, it inspired awe in well-known martial arts circles both at home and abroad.

Grand Master Ho Cheung when he was 80, after the reopening of the Hung Sing Kwoon

As he deeply wanted to train martial arts, at the age of 13 my father went to the Hung Sing Kwoon to work, in the morning he prepared different meals, at night he studied martial arts with Chan Sing's assistant, Master Tong Sek. After several years of practice and study, he made some achievements.

At that time, among the Kwoon disciples he was the youngest, the one who trained hardest and the most intelligent.

Tong Sek (汤锡, Tang Xi), Master of Ho Cheung

Later, Chan Sing's third generation Hung Sing Kwoon disciple and temple director, Qian Wei Fong, liked my late father's many values and skills, his good heart, his deep honesty. He respected his Master and honored his teachings, he was, in fact, a true talent for martial arts. Designedly he agreed to teach him with special attention, which made my father's knowledge of martial arts advance by leaps and bounds.

Over the years, my late father deepened with his two teachers, Tong Sek and Qian Wei Fong, in the true teaching of kung fu and the medicine of the Hung Sing Kwoon.

In martial arts, my father was the best in Fut Gar "the Buddha Palm", - rigid, soft, inside, outside, straight, circular - the saber and the whip - long attack and short defense - both at the same time, and the shield - roll within it, and go hiding.

 

  (In the next video we can see students from the Hung Sing Leung Kwoon and from the Hung Sing Kwoon, including Rubén Romero, performing the shield the movements previoulsy referred in the text, roll whitin it and hide)

 

On the eve of The Liberation, my late father was invited to perform in Hong Kong where he received great applause. He was discovered by the famous Kuan Ta Hing, the actor who at that time played Wong Fei Hong, he asked my father to work as his substitute in the acrobatic scenes, but my father took into consideration his family, wife and children, who disagreed.

Kuan Ta Hing (关德兴 Guan De Xing) performed the rol of Wong Fei Hung for over 40 years

Regarding medicine, my father not only improved and perfected the ointments, medicinal oils and recipes that his teachers Tong Sek and Qian Wei Fang had transmitted to him, but also developed a treatment for muscles and bones, "dieda 跌打" healing techniques for build a strong body and eliminate disease. Many elderly people with serious health problems, old wounds and complicated diseases, all were miraculously cured. *

During his spare time, my late father was aware to help everyone, making it his duty to relieve the suffering of patients, and he helped everyone who came to him for medical care regardless of whether they were rich or poor, officers or civilians.

His disciples, Ho Choek Wah and Leung Wai Wing continue practicing the medicine that Ho Cheung taught them

For decades he used his free time to treat countless friends, family, siblings and schoolmates without charging any money to them. For the relief of pain that he gave to so many patients, he was highly praised in his family and social circles.

The "wude"** of my late father was very high, so it was the love for his country, during the resistance against the Japanese, as they used bayonets, everybody in China was highly interested in learning how to handle the great saber. The way of using the great sword of the Futsan Hung Sing Kwoon was especially effective, so that different and each time more numerous groups of the Futsan society asked to study its handling. My young father was full of patriotic love, every night he carried two baskets full of sabers and accompanied his Master Tong Sek to a closed school. In this way they taught the community how to use the great saber to fight with the enemy. My father never asked for a single cent for his effort in the fight against the Japanese.

Master Ho Choek Wah, Ho Cheung´s son, teaching how to use the broadsaber to Ruben Romero

My late father hated evil people, and he dared to defend people from injustices and to help the weak. Before the liberation of China, there was a thug who used to go to the Futsan city market, members of the government often intimidated and robbed at the market, and the shop owners did not dare to say anything. One day the bully brought a fierce dog to the market, my father stepped in and immediately stepped forward to stop the attack.

The bully was speechless, irritated and ashamed, he wanted to draw a pistol from his waist with his right hand, my father fearlessly advanced forward with his left foot, his right palm blocked the bully's right hand, he quickly turned his waist and hit him in the arms, then went out to the right in "diu ma" and hit the bully with his hand (gong jeung), so he fell to the ground injured.

This entire story, and other historical materials, are recorded in the "Cause and Effect of the Futsan Hung Sing Kwoon". This technique of the Buddha palm, my father used it at his will.

I remember that at that time my father was the manager of the "fenshi" restaurant, a single person worked at night to prepare the "dim sum"***  for the morning. The surface where the dough was worked was four or five meters away from where the flour was, each time my father took a bag of tens of kilos of flour, he lifted it and with his palm he made it fly to the counter, he made himself a master of this with both hands.

 * It refers to a chinese expression "妙手回春", it means a miracle cure, a doctor that have magical hands that bring the dying back to life

** "wude, 武德" the martial arts virtue and moral 

*** "Dim sum" (dian xin), typical dishes of the Cantonese cuisine, very famous all over the world

María Arias y Rubén Romero (何天萍，何天成)