Chow K. Chung

Chow K.Chung was born in Hong Kong 1951. At age of fifteen he studied body building under Mr. Koo Fone who was a Kung Fu star under Run Run Shaw. A year later, Sifu Chow began studying Chinese Karate under Master Carter Wong, who was best known for acting in Kung Fu movie "Big Trouble in Little Chinatown". A ray of styles has touched Sifu Chow's curiosity but he kept looking for the best style for himself. He had studied the Hung Ga from a elderly man next door. He had studied Dragon style from Master Choa Sum. On the weekends he would go to the parks and watch grownups practiced their Kung Fu. At the age of seventeen, Sifu Chow finally found Sifu Ng Wah Sum and began his traditional training of Wing Chun. He was fascinated by Wing Chun's economical techniques. He especially liked the Sticky Hand Sensitivity training. It allows your techniques to go with your opponent's power. It fits Bruce Lee's go-with-the-flow concept "Be like water". At that time Sifu Chow kept the paralleled path of training while he already decided to finish Wing Chun system and would like to teach Wing Chun one day.

Hong Kong in the year of 1967 Grand Master Yip Man lived only a few of blocks away from Master Ng Wah Sum in Mong Kok, Kowloon, Hong Kong. Every week Yip Man would stop by Sifu Ng Wah Sum's Kwon (school) to have tea. Sometimes Yip Man would give advice to Master Ng and his class. Sometime they would go out and watch movies. Sifu Chow found Yip Man was a humble, carefree , but extremely confident person. At that time, Yip Man had already have hundreds of students. One evening, Yip Man and Ng Wah Sum took a walk in the neighborhood, Ng Wah Sum was attracted by a display in a store's window. As he picked up his pace he saw three men was talking to Yip Man and asking for some money. Yip Man spoke calmly to those fellows and said, "Why don't you guys come back with some weapons, because just three of you guys are not enough" Then, they got scared and ran away quickly. In 1970, Wing Chun Athletic Association organized a grand birthday party for Yip Man's 70th birthday. One night, Sifu Ng Wah Sum brought Sifu Chow to attend the meeting in WCAA where Sifu Chow had the privilege to watch other Yip Man disciple's skills. He saw disciples like Jei Wan's (Jason Lau & Francis Fong's Sifu) closing gap footwork. Also, Koo Sun's Chum Kiu Form and Leung Ting's Sticky Hand.

Sifu Chow's Wing Chun Genealogy Three generations of Master Leung Sheung, Sikung Ng Wah Sum, and Sifu Chow appear on the first spread in the book of Yip Man Wing Chun Genealogy 2006, Hong Kong.

Sifu Chow came to New York in 1971. He visited many different martial art schools. Sometimes he would demonstrate some of his Wing Chun moves to them. During the same year, Grand Master Yip Man made his first appearance in Black Belt Magazine, following the success of Bruce Lee's Big Boss. The art of Wing Chun got into big demand. All of that motivated Sifu Chow to open his first Wing Chun school in New York City. New York Wing Chun Kung Fu Club was set on 224 Lafayette Street in 1972. The school was a success. Later, Sifus like Moy Yat, Duncan Leung, Jason Lau also came to New York and started their Wing Chun teaching. In one incident, Sifu Chow was challenged by one of the Wing Chun sifus who wanted to test Sifu Chow's skills. Sifu Chow was forced to engage in Sticky Hand with his two top students. In the first challenge Sifu Chow used a "Lop Dar Chung Kuen " to his challenger's face, causing the face to swell up like a melon. During the second challenge, after a couple of moves, Sifu Chow used his Sifu's famous lightning speed Fat Sao and landed a chop on the challenger's neck and stunned him. The challenger gave up quickly. Then, came the third challenge who is a much bigger Spanish, After a couple of rolling, surprisingly he started to ask questions about how did Sifu Chow used his techniques. Sifu Chow was kindly to explain it to his opponent.Then, other students also gathered around Sifu Chow to watch his demonstration.

EASTERN U.S. KUNG FU FEDREATION In 1973, Fu Jow Pai Master Ng Wai Hong invited the initial members to help him to form the EUSKFF. The initial members included Tai Chi Master William Chen, Eagle Claw System Master Shum Lleung, Praying Mantis Master Chan Pei, Hung Ga Master Frank Yee and Wing Chun Sifu Chow, etc. Master Wai Hong was the chairman and Sifu Chow was the secretary. EUSKFF gave Sifu Chow many opportunities to travel the country to promote Kung Fu and Wing Chun, and to meet many Martial Art Masters. In 1974 Sifu Chow was asked by Master Ng Wai Hong to join him in Puerto Rico to assist in making the documentary film "Warrior Within". Later that year Sifu Chow along with Master William Chen, Aikido Master Yamada, and Goju Karate Sensi Chaka Zulu joined in demonstrating the "Handbook of the Martial Arts and Self-Defense" by Punk & Wagnalls Publishing Co.

DELICATION TO WING CHUN FOR 38 YEARS Sifu Chow is the founder of Integrative Wing Chun which carries not only the traditional Wing Chun of Yip Man's linage, but also carries Wing Chun to a new level of martial arts. His passion of Wing Chun is stronger as everyday passes by. One of Sifu Chow's favorite books is I-Ching which is a 5,000 year book about "evolution". EVOLUTION is eternity. His Integrative Wing Chun IWC is a by product of I-Ching and a process of evolution. Sifu Chow has been teaching Wing Chun in New York areas for over 30 years. He has taught hundreds of student.

Sources:

  • AWCKRI
  • Oral tradition Ng Wah Sum
  • Oral and written tradition Chow K. Chung
  • copyright holder Chow K.Chung