HUNG FA YI WING CHUN UNVEILED AFTER 300 YEARS OF SECRECY

On April 15-16, 2000 Master Garrett Gee, a direct discipleship descendant of Cheung Ng, the Shaolin founder of Hung Fa Yi Wing Chun Kung Fu, revealed the art to the public after 300 years of secrecy. He chose Master Benny Meng, Curator of the Ving Tsun Museum and its West Coast Director, Sifu Richard Loewenhagen of Meng's Martial Arts of Arizona as the hosts for this first historic Wing Chun seminar of the new millenium.

Master Gee made the event even more historic by treating participants to the first Hung Fa Yi discipleship ceremony (called a "Red Bandana" ceremony) ever performed in public. Master Gee selected Benny Meng as the first disciple of the 9th generation of Hung Fa Yi teachers and John Murphy, one of his private students, as the second disciple. The ceremony itself was rich in Hung Fa Yi culture and tradition. In attendance at this historical event were members of the Hung Fa Yi, Moy Yat, William Cheung, Yip Ching, Augustine Fong, and Philip Holder Wing Chun lineages and a practitioner of Jeet Kuen Do.

As seminar participants soon discovered, Hung Fa Yi Wing Chun is a wealth of combat applications science. The first day included 10 intensive hours of technical details, and wooden dummy training on the Siu Nim Tao level of combat skill. Twelve of Master Gee's private students participated in the seminar to assist the participants in partnering exercises that greatly enhanced comprehension. The day was highlighted with a banquet in honor of Master Gee and his Hung Fa Yi students. Master Benny Meng took this special opportunity to recognize Sifu Richard Loewenhagen with a special Ving Tsun Museum presentation historically acknowledging him as the first student of the Museum to fully complete discipleship training in the art of Yip Man System of Wing Chun.

The second day of the seminar proved to be another technical marathon with Hung Fa Yi Chi Sao examined and practiced throughout the morning session. Wooden dummy orientation and training filled the afternoon session. Closing comments from seminar participants overwhelmingly asserted that this was the richest seminar they had ever experienced, both in terms of technical detail and Wing Chun kinship.

For further information on Hung Fa Yi Wing Chun, Masters Garret Gee and Benny Meng can be reached at the Ving Tsun Museum, 5717 Brandt Pike, Dayton, Oh, 45424, phone (937) 236-6485 and emailed at BennyMeng@vtmuseum.org. Sifu Richard Loewenhagen can be reached at Meng's Martial Arts of Arizona, 3029 N. Alma School Rd, Suite 218, Chandler, AZ, 85224, phone (480) 820-2428 and emailed at sifu@mengsofaz.com.