2011 December 8 to 18
Japan, Indonesia and Hong Kong trip
Report by: Curator Benny Meng
Approximately 3 years ago - in 2008, I came upon the Fukien Hek Ki Boen Eng Chun system and began to investigate it. Not long into my research, I realized this was one of the missing cornerstones that connected my research together.
About a year into my research into the HKB system, I classified my research into Wing Chun into five major periods and released a report on my findings. HKB appears to fall into the first major period of Wing Chun's evolution.
The five major periods of Wing Chun's evolution are:
1) Shaolin (mid 1600s)
2) Secret Societies (late 1600s)
3) Opera (early 1700s)
4) Public (mid 1800s)
5) International (mid 1900s)
On this trip to Indonesia in December of 2011, I had the opportunity to interview and collect additional information on the HKB system from many different perspectives and dimensions, including personal interview, shared artifacts, and hands-on experience with multiple senior generation instructors and Grand Masters.
What follows is the information collected in several key areas of the Shaolin Hek Ki Boen system: The Nature of the Art/System, Training & Teaching Methodologies, and Key People within the Lineage.
The Nature of the Art/System
When it comes to researching the nature of a martial art or martial system, many factors need to be considered, factors such as the overall training attitude and culture, the technical details of the system, the core concepts and principles, and the axioms that form the basis of the art or system itself. An axiom is a fundamental assumption that is held as true, simply because it is - either because it is self-evident, or because it is required to be true for all other assumptions built at a higher level of logic (aka the system) to also be true.
In the case of Hek Ki Boen, the key axiom of the system is the study and attainment of something called Maximum Efficiency, which is the point or state where no thing can be added or subtracted without losing efficiency. The study of Wing Chun itself is the study of efficiency - something all lineages of Wing Chun can agree upon at the most fundamental layer of the system, if they agree on nothing else. In the case of this axiom, Maximum Efficiency often is assumed to be true by beginners and eventually seen as self-evident at the advanced levels.
When the essential axiom of Maximum Efficiency is removed from the consciousness of the system's devotees and practitioners, the essential study of the system itself disappears; what remains on a technical level is an empty, shell - a solidly build, systematic, well-thought-out machine. With some of the technical information missing, what remained was shaped, changed, molded and evolved by individual, talented martial artists who expressed their unique genius through the many lineages we know today. In effect, the artist's personalities and/or unique skills became the core axioms of the system, which is then further modified by the artist's students.
In researching the HKB system, I have discovered a system with the fundamental axiom of Maximum Efficiency still in place, expressed through a specific methodology, supported by principles, concepts, and unique body methods. Also within the HKB system is a methodology, supported by principles and concepts that connect to the Three Treasures of Shaolin, namely: Chan, Health/Fitness/Healing, and Self-Defense/Combat skills. Also within the HKB system are methods, mechanics/forms, drills and techniques that are fundamental to many systems that originated in the Southern Shaolin Temple, or were strongly influenced by that temple, such as Okinawan Karate, Five Ancestor Fist, White Crane, Bak Mei, Dragon, Wing Chun, and multiple Southern Chinese family systems of kung fu.
The system was known as 'Kun Tao' when the first instructor, Cia Fun Tjiao) arrived in the early 1900s in Indonesia. 'Kun Tao' was a common term used to refer to most Southern Chinese martial arts and became a generic phrase used to describe the system for many generations because the practitioners in those eras didn't really care about the specific name of the system or the system's history. The teachers at that time were loath to share details of the system, and instead focused on developing the skill of the students, reserving key details only for insiders in each generation. It was not until recent times that the full name of the system came out to the public. The missing history and name is not all that unreasonable - today's Wing Chun lineage still do not have agreement on the origins of the system's name as Wing (meaning Praise) or Weng (meaning Everlasting).
Today, we have the full name of the HKB system: "Shaolin Fukien Black Flag Branch 18 Lohan Hands Wing Chun Fist," that used to be called Hok Kian Eng Chun Kok Sut Cia (Fukien Wing Chun Kungfu Family), as stated by Grand Master The Kang Hay. In the past, it was sometimes just referred to as "Fukien Kun Tao" or as a martial art system coming from Fukien. Kun Tao is basically a generic word for martial arts (literally "fist way" in English, Chuan Dao in Mandarin, or Kuen Do in Cantonese, or Kenpo in Japanese).
The full name of the system is long because it covers the nature of the entire system:
(1: Shaolin) It is from Shaolin (because it contains the three treasures of Shaolin: Chan, Health/Fitness/Healing, and Self-Defense/Combat)
(2: Fukien) At the original location of the Southern Shaolin Temple (in Fukien)
(3: Black Flag Branch) A secretive system (because it came from the Black Flag lodge of the Anti-Qing secret societies, one of the original 5 lodges, and the lodge responsible for dealing with traitors within the secret societies themselves.)
(4: 18 Lohan Hands) Based on the 18 Lohan Hand system which was the nucleus of Southern Shaolin - not to be confused with the 18 Lohan Fist system of the North (the 18 Lohan Hand system was the genesis, what gave birth to the later choreographed forms of the system, but is - in itself - a collection of loose hand techniques and drills on the surface, but beneath the surface look are the core concepts and principles that make the current system unique)
(5: Wing/Weng Chun) It is Wing Chun (some people call it Praise Spring [Wing] or Eternal Spring [Weng] - in Fukien, it's called "Eng Chun" but definitely the logic of the system connects it to the more widely known lineages of Wing Chun - at the heart of the system, all Wing Chun is the study and application of efficiency to fighting and to living. Wing Chun came from one source but has been adapted, changed, and modified throughout many centuries. This lineage of Wing Chun does not represent one famous master's personal interpretation, or style of fighting. Instead, the system is focused on achieving the skill of Maximum Efficiency in time, space, and energy.)
(6) It is a fighting system (Definitely the purpose of the system is coming from Shaolin, which means the training is a method to harmonize with reality. The reality of the time when the system was developed was that the Chinese people - the Han - were fighting against the Manchu invaders. The system was a tool to quickly control, disable, disarm, or destroy an opponent in the shortest period of time possible.)
Based on the broad reach of the HKB system and the depth of knowledge contained within the system itself, it is possible that this system was developed close to the destruction of the Southern Shaolin Temple, and formed a sort of proto-Southern Kung Fu, shaped and morphed to the specific needs of the devotees and practitioners in various regions. As such, this system would have acted as a progenitor, or seed, to many of the great martial art families of today.
To expand on this idea:
If HKB contains the same core essence (the axiom of Maximum Efficiency) as Wing Chun, does that make HKB Wing Chun or proto-Wing Chun? If the HKB system contains the same essential training exercise/form of San Chian, an essential training exercise/form shared with Okinawan Karate's Sanchin, does that make HKB Karate, or proto-Karate? The essential concepts, principles, training methods, and forms of HKB connect to many different arts, yet has its own unique signatures, too - such as detachment and special training methodology for training the tendons. By way of analogy, HKB appears to be at the root of many of today's modern systems and families, with the modern system and families as branches and flowers all sharing the same roots. HKB not only contains the Sam Chien, a core form to many Southern Kung Fu systems and Okinawan Karate, but also contains the core concepts and choreography of modern Wing Chun, such as the SNT, CK, BJ, MYJ, Pole, Double Knives.
However, do not misunderstand or misrepresent the intention of this report. The VTM in NO WAY is suggesting - or should be interpreted to state by implication or inference - that HKB is superior, older, more authentic, or better than any other martial art family, lineage, or system. Instead, and sharing in the original attitude of the Shaolin disciples, I urge each reader and practitioner to gain experience with the system and come to their own conclusions.
In my interviews with HKB practitioners - from beginners to Grand Masters - and to a one, they didn't care what label people put on the system. The general consensus could be summed up as, "The name in front doesn't make the system any less or any more." The full name of the system, "Shaolin Fukien Black Flag Branch 18 Lohan Hands Wing Chun Fist" is appropriate because the art can have many labels. However, the knowledge, skill, and methodology of the system stands on its own - not using a label in an attempt to prove the system's worth.
As the VTM Curator, and as a life-long, dedicated martial artist, allow me to caution you - people that are adamant about names and lineages, titles, hierarchy and position, or alleged purity of the system are chasing irrelevant things. Researching Wing Chun and finding what connects all Wing Chun together is one thing - and all true researchers should be willing, able and happy to share their reasoning with you. However, and ultimately, a genuine student of the martial arts will not stay with a lineage or a Sifu unless the student feels he or she is receiving something of value - and won't stay simply because of the name, lineage, title, hierarchy, position, or alleged purity.
In all things related to the martial arts, and as a disciple in the traditions of Shaolin - I encourage you to experience things for yourself, and make your own conclusion.
Training & Teaching Methodologies
In a general sense, the martial arts can be broken into two major categories: martial sports and martial arts. The martial sports include activities such as Boxing, Wrestling, Brazilian Jujitsu, Judo, Taekwondo, Muay Thai, and Mixed Martial Arts. While each of these sports tends to focus on a specific set of skills or ranges, there are several commonalities in the approach to training, which is referred to as Live Training Methods, including:
1) An emphasis on free sparring and live drills early in the training
2) An emphasis on making contact and receiving contact early in the training
3) An emphasis on conditioning
In the martial arts community, not all families focus on the above training methods. Instead, the focus tends to be on fixed drills, lots of technical requirements, memorization of drills and fixed patterns, and repetition of technical knowledge.
In the Wing Chun community, the majority of the teachers promote the martial arts side of training over the martial sport side of training. As an example: in the majority of the Wing Chun community, Chi Sau is a fixed drill with a fixed and specific set of techniques within a specific range, which consists of ~80% of the training emphasis. As a result, in live combat applications, the result is that Wing Chun practitioners to not tend to fare well. This is not an issue with the system itself; it's an issue with the teaching and training methods. To be prepared for a live combat situation, live methods should be used.
In my research to date with the Wing Chun community, the majority of instructors are focused on fixed training and drills, while a minority actually tests the system out for themselves. Those instructors that are focused on the fixed training and drills tend to make excuses for their lack of live methods, saying things like "this isn't for sport; in a real fight, there are no rules, I'll kick your knee in or poke your eye out!" In my researched opinion, it is this type of attitude that is the downfall in the development of effective skill in the martial arts community and creates friction and politics between the martial art and martial sport communities.
I am pleased to report, in my experience with the martial art lineage of Shaolin HKB - the system has forms and fixed drills but the majority of time is spent in skill challenges involving live methods. In the Shaolin HKB lineage, the tools and techniques are very comprehensive, covering all four skill sets and all four ranges.
The key to skill in this lineage is the use of live format training, such as Sparring, while maintaining the life-and-death lethal applications. On this research trip, I had the rare privilege to train privately with Grand Master Yoe Seng Lian (nicknamed: Xing Yen), who took me through details in the technical knowledge, forms, and drills of the system. We then explored the system through live skill challenges. I went through my repertoire of tools from long range kicks and strikes, to medium range clinches and joint controls, to close range takedowns and the Grand Master, who is in his late 50s, was more than happy, willing and able to play in all ranges and free spar with any skill set and more than hold his own. Rather than be disappointed in my own skill, I was impressed and motivated by his accomplishments.
In my research, I've had the privilege of working with many other instructors in the martial arts who actively discouraged students from live training and skill challenges for a variety of reasons including: "it is against the insurance policy", "our techniques are too dangerous," "we don't spar or fight, but I'll teach you the forms and you'll appreciate the beauty of our pure system," or "we have a superior, pure, authentic system and I'm the direct successor so you should do what I tell you to do." Unfortunately, in the martial arts world - many instructors can teach even without actually having the skill they profess to have. I know of several situations where a self-professed expert was placed in a live, challenging situation and was completely dominated by a supposedly "impure" art or "inferior" instructor. As I've discovered many times, talking the talk is not the same as walking the walk. What is required is not just good theory or live methods; skill also comes from mastering the body through intense training.
Within the Shaolin HKB lineage, students are encouraged to train at a very high level of physical conditioning - but not by the leaders pushing the students; instead, the leaders pull the students to a higher level by their own example. For example, I witnessed a Grand Master in his mid 60s demonstrate his horse stance by having a student in his 20s stand on the Grand Master's thighs. At the advanced level, simply training the forms is an intense workout, straining the muscles, tendons, and ligaments of your body.
Based on my own research and experience, coupled with the collective experience of the Grand Masters and leaders of Shaolin HKB, there are two phrases that capture the essence of developing skill with the system:
1) Live Drills
2) Hardcore Training
These two phrases sum up the training methods to understanding and developing skill in reality - to be used for martial arts, or for martial sports.
As a life-long martial artist, I encourage all readers of this report to examine their own training and find ways to make the training less fixed and livelier, and to find ways to achieve a higher standard in their physical conditioning.
Key People within the Lineage
In working with the Inner Circle Elders of the Shaolin HKB lineage, I found them all to possess several characteristics, they were all:
1) Very open and approachable
2) Were willing and able to answer every question with grace, humor, and a genuine desire to communicate the system - rather than saying "you're not at that level yet," or "you're an outsider," or "this used to be a secret art; you're not qualified to ask as an outsider"
3) Not only willing to answer, but also willing to demonstrate and allow you to do hands-on exchanges to literally feel the point they were making
4) Very consistent in their answers as a group, rather than one person claiming to have all the answers, or be the most favorite student of the previous generations, or they were the secret student, etc. This is quite different than some videos that are online portraying one individual as the sole inheritor of the system, placed online by another individual who is known to be a collector of videos rather than having gone through the hardcore investigation of the systems he purports to teach such as by meeting and training with multiple HKB elders.
There were many other Grand Masters than those listed below in attendance. I have listed only the ones that I had the time, privilege and honor to interview, discuss, and train with. The whole group, combined, was very consistent about the Who's Who of the lineage - insiders, outsiders, and generation placement. So the following family tree speaks their mind as a whole. All the interviews were documented on camera.
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Mid 1600s
Creation of the Secret Society and the Five Lodges after the destruction of the Southern Shaolin Temple
Many generations within the Black Flag, active against the Manchu
Early 1900s
First Generation
Last Chief Instructor GM Cia Fun Tjiao left China for Indonesia, HKB Eng Chun (Hok Kian Eng Chun Kok Sut Tjia) took root in Indonesia.
Second Generation
Grand Master Kwee King Yang (also The King Yang)
Third Generation
1. Grand Master Hok Jin (one of the early 5 pupils of Kwee Kang Yang) {deceased}
a. GM Po Lin
b. GM Hok Sing
c. GM Hok Jin
d GM Tiao Jiang
e. GM Hu Liang
2. Grand Master The Kang Hay (Indonesian: Rahmansyah Tejo Cahyono)
3. Grand Master Ban Bi Sun {deceased}
4. Grand Master Liem Bie Kong
5. Grand Master Yoe Seng Lian (Xing Yen) (Indonesian: Yenda Awara) (3rd & 4th) -
trained under Grand Masters Hok Jin, The Kang Hay, Kwee King Yang)
6. Grand Master Un Hauw (Indonesian: Dr. Alexander HS)
7. Grand Master Tan Swie Hoo (Indonesian: Sony Tan)
Fourth Generation
1. Grand Master The Sik Yen (under GM Ban Bi Sun, deceased)
2. Grand Master Yoe Seng Lian (Xing Yen) (Indonesian: Yenda Awara) (3rd & 4th) -
trained under Grand Masters Hok Jin, The Kang Hay, Kwee King Yang)
3. Grand Master Pen Hwa (Under GM Tan Swie Hoo)
4. Grand Master Kenneth Lin Xiang Fuk (Indonesian: Kenneth Salim)
Fifth Generation
1. Grand Master Tek Siu (under GM The Sik Yen; older kung fu brother to GM Tio Tek Kwie)
2. Grand Master Tio Tek Kwie (under GM The Sik Yen) (Indonesian: Tedja Wirardi Soetiono)
3. Grand Master Benny Meng
4. Master John Hackmeyer
5. Master Andrew Wonpat
6. Master Benjamin Blalock
7. Master Gordon Pollard
Sixth Generation
Suhu Brad Ryan
Suhu John Lambert
Suhu Alex Magnos
Suhu Missy Pruden
Suhu Sajid Ahmed
Seventh Generation
Suhu Xan Smith
Suhu Kevin Foster (inactive)
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The inner circle elders that are still alive included:
3rd Generation Grand Master The Kang Hay (July 23, 1946) started his training at 12 years of age in 1958, and is a grandson of Kwee King Yang. At age 19 (around 1965), he took over the teaching at Kwee King Yang Bukoan as the main chief instructor until Age 27, when he got married promoted his student, GM Xing Yen, to take over the role on daily teaching, while GM The Kang Hay still supervised everything on a weekly basis.
3rd Generation Grand Master Tan Swie Hoo (4/30/1946) started his training at 13 years old in 1963, and is a grandson of Kwee King Yang.
3rd Generation Grand Master Dr. Alexander H.S. (6/25/1940) started his training around 19 years old in 1959, and is very active in the martial arts community, serving as chairman in Chinese kung fu federation and in the Korean martial arts community. His former school was called the White Dragon school.
3rd Generation Grand Master Liem Bie Kong (2/14/1943) started his training at 9 years old in 1952, and was teacher to many of the later generation teachers.
4th Generation Grand Master Yoe Seng Lian (nickname: Xing Yen) (1/13/1955) started his training in 1969 and is one of the youngest grand masters who is considered to be a part of the inner circle elders. In his younger days, he was a fighter and his fame and skill were comparable with that of Grand Master Wong Shun Leung of the Ip Man lineage. He is a direct disciple of Grand Master The King Hay but also had the privilege of learning directly from his Sigung, who was Kwee King Yang.
4th Generation Grand Master Kenneth Lin Xiang Fuk (5/5/1975), Started his training in 1985 under Grand Master The Kang Hay. He is leader and founder of the Shaolin Hek Ki Boen organization and representative of the lineage to the world. Grand Master Lin is very unique in the sense that he actually had the privilege to learn from many of his seniors and elders from several different generations. He is also unique in his methodology due to his experience of bringing this art out to the public. The results speak for themselves: since the beginning of Grand Master Lin's efforts to share the system with the world - the system is growing quantitatively but still maintains a high standard of knowledge and skill qualitatively.
I conducted a personal video interview with each* and afterwards, we held the official ceremony for the inauguration of the Shaolin Hek Ki Boen organization: a formal certificate was signed by all the Grand Masters in attendance, photos were taken, and everyone got together to train in celebration. It was a rare sight to see the Grand Masters all smiling and training with each other and the other participants/witnesses.
As a researcher of martial arts, it personally made me very happy to see the Grand Masters training because it demonstrated in the most powerful and direct way possible that the skill and power with the system truly does increase with age. Some of the elders generated more power that I would have believed possible before I started to learn this great system.
This gathering not only marked the historical event - but it was also an opportunity to Clarify some of the false claims on the internet (see Sidebar, below). First, the solidarity of this kung fu family is definitely present. It was clear as to who were considered to be part of the lineage's inner circle, and who is leading. Everyone had an open discussion, and all spoke up on video.
As a matter of fact, there were more Grand Masters that came the day prior that weren't there the day I got there - and more showed up after the day's activities started to show their support, too.
Questions asked and answered included:
1) Is this system Wing Chun or not? What is your opinion?
2) What is the uniqueness of the system?
3) What was your training experience in the past?
4) What was your experience learning from Kwee King Yang?
5) Who are the direct students of Kwee King Yang?
Out of close to 10 Grand Masters and elders, the one thing that is for sure - they were all consistent in what they had to say. One of the issues today in the martial art community is that after a Grand Master passes away, some people attempt to claim discipleship or a special, direct relationship or even representative status- but this is very easy to prove or disprove- just go to the elders and if 10 out of 10 all say the don't know the person in question, or never saw him around- and he has no photos beyond social events, it's quite easy to come to your own conclusion about the truth. As VTM Curator, I witnessed this many times within the Ip Man system. As the Ip Man name continues to grow, there are people coming out of the woodwork to claim they took special private lessons, or were a favorite student, or were even the last, chosen successor. It's all marketing, or worse.
All the original inner group elders show up during this three days event. As a matter of fact, at this gathering - I saw no politics within this inner circle of kung fu family. Instead, I witnessed only unity, fellowship, and acting in harmony with one heart, one mind. The bonus was that I have never seen so many elders sitting in one room that had such a high level of skill and were ready, willing, and able to demonstrate it.
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Sidebar:
One of the most vocal critics on the internet about HKB Eng Chun / Black Flag Wing Chun is Sergio Iadarola, a former student of Grand Master Kenneth Lin Xiang Fuk. Mr. Iadarola has spend considerable time and money establishing himself as some form of "authority" on the internet - and has also established and then quickly broken relationships with many lineages and families within the Wing/Weng Chun community.
After his training relationship with Grand Master Lin ended, Mr. Iadarola established a relationship with an instructor active in Indonesia, Suhu Tio Tek Kwie. Using the information shared by Suhu Tio, Mr. Iadarola has attempted to discredit and misinform the general martial arts community about this lineage. Mr. Iadarola went so far as to post a photograph featuring many of the Grand Masters listed above as part of the inner circle, but misidentified their true generations and relationships. Mr. Iadarola also has stated online that people should visit Indonesia and speak with the elders of the lineage directly, which I did in December of 2011.
Having spoken with, interviewed, and trained with many of the elders of the lineage directly - and filmed the conversations and interviews- I discovered that Suhu Tio is considered to be in the 5th Generation, and that many of the elders do not consider Suhu Tio to be a direct student of Grand Master Kwee King Yang, and - as a group training from the 1950s to the 1960s attest - they do not recall him training or as an active participant in those years. Furthermore, the elders do not consider Mr. Iadarola to be anything other than an outsider to the lineage, and - since he has no formal relationship with them - he cannot represent the martial art family of Kwee King Yang, or use photos of Kwee King Yang to promote himself.
I know for a fact in the case of the HKB Eng Chun / Black Flag Wing Chun lineage, that Mr. Iadarola is using information shared with him by Suhu Tio to make claims about the entire lineage, while having no relationship with the actual lineage Mr. Iadarola claims to represent. In this case, Mr. Iadarola is relying on one source for his information, an instructor who is three generations below Grand Master Kwee King Yang, and two generations below the majority of the inner circle elders. This places all information purported to be "research" in a very dubious light. By comparison, I collected interviews from multiple inner circle elders, cross-referenced those interviews for common points of reference, and personally interacted and experienced their teaching and training methods first-hand, providing a broad sample of knowledge, experience and skill on which to base my conclusions and share my research.
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To summarize this report:
The elders of the Shaolin HKB lineage have come together unanimously to express the unity of the system and to recognize Suhu Lin as the leader of Shaolin HKB, serving as the Grand Master to take this art onward and outward to the international martial arts community.
After discussion with the elders of the lineage, Grand Master Lin was universally recognized as the most qualified to represent the system:
1. The Nature of the Art/System
Suhu Lin not only knows and has mastered the technical elements of the system, he also lives is personal life based on Buddhist and Taoist principles.
2. Training & Teaching Methodologies
With an open mind and hard work, Suhu Lin and his team have designed and created a modern-day method considered 'traditional-progressive' - the method maintains the traditional culture and skill but is tailored to today's more progressive learning and training methods.
3. Key People within the Lineage
Suhu Lin has had personal training and interaction with all the key elders within the lineage, giving him a unique perspective on the lineage and each elder's personal kung fu. This gives Suhu Lin a lens to more clearly see what is the system and what is each elder's personal knowledge and skill. In essence, Suhu Lin can see the system and many styles of Shaolin HKB.
*Note: Grand Masters The Kang Hay and Kenneth Lin Xiang Fuk have both personally requested that the VTM does not release the video interviews openly to the martial arts community at this time because the interviews contain sensitive information that may impact the reputation of certain individuals. The videos will still be shown to members, if necessary, only for the purpose of clarifying confusion due to false clams.
