For The Silk Road Kung Fu Friendship Tour Part 33, click here.

November 29, 2019 - On the 22-hour very cheap (434 Yuan) train to Shenzhen from Beijing, I searched the internet on my phone for Wing Chun Kung Fu in Hong Kong and found the Ving Tsun Athletic Association Ltd, with its martial art family tree going back to the originator of this legendary internal centerline style, Buddhist nun Ng Mui.

Looking on their “Schools in Hong Kong” page I found about 50, including one at a place called Alpha House, 27, Nathan Road, in Kowloon. I chose this one because of an extraordinary master called Sifu Sam Lau, a first-generation disciple and assistant instructor of the legendary Yip Man (a.k.a. Ip Man, as in the films with Donnie Yen), the Wing Chun instructor of Bruce Lee.

Naturally I had called ahead and had an appointment for 10 AM but got there half an hour early because finding places in Asia is sometimes a bit of a challenge. It took a few minutes to find, but eventually revealed itself across from iSquare, a huge mall on Nathan Road. I found my way to the 4th floor and was told that Master Lau would appear shortly which indeed he did. We had a few minutes to chat when he let me know he had to leave for Macao rather urgently and he asked if I could meet with him the next day. I assented and he graciously offered to let me stay in the dormitory of one of his hostels. It turned out he owns several properties, including apartments, a couple of travel agencies, several Wing Chun schools and hostels in Hong Kong. Eager to get to know this unique locale better I happily said thanks. He asked one of the secretaries at the travel agency he owns to escort me to one of his hostels. I was not really surprised that the hostel had a Kung Fu training center in the main center room. It looked like heaven to me. I shared a dorm room with a young man from Mozambique and a gentleman about my own age from Taiwan.

The next day I met with Sifu Lau again and had the chance to ask some questions about his martial art career and Sifu Yip Man. Fortunately like most people in Hong Kong, Sifu Lau speaks English quite well. First, I asked about how he came to meet the venerable master Yip Man and his early years of training.

“It was about 1966 and I was waiting in a barber shop with an older bald man sitting next to me. The barber told me the man was Mr. Yip Man who taught such great martial arts.”

Fortunately, Sifu Lau and Yip Man were practically neighbors on Tung Choi Street.

“He didn’t have a gym back then,” Sifu Lau continued, “but I asked him to teach me and he said: “First, you must call me Sifu and there is a ceremony you must attend.”

I asked Lau Shifu about the ceremony called “Baisi.” This ritual forms a bond like a son and father, and the master gauges the potential student’s attitude and background. If found worthy, the student bows to the master and offers tea along with a formal letter stating a desire to study with the master and the reasons for that desire. In olden times, there would be quite a number of attendees at this solemn ceremony, though in the relatively liberal 1960s, the attendance of local dignitaries, family and other masters was not required.

“If accepted the master then gives the student “lucky money” and the student in turn gives the master “lucky money.”

First Yip Man introduced Sam to his disciple Moy Yat and Sam stayed with him for several months. To test his learning, Sam went out hunting for colorfully-dressed gangs to fight near Kowloon Tong. Usually he won, but not always.

“We didn’t use many rules back then, just no eyes, no groin and no killing,” Sifu Lau recalled.

Whenever he learned a new skill he would go out and test it on the streets. Later on, Sifu Lao reports, he felt he had acted stupid, rude and cruel provoking all those fights. Over time more and more students from other Kung Fu schools challenged him. Finally, he started declining saying he had to prepare for the Hong Kong School Examination.

However, after the exam, he was fighting a lot again. He confided his situation to Sifu Yip Man who got together his disciples Chan Kin Hei, Wong Ming and others who trained him with “Long Extended Arms and Wide Spaced Steps” and similar fighting skills. He was being prepared for a big fight to end some of the street fighting. The big fight was scheduled to take place on the roof of Ho Kwong Restaurant and Sai Yee Street. Wong Wing was the Judge, Chan Kin Hei with the nickname “Chizhou Chap” was the instructor, Yip Chun, Yip Ching and others were in the audience. It was a long and difficult fight but finally Sam Lau was the winner.

Sam Lau continued his study with Sifu Yip Man, was invited to start teaching Wing Chun and also did some training in western boxing with Ramsey Bucks. Sifu Lau then went on to become an instructor at several respected martial art associations.

One story he told me in some detail was about his taking part in the Jieshou Cup Martial Arts Competition in Taiwan in 1974. Going against the advice of Mr. Tang “the King” he went anyway, alone. His opponent was a Judo champion of the Navy Marines Hwalian who also had a 20-kilo weight advantage. Sam led with punches but his opponent dodged them and threw him to the ground several times with Sam losing the first two rounds. “In the third round though, I changed my strategy and started to use hook punches and knee kicks. I won that third round and in the end he was saved by the bell. Officially he won the fight because he won the first two rounds, but at the end most people thought I won.”

As asked Sifu Lau if he knew Bruce Lee. “Not really. I first met him at the funeral for Yip Man. In fact his Wing Chun was said to not have been very good.” It appears Li Xiaolong (Bruce Lee) was not in Yip Man’s inner circle, yet fortunately he developed other skills and talents that carried him to the pinnacle of the pantheon of martial arts stardom.

Before our interview, Sifu Lau gave me a small booklet that contains his martial art biography and he certainly did compete a lot and participated in many famous events and has been and is the leader in many highly esteemed martial art associations. He even worked as a Kung Fu reporter for a while and in 1991 was appointed to be the Chairman of the Yip Man Martial Arts Association. His accomplishments are so many they cannot be summarized in a short article like this.

I asked: “Did any of Yip Man’s sons follow in his footsteps to become Wing Chun masters?” Sifu Lau responded, “In the beginning no. His youngest son was working in a factory, and one son worked as my accountant for a while. Later when they realized the true value of their inheritance, they changed their minds and started to teach.”

Curious about Wing Chun practice I asked about Chi Sao, as compared to real fighting to which Sifu Lau responded: “Chi Sao is a form of response training of the hands, arms and body. It’s different from sparring which is called Mai Sun Jong.”

I asked Sifu Lao to show me how they were different and we stood up. He was “game,” and ready for anything, but I’m respectful of a master like him and of course didn’t try anything stupid because I’m not an idiot. All I can say is his technique is very strong indeed. He has the ability to move into any attack and “lock” the attacking limb as part of a direct centerline devastating counterattack. I noticed his Wing Chun is a bit different from I’ve learned before because he always moved in very quickly the instant I started any attack. His movements were so quick and powerful I was and remain hugely impressed.

I had noticed in some of Sifu Lau’s brochures that his Wing Chun was “unique.” I asked how it was different from others. He said: “We lean slightly forward and protect and attack at the same time.” That is in my estimation, a good summary.

I asked how many Wing Chun Taolu there were and he responded: Many Kung Fu styles have many Taolu. In Wing Chun we have only three. The first is Sil Lum Tao.”

Walking back to his office I asked his age. He looks about 10 years younger than I so I was again very surprised when he told me he’s 73. I couldn’t believe it but it does fit with his biography and he even showed me ID.

In sum, I was profoundly impressed by this great Wing Chun Kung Fu master. He’s a walking talking and teaching real live legend in Hong Kong that appears to me to be very healthy and as powerful as ever; maybe even better. I recall reading somewhere that simplicity is the height of elegance and must note Sifu Lau’s style appears simple enough, but am well aware it’s the result of centuries of refining, plus more than half a century of his own street, sports competition and teaching experience. All in all? Very impressive indeed.

His son, Max by the way is carrying on the family tradition. I trained very briefly with him before the second meeting with Sifu Lau.

I had to get back to Beijing in kind of a hurry for several reasons and Sifu Lau informed me that to write a good story I needed to stay a few more days. I very much wanted to, but my obligations in Beijing could not be delayed or ignored. Instead I hope very much to return and train more diligently than I did on this first visit.

Readers might be wondering: “What about the riots going on in Hong Kong?” Actually, the two schools of Sifu Lau I visited, one in Mirador Mansion (58 Nathan Rd) and the other in Alpha House (27 Nathan Rd.) are both only a few hundred meters from the big “Central” to which thousands of students and adults – mostly wearing masks – did go on my second day there Sunday December 1. I was a bit surprised at the huge rivers of people mostly wearing masks walking past on that lovely sunny Sunday afternoon. Naturally I politely ignored them and they politely ignored me. It’s my feeling that a polite guest in another person’s house or city does not get involved in domestic disputes.

My final assessment of the Legendary Sifu Sam Lau and his Wing Chun? I want to go back(!) and live and train there for a while. I very much like the city, the people, the food, the atmosphere and everything. In addition, I made a lot of friends outside the Kung Fu world as well, and feel I have a home there now. Hong Kong is GREAT! Sifu Lau is a legend for a good reason. His Kung Fu is very precise and powerful – unstoppable I’d say.

I’m very grateful to him, his son Sifu Max, other people working with him and the kind good people in Hong Kong for an excellent, entertaining and educational visit.

For Silk Road Kung Fu Friendship Tour Part 35, click here.