 Professor Jew Leong
1926-Present
1st Successor to the U.S.A. Branch Hung Sing Kwoon
3rd Generation Master of the Hung Sing Choy Lee Fut system
Professor
Jew Leong (Jimmy Ming Jew) or Leong Goh (brother Leong) as he is called
by his close friends was born on October 02, 1926, and is a native of
Southern China’s Say Yup village in Canton. In the late 1930's
Professor Jew’s family left their home and headed for the United States
in search of a better life, and decided to move to San Francisco. As
did many of the Chinese new to the bay area, they settled down in the
city’s Chinatown district.
In
1941 there were only about two gung fu teachers in the whole San
Francisco area, they were Lau Bun a Hung Sing Choy Lee Fut master, and
T.Y. Wong- a Shaolin Fut Ga master. Professor Jew was just a young boy
then and really wanted to learn gung fu. A friend of his mentioned that
he could possibly set up a meeting with Lau Bun since he was accepting
new students.
At the time Lau Bun-a high ranking 2nd
generation disciple of the Fut San Hung Sing Kwoon under Master Yuen
Hai, the most senior of Jeong Hung Sings students- was calling his
school "Wah Kuen" which was located at 916 Clay Street. Professor Jew
couldn’t wait, and after meeting Lau Bun, at the age of 14 he expressed
his wishes to become a student and Lau Bun accepted him into his school
which later changed its name to Hung Sing Kwoon to reflect their
lineage to the birthplace in Fut San.
Professor Jew Leong (Jimmy Ming Jew) or Leong Goh (brother Leong) as he
is called by his close friends was born on October 02, 1926, and is a
native of Southern China’s Say Yup village in Canton. In the late
1930's Professor Jew’s family left their home and headed for the United
States in search of a better life, and decided to move to San
Francisco. As did many of the Chinese new to the bay area, they settled
down in the city’s Chinatown district.
In 1941 there were only about two gung fu teachers in the whole San
Francisco area, they were Lau Bun a Hung Sing Choy Lee Fut master, and
T.Y. Wong- a Shaolin Fut Ga master. Professor Jew was just a young boy
then and really wanted to learn gung fu. A friend of his mentioned that
he could possibly set up a meeting with Lau Bun since he was accepting
new students.
At the time Lau Bun-a high ranking 2nd
generation disciple of the Fut San Hung Sing Kwoon under Master Yuen
Hai, the most senior of Jeong Hung Sings students- was calling his
school "Wah Kuen" which was located at 916 Clay Street. Professor Jew
couldn’t wait, and after meeting Lau Bun, at the age of 14 he expressed
his wishes to become a student and Lau Bun accepted him into his school
which later changed its name to Hung Sing Kwoon to reflect their
lineage to the birthplace in Fut San.
Lau
Bun was recognized as one of the most authentic gung fu masters ever to
set foot on American soil. A true master from the old school, and an
old fashioned teacher. According to Professor Jew training under Lau
Bun was tough because he demanded a lot from his students. Just the
first 6 months could be spent doing the Jot Ma, or Horse Stance
training before learning any hands. It
was obvious that Professor Jew was dedicated to learning gung fu. "He
was determined to train hard, and when he wasn’t at the gung fu school
he would practice at home often. However, due to World War II Professor
Jew had to cut his gung fu training short to serve in the Army/Aircore.
Once the war was over, he returned to the Hung Sing Kwoon and continued
his learning under Lau Bun. Lau Bun taught Professor Jew to pay strict
attention to every detail of the techniques he was taught, which
according to Grand Master Dino Salvatera later earned him the nickname
of "The Master Technician" by his students.
 Between 1939-1967 public gung fu performances were a rare
treat for most non-Chinese folks. Lau Bun’s Hung Sing Kwoon was the
first to ever demonstrate Chinese gung fu to the general public.
Professor Jew quickly rose in the ranks amongst the senior studenst
while gaining much recognition for his awesome street performances. Due
to his great physical shape and massive arms, his hand and weapon forms
such as Sup Ji Kau Da, Tiger Fork, Steel Whip, Staff and the Kwan Do to
name a few was an incredible sight to behold. One of his trademark sets
to perform was the Shaolin internal 5 animal form called Um Ying Kuen.
  
|
