Ark Yuey Wong
Encyclopedia
Ark Yuey Wong, also known as Wong Ark Yuey. He was born on January 11, 1900 and died on January 11, 1987. He was one of, if not the first, Chinese martial arts master to teach traditional Kung Fu to non-Chinese students in the United States, specifically, the Chinese martial art of Ng Ga Kuen, also known as Five Family/Five Animal
style of Kung Fu. Grandmaster Wong is credited with spawning a big interest in eastern martial arts and his teachings have yielded several independent schools that have spread in North America.
Subsequently, upon reaching age 7, Wong began attending Kung Fu lessons at a Shaolin templwith most of his relatives after school, everyday for at least two hours, under the revered master Lam Ark Fun, an old teacher of Choy Lay Fut. Some years into his training, at age 12, Wong was also taught Chinese Herbal Medicine by his Sifu, a valued skill that he would come to utilize later on in life. He then met and trained under another respected master, Ho Ark Yeung, who taught Mok Gar Kung Fu to Wong, having been hired along with Lam Ark Fun by the boy’s grandfather to teach all the Wong family. At 17, Ark Yuey attended college in downtown Canton, and started giving private Kung Fu lessons. During this time, Wong met a legendary Pung, the Chief Monk of Canton and learned under him the internal areas of Kung Fu, having previously only studied the external aspects of the arts.< this information is not true >
After civil unrest erupted in Canton, he was asked by his family to return to his village, and he complied, teaching by day at a local grade school, and by night giving Kung Fu classes. It was during an eventful new year’s eve that Wong made a demonstration of the “Lion Dance” which would award the best demonstrators with the title of Master, with his demonstration earning him said distinction at the remarkable age of 19.
The now Master Wong immigrated to the United States of America during his early 20’s in 1921 with some of his relatives, with his uncle further teaching him the ways of herbal healing and acupuncture. He stayed in San Francisco, Oakland and Stockholm,< miss spelled word should be stocton> were he taught many a Chinese student,< poor gramer should be where he taught many Chinese students> since at the time the Chinese community was still very secretive about their martial arts. He finally moved to Los Angeles in 1929 where he taught only his relatives for two years. He then opened a Chinese Herb Shop and a Kung Fu school by the name of War Que, returning to China in 1931 to teach the Wong family, and coming back to Los Angeles again in 1934, receiving the title of Grandmaster at 31. Later on, in 1965,< wrong date should be 1958> Wong would become one of the first genuine Kung Fu masters to open the doors of his school to any sincere student who wanted to learn Chinese martial arts, finally helping in breaking the Chinese-only rule in martial arts enforced for so long by the Chinese community < not properly explained > and having a very important role in introducing Kung Fu to America.
In his school, Master Wong taught in the style of the five families, Choy, Li, Fut, Mok and Hung, and in those of the traditional Shaolin (Master Wong explained that Sil Lum is Cantonese terminology for Shaolin) Five Animals: The Dragon, the Tiger, the Snake, the Leopard and the Crane. He also taught Tai Chi Quan, Five element fist, and Hop Gar Lama, along with 18 traditional Shaolin weapons, and even instructing in Lion and Dragon dancing for their role in the Chinese festivities.
He exercised during this time his knowledge of Chinese medicine, relying on it for economical support and schooling other people in the medicinal arts of herbal medicine, massage and acupuncture. During his time teaching in the United States he taught many students, and his teachings influenced legends of martial arts such as Bruce Lee (who included aspects of it in his Jun Fan Gung Fu and later on JKD) and Ed Parker.
He was covered by several martial arts publications such as an article on him by the magazine Black Belt in 1965, and numerous articles in the “Inside Kung Fu Magazine” publications, as well as others.
Master Wong died on his birthday in 1987, although his martial ability, speed and agility continued to astonish students and colleagues well into his third age.
< poorly written with incorrect information >
http://www.plumpub.com/info/Bios/bio_arkyueywong.htm
http://www.northernshaolinacademy.com/new/NsaHungGarWongArkYuey.asp
http://www.kungfutradicional.com/arkwong.htm
http://www.shenkungfu.com/shenacademy.htm
http://www.wama-club.com/limalama_history.htm
http://www.network54.com/Forum/326583/thread/1261211654/1262273602/Article
Ng Ga Kuen/Ng Gar King
Ng Ga Kuen, also known as Five Families/Five Animals Kung Fu or Five Family Fist is a major traditional Southern Chinese Martial Art that traces its origins to the Shaolin Temples of China.Ng Ga Kuen roughly translates to “Five Family Boxing/Fist”...
style of Kung Fu. Grandmaster Wong is credited with spawning a big interest in eastern martial arts and his teachings have yielded several independent schools that have spread in North America.
Biography
Ark Yuey Wong was born in Canton, China, in the village of Toysun Tien Sum Chien, to a moderately wealthy family. He lived as a boy in his grandfather’s farm, near Canton, where an eventful attack on the elderly man by his own younger brother seeking ownership of the family’s properties and assets, sparked what would become Ark Yuey’s career in martial arts. Surviving the attack, the patriarch informed his family that from now on he would only include them in his will on the condition that all males would begin learning martial arts at the age of 7, so they could defend themselves should the need arise to protect the family and its assets.Subsequently, upon reaching age 7, Wong began attending Kung Fu lessons at a Shaolin templwith most of his relatives after school, everyday for at least two hours, under the revered master Lam Ark Fun, an old teacher of Choy Lay Fut. Some years into his training, at age 12, Wong was also taught Chinese Herbal Medicine by his Sifu, a valued skill that he would come to utilize later on in life. He then met and trained under another respected master, Ho Ark Yeung, who taught Mok Gar Kung Fu to Wong, having been hired along with Lam Ark Fun by the boy’s grandfather to teach all the Wong family. At 17, Ark Yuey attended college in downtown Canton, and started giving private Kung Fu lessons. During this time, Wong met a legendary Pung, the Chief Monk of Canton and learned under him the internal areas of Kung Fu, having previously only studied the external aspects of the arts.< this information is not true >
After civil unrest erupted in Canton, he was asked by his family to return to his village, and he complied, teaching by day at a local grade school, and by night giving Kung Fu classes. It was during an eventful new year’s eve that Wong made a demonstration of the “Lion Dance” which would award the best demonstrators with the title of Master, with his demonstration earning him said distinction at the remarkable age of 19.
The now Master Wong immigrated to the United States of America during his early 20’s in 1921 with some of his relatives, with his uncle further teaching him the ways of herbal healing and acupuncture. He stayed in San Francisco, Oakland and Stockholm,< miss spelled word should be stocton> were he taught many a Chinese student,< poor gramer should be where he taught many Chinese students> since at the time the Chinese community was still very secretive about their martial arts. He finally moved to Los Angeles in 1929 where he taught only his relatives for two years. He then opened a Chinese Herb Shop and a Kung Fu school by the name of War Que, returning to China in 1931 to teach the Wong family, and coming back to Los Angeles again in 1934, receiving the title of Grandmaster at 31. Later on, in 1965,< wrong date should be 1958> Wong would become one of the first genuine Kung Fu masters to open the doors of his school to any sincere student who wanted to learn Chinese martial arts, finally helping in breaking the Chinese-only rule in martial arts enforced for so long by the Chinese community < not properly explained > and having a very important role in introducing Kung Fu to America.
In his school, Master Wong taught in the style of the five families, Choy, Li, Fut, Mok and Hung, and in those of the traditional Shaolin (Master Wong explained that Sil Lum is Cantonese terminology for Shaolin) Five Animals: The Dragon, the Tiger, the Snake, the Leopard and the Crane. He also taught Tai Chi Quan, Five element fist, and Hop Gar Lama, along with 18 traditional Shaolin weapons, and even instructing in Lion and Dragon dancing for their role in the Chinese festivities.
He exercised during this time his knowledge of Chinese medicine, relying on it for economical support and schooling other people in the medicinal arts of herbal medicine, massage and acupuncture. During his time teaching in the United States he taught many students, and his teachings influenced legends of martial arts such as Bruce Lee (who included aspects of it in his Jun Fan Gung Fu and later on JKD) and Ed Parker.
He was covered by several martial arts publications such as an article on him by the magazine Black Belt in 1965, and numerous articles in the “Inside Kung Fu Magazine” publications, as well as others.
Master Wong died on his birthday in 1987, although his martial ability, speed and agility continued to astonish students and colleagues well into his third age.
< poorly written with incorrect information >
Legacy
< Chinese Kung Fu tradition was to teach Kung Fu to Chinese only. Ark Yuey Wong broke that centuries old tradition in 1958 when he taught Jim Anestasi and Ron Shewmaker his style of Kung Fu. Jim Anestasi and Ron Shewmaker are his first non Chinese students and still teach Ark Wong's Tradional Kung Fu today. Ark Yuey Wong taught Tradional Chinese Kung Fu. > He is widely recognized with having kept the Ng Ga Kuen style alive, following the destruction of the original Shaolin temple in 1927, and thanks to his effort, the Ng Ga Kuen style of Kung Fu is nowadays a widely practiced martial art, with several different schools all over the United States and Mexico. His grandson, Seming Ma, is now continuing the direct line of this art’s lineage.External links
http://www.plumpub.com/info/Bios/bio_arkyueywong.htm
http://www.northernshaolinacademy.com/new/NsaHungGarWongArkYuey.asp
http://www.kungfutradicional.com/arkwong.htm
http://www.shenkungfu.com/shenacademy.htm
http://www.wama-club.com/limalama_history.htm
http://www.network54.com/Forum/326583/thread/1261211654/1262273602/Article