Won Hop Loong Chuan
Won Hop Loong Chuan is a style of Chinese kung fu (gongfu). It was a family art, which means that it was primarily passed down from father to son, although there were exceptions to this. In more recent times (19th - 20th centuries), it was also referred to as a "vagabond art", which meant that the practitioners moved around a lot and that there were no large public schools that openly taught the art. Most practitioners were not professional martial arts teachers by trade. They worked in a variety of fields, but many of them were known to provide bodyguard services either to royalty or to traveling merchants. There was also no "official name" for the art, so individual practitioners referred to it by different names at different times. The current name was chosen in the 1970's in order to avoid all the confusion of not having a standardized name for the art.
The current head of the style, A.F. Walker, was trained by an Okinawan man named Kushubi. Kushubi's father was Okinawan, but his mother was Chinese. It was through her side of the family that he was introduced to won hop loong chuan. Kushubi's uncle (his mother's brother) was a senior student in the art, and Kushubi traveled to Southern China to train with him in the early 20th century. Previous to this, Kushubi had spent the early part of his life training in Okinawan Karate. While in China, Kushubi was introduced to his uncle's teacher (who happened to be his uncle's father, and also the head of the style at the time). This man's name was Lao Leong, and he was born around the middle of the 19th century. Eventually, Kushubi began learning from Lao Leong directly and continued to do so until Leong's death. After this, Kushubi inherited the art. He got married and continued to teach for some time.
Soon, the Japanese invasion of China came and Kushubi's pregnant wife was killed by the invaders and he himself was put into a foreigner's POW camp. It was here that he met an American, A. Walker, who soon became Kushubi's friend and student.
After the war, A. Walker petitioned to have Kushubi come to the United States. A. Walker began teaching his son, A.F. Walker, at a young age. When A.F. Walker was old enough, his father sent him to train under Kushubi directly, who was living in California at the time. Until his death in the 1970's, Kushubi continued teaching A.F. Walker and a few other select students. When Kushubi died, he passed the art onto A.F. Walker, who had by this time become his adopted grandson.
Won Hop Loong Chuan is based almost entirely on Daoist philosophies and ideas. Unlike many other Chinese arts, it has no connections to the Shaolin temple, and is not considered to be a Shaolin-derived art. The past practitioners of the art had a tendency to acquire portions of other martial arts and to then incorporate them into their own style. Because of this, art has been described by some as "eclectic". Over the years, Won Hop Loong Chuan acquired portions of other styles. Each acquired portion was evaluated, and if necessary, modified, to fit into the existing curriculum and structure of the art. Because of the slow evolution and careful planning, the art maintained the cohesiveness and consistency found in other more "pure" styles. In addition to this, masters in the art also created their own original forms to fit within the framework of the style. Kushubi also made some modifications to the art before he taught it to A.F. Walker. Drawing on his Okinawan background, he modified some of the forms to add more solid power and stability to the stances.
The current head of the style, A.F. Walker, was trained by an Okinawan man named Kushubi. Kushubi's father was Okinawan, but his mother was Chinese. It was through her side of the family that he was introduced to won hop loong chuan. Kushubi's uncle (his mother's brother) was a senior student in the art, and Kushubi traveled to Southern China to train with him in the early 20th century. Previous to this, Kushubi had spent the early part of his life training in Okinawan Karate. While in China, Kushubi was introduced to his uncle's teacher (who happened to be his uncle's father, and also the head of the style at the time). This man's name was Lao Leong, and he was born around the middle of the 19th century. Eventually, Kushubi began learning from Lao Leong directly and continued to do so until Leong's death. After this, Kushubi inherited the art. He got married and continued to teach for some time.
Soon, the Japanese invasion of China came and Kushubi's pregnant wife was killed by the invaders and he himself was put into a foreigner's POW camp. It was here that he met an American, A. Walker, who soon became Kushubi's friend and student.
After the war, A. Walker petitioned to have Kushubi come to the United States. A. Walker began teaching his son, A.F. Walker, at a young age. When A.F. Walker was old enough, his father sent him to train under Kushubi directly, who was living in California at the time. Until his death in the 1970's, Kushubi continued teaching A.F. Walker and a few other select students. When Kushubi died, he passed the art onto A.F. Walker, who had by this time become his adopted grandson.
Won Hop Loong Chuan is based almost entirely on Daoist philosophies and ideas. Unlike many other Chinese arts, it has no connections to the Shaolin temple, and is not considered to be a Shaolin-derived art. The past practitioners of the art had a tendency to acquire portions of other martial arts and to then incorporate them into their own style. Because of this, art has been described by some as "eclectic". Over the years, Won Hop Loong Chuan acquired portions of other styles. Each acquired portion was evaluated, and if necessary, modified, to fit into the existing curriculum and structure of the art. Because of the slow evolution and careful planning, the art maintained the cohesiveness and consistency found in other more "pure" styles. In addition to this, masters in the art also created their own original forms to fit within the framework of the style. Kushubi also made some modifications to the art before he taught it to A.F. Walker. Drawing on his Okinawan background, he modified some of the forms to add more solid power and stability to the stances.