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The Black Tiger Martial Arts Association was created to preserve the
martial tradition of the late Grandmaster Wong Cheung. Sigong Wong dedicated his entire life
to the pursuit and development of his personal expression of martial arts
which he named, "Hark Fu Mun" and taught through the "Wong Cheung
Gymnasium". Although his system includes and takes its name from
the "Black Tiger" style handed down through several generations
from the Shaolin Temple, it is much more than an
animal style and includes many other influences and expressions of Chinese kuo shu ("national art")
absorbed from masters throughout China over the course of almost 90
years.
For much of
his long life, Grandmaster Wong quietly and diligently taught his system
mostly one-on-one based on the needs and attributes of his students. He
awarded no grades or levels, and seniority was based on the date a student
began his instruction, rather than on his fighting skills or other criteria.
Training was conducted along traditional lines, which entailed 6 months of
stance training prior to beginning actual study of martial technique.
Unfortunately he left no heir to the system,
although several extremely
competent students still teach on an occasional basis.
Grandmaster Wong had an
incredible mastery of forms and skills hard to imagine at the present
time. Before the advent of photography and video cameras, he was able
to remember well over 100 long forms, both weapons and unarmed, by means of
poetry. His system is so extensive, in fact, that it had to be taught to a
number of different students in order to cover everything. Our hope is that,
through this association, we may be able to perpetuate Sigong
Wong's wonderful system into the foreseeable future and perhaps bring
together some of his former students in common cause to honor his memory.
Along these lines, we are in
the process of developing a standard curriculum and a simple ranking
structure suitable for modern use. Although the traditional focus of
Hark Fu Mun was
on effective combat irregardless of the size, strength, or age of the
practitioner or the advantages enjoyed by his opponent, we also recognize the
importance of other considerations such as health, sport, entertainment, and
dedication to public and cultural integrity. We welcome one and all to join
us in this worthy journey.
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