佛山詠春
My Teacher
Master Lun Gai
By Derek Frearson
Much is written about the life of Grandmaster Ip Man (Cantonese) (Ye Wen Mandarin) and his students in Hong Kong, his teachings and followers have received wide publicity.
Thanks to their hard work the late Grandmasters art has now spread to every corner of the globe.
Generally little has been published about his teaching in Foshan (Fatshan) and his students from those early days.
Lun Gai’s (Lun Kai) (Lun Jie) father died while he was still young so he started work at the age of twelve as a boy servant at the Luen Cheong Embroidery Factory on Wing On Road which was owned by a relative.
The factory stood around 800 meters north of Grandmaster Yip's residence at Mulberry Gardens. The owner of the factory was a good friend of Grandmaster Yip and so he invited him to teach Wing Chun (Yong Chun) (Ving Tsun) to his children in the warehouse at the back of his factory.
Lun Gai began to study under the Grandmaster at the age of fourteen; Grandmaster Yip was around forty years old at this time.
The group would meet every evening and consisted of around eight students and the Grandmaster taught for free, he asked his students to address him as ' Man Sok ', Uncle Man. This was during the occupation by Japanese forces so the class would meet in secret.
Great emphasis was placed on the study of the Siu- Nim-Tau form and on Horse Stance practise. When they practised Chi Sao Grandmaster Yip would cover his eyes and Chi Sao with all the students and he could tell by the feel which of the students he was training with.
The teaching method at this time was to teach the complete system in one year as lessons were held every night, which included Siu-Nim-Tau, Chum-Kiu, Biu-Tze, Butterfly Knives, Long Pole and Wooded Dummy. There was no instruction in any other form of sticking hand training apart from the two handed Chi Sao.
The class ran for four years and after the break up some of the class members stayed in touch with Uncle Yip, Grandmaster Yip lived with Lun Gai’s Kung Fu brother Kwok Fu during this period.
Grandmaster Yip left Foshan around 1949 after the Communist takeover as an Undercover Police Captain he feared possible reprisals from the new regime.
Before leaving China Grandmaster Yip instructed his few remaining students to use the Phoenix Eye punching method which Lun Gai Sifu still favours today.
During the training at the Luen Cheong Embroidery factory Lun Kai and Kwok Fu were good friends, being four years older Lun Gai looked upon him as being an elder brother.
During the early years of the Communist takeover the two classmates lost contact and went their different ways.
Lun Kai made an effort to try and contact Kwok Fu but to no avail, at the same time Kwok Fu was also trying to find Lun Gai.
Knowing his old classmate was an electrician by trade Kwok Fu would always ask any electricians he met if they knew Lun Gai.
One time Kwok Fu was near to Guangzhou and met an electrician who said he knew Lun Gai and that he had returned to Foshan and was working at a pump factory there.
Kwok Fu wrote a letter to the pump factory which Lun Gai received, the old classmates were reunited in 1958 and have been close friends ever since.
CULTURAL REVOLUTION
During the Cultural Revolution the practise of martial arts was frowned upon by the Red Guards many martial arts Masters were persecuted this included torture, imprisonment and death. Kwok Fu suffered at the hands of the Red Guards and his health is still poor today because of their treatment.
Lun Kai continued to practise throughout this period mostly at home; sometimes he would go to the park or the Ancestral Temple. Often the practise at the Temple would be watched by a Policeman who was also a martial arts practitioner so he never reported him.
I asked Lun Gai Sifu if he had ever had to use his Wing Chun in a real life situation he said Grandmaster Yip did not want his students to fight.
There was one occasion however just after the Cultural Revolution when he went on his bicycled out into the countryside at night.
He was travelling along a dark road when two men jumped out in front of him, as he stopped the light, which was driven by a dynamo, went out.
He quickly put the bicycle down; one man threw a powerful punch towards Lun sifu.
Lun applied the Kuo Sao movement from Wing Chuns Second form Chum-Kiu.
He heard the breaking of bone and the man screamed with pain, turning to the side the other man had already launched a kick, which glanced against Lun's thigh.
The man didn't follow up the attack hearing his accomplice's screams both men fled.
Lun Gai Sifu has taught for many years in Foshan and has passed on Grandmaster Yips legacy to numerous students.
POOR HEALTH
Sadly Sifu Lun has suffered from health problems for many years. After his wife passed away on 30th June 1998 his mental state became very poor and confused.
Sifu has also suffered from painful knees as he has taken medications for high blood pressure for a long period and it appears that this has caused these side effects.
Since early 2000 he has found it difficult to walk and since 2006 when outside the house has moved around mainly in a wheelchair.
Since my first visit to Foshan in 1989 I have taken over 300 students to Foshan and many have trained with Master Lun. His teaching method was mainly to teach the forms, Chi Sao and applications.
Master Lun’s method of teaching never altered it has been the same from the first day I studied with him and throughout all my training and the groups I have taken until his retirement.
Sifu has said that he taught me in the same way that Grandmaster Yip Man taught to him and I also preserve the same method in my teaching.
Sifu Lun teaches in a traditional way and doesn’t offer grades or certificates.
I HAVE TAUGHT YOU EVERYTHING
I completed the system in the early nineties and ventured to ask Master Lun some years later “Sifu is there anymore for me to learn, any secrets?” “No I have taught you everything it’s up to you what you do with it now”
In February 2004 Master Lun gave me permission to form the Lun Gai Foshan Wing Chun Association we now have branches in Hungary, South Africa, Spain, Ireland and throughout the United Kingdom
About Sifu Derek Frearson
Derek’s first became interested in the Chinese arts through contact with Chinese friends in the early 60s this time was spent just working techniques. He joined his first club in Leicester in the mid 60s again the club concentrated on self-defence style techniques without formal training of any style of Chinese martial art in particular.
He continued training through out the 70s and in the end inherited the group by default; it was in the early 70s that he started training in Manchester in a new mystical style call Taijiquan. It was through his teacher Sifu Danny Connor that he had his first introduction to Wing Chun under Master Joseph Cheng who taught seminars for Sifu Connors group.
Master Cheng studied with Grandmaster Lee Shing who knew both the Yip Man Wing Chun and the Guo Lo Wing Chun (Pin San) attributed to Master Leung Jan.
Derek Continued to train in Wing Chun under Sifu Connor and another Joseph Cheng student Sifu John Darwen, Sifu Connor, Sifu Darwen and Sifu Frearson were instrumental in forming the British Kung Fu Union.
The British Kung Fu Union was a founding member of the British Kung Fu Council which was later renamed the British Council for Chinese Martial Arts.
Later Derek formed his own Association the then British Taijiquan and Shaolin Kung Fu Association as the association grew internationally it was renamed the International Taijiquan and Shaolin Wushu Association which joined the British Council for Chinese Martial Arts in its own right. Derek held various posts over the years including Vice Chairman, Head of the Technical committee and committee member.
Derek made his first visit to China with his Taiji Teacher Master Bow Sim Mark Boston USA in 1984 and attended the first International Taijiquan (Tai Chi Chuan) meeting in Wuhan the group also visited Beijing and Guangzhou it was in Guangzhou that the group visited Master Fu Wing Fay the son of the Great Grandmaster Fu Chen Sung.
Some years later Sifu Connor introduced Derek to Ip Mans eldest son Ip Chun this enabled Derek to train with Master Ip in Manchester, host seminars in Leicester and to train with him in Hong Kong.
In 1988 Derek made his first visit to the Shaolin Temple and was fortunate to travel with Master Mok Poi On and his student Sifu Leo Man of the Pao Fei Lein (Pou Fa Lin) Wing Chun style, this brought about an introduction to the great Pao Fei Lein Master Chu Chung and his sons and also developed a lifelong friendship with Sifu Leo Man.
Later that year Derek was an invited guest at the grand opening of the Shaolin Wushu Training Centre in Dengfeng China it was after this opening that Derek made his first visit to Foshan (Fat Shan) to research the various branches of Wing Chun.
On this visit he met Master Pang Nam (Black Face Pang) (Weng Chun), Master Pang gave Derek copies of his books detailing the forms of his Wing Chun he also met Master Kwok Kai (Guo Jia) of Pao Fei Lein Wing Chun. Master Kwok and Master Chu Chung were class mates in the old days in Foshan when they were training with their Sifu Liu Da Sheng Derek and Master Kwok became instant friends as Derek was able to give details of Master Chu Chung and his life in Hong Kong, Derek would relay information and even made a video tape for Master Kwok to send a message to his class mate. Derek and Master Kwok have remained in contact over the years.
Derek has met and had exchanges with many of the Wing Chun Masters now teaching in Foshan in fact there are 13 different styles registered as Wing Chun styles of Foshan
Derek considers his greatest find however was to meet the two remaining Ip Man students alive in Foshan Master Lun Gai and Master Kwok Fu. Derek became the first non Chinese student to train with Master Lun Gai and to promote his style outside of China.
Since first meeting Master Lun Derek has returned to Foshan once or twice each year the only year he was prevented from travel to China was when the student troubles were taking place in Tiananmen Square and the British government advised its citizens not to travel.
In Derek’s words “After meeting Master Lun I made a commitment to myself to return every year which I still do even long after completing the system”
Derek was an invited guest at the “Foshan, Hong Kong and Guangzhou Chin Woo Rose Cup Yong Chun Sticking Hand Invitational Tournament” which took place on 21/22 October 2000. This was the first sticking hands event ever to be held in China.
Derek became a Permanent Member of the Ving Tsun Athletic Association of Hong Kong (VTAA) in January 2002 and in November the same year received his certificate of registration as a Wing Chun instructor receiving his training from Master Lun Gai.
In November 2002 the Ip Man Museum opens and due to his fund raising effort Derek is made a Hon. Director and his school photograph is placed inside.
In 2004 with Master Lun’s permission Derek formed the Lun Gai Foshan Wing Chun Association to promote and preserve master Lun’s style.
In 2008 a stamp collection and commemorative edition to celebrate Wushu and the Olympic Games was produced under supervision from the Chinese Wushu Association “ as a gem of traditional Chinese culture, Wushu finally gets the opportunity a special kind of tournament in the Olympic Games as an ad hoc sport is the result of effort of Chinese people and the Chinese government”
As a hot bed of Southern Chinese martial arts many of Foshan’s deceased and current Masters were shown including Lun Gai and Kwok Fu Derek was thrilled to see his own photograph included in the Wing Chun list.
August 02.08.2009 Derek was an international judge for the Celebration of the 60th Anniversary of the Founding of the Peoples Republic of China and to Welcome 2009 East Asian Game in Hong Kong.
Master Lun and Derek Frearson play Chi Sao
Derek at the First Chi Sao Competition in Foshan
Dog Hot Pot supper in the home of Master Kwok Fu
No sweet only Chi Sao for afters