Chu Shong Tin
Mid-summer 2009, Grandmaster Chu Shong Tin established the successor to his original Wing Chun school which had been in Hong Kong since 1964. He taught there for more than half a century and had nurtured tens of thousands Wing Chun enthusiasts from all over the world.
The establishment of Chu Shong Tin Wing Chun Alumni (“the Alumni”) aims at promoting the Master’s love for Wing Chun as well as serving as a fraternity club for his students.
Grandmaster Chu Shong Tin was one of the earliest disciples of Wing Chun Grandmaster Ip Man, had earned the reputation as "King of Siu Nim Tau". For decades, Grandmaster Chu Shong Tin committed himself to studying Wing Chun.
His commitment had been so diligent and tireless that he developed extremely unique insights on the connotation and power of the entire Wing Chun system; be it Siu Nim Tau, Chum Kiu, Biu Jee, Butterfly Knives, Six-Point-and-A-Half Pole, or Wooden Dummy. None of his students, including those who had followed him most closely in the past decades, dared to say he or she had grasped any depth or breadth.
IN DECEMBER 2 1972 GRANDMASTER CHU SHONG TIN PASSED AWAY AT HIS HOME 149, TUNG CHOI STREET . HIS WING CHUN ARE NOW PRACTICED BY MILLIONS ALL OVER THE WORLD . REST IN PEACE . [Grandmaster IP MAN 詠春葉問宗師]
The Alumni will follow the Master’s footstep, continue his legacy, to search for Wing Chun’s spirit and to promote such heritage. The Alumni, established in form of a limited company, is a non-profit organization jointly-run by the Grandmaster's senior students. It has a permanent location where regular Wing Chun classes are held and insights shared.
The key to practicing SiuNimTao is to initiate every movement of a form by using 'intent', which is only possible with dedicated focus and concentration. In every movement it harnesses, intent performs a critical role in converging all the bodily energy and strength onto the attack point, as different from brute force generated by contracting muscles.
The Hidden Power of SiuNimTao 小念頭的隱藏力量 -by ChuShongTin 徐尚田
My Master Ip Man first started teaching Wing Chun in Hong Kong at the Restaurant Worker’s Union Association. At the time I was the secretary of the association, so Master Ip and I had many opportunities to be together. Before I became interested in Wing Chun, I often overheard Master Ip explaining his Wing Chun theories in his classes. Gradually he sparked my interest in the art.
It so happened that I had great interest in physics and mechanics; I enjoyed his theories on body structure and power development methods very much. Through my careful analysis, I was convinced that Master Ip’s art was flawless and very advanced. Finally, I decided to follow Master Ip and became his student.Like every beginner in class, I started my journey with SiuNimTao, even though I had already familiarized myself with the form as an observer.
It took me little effort to completely learn the basic movements. I then began to wonder about the essence of the form, besides the hand movements. I went to Master Ip and inquired about the meaning of SiuNimTao, especially the non-combative tone in the name. Master Ip replied: This is about "Lop Nim" (立念) --- to establish an idea in the mind. I am sure most of my peers have also heard about this term. Master Ip also added that it required prolonged practice of this form to truly master the essence of Lop Nim.