in 1891, on the eleventh day of the third lunar month in Sa-Fu Village of the Canton
Province. His father was Chow Fong Hoy and his mother’s maiden name was Li. At
the time of its inception, the particular style of Kung Fu was labeled as having the
head of Hung, the tail of Choy and the patterns of the tiger and leopard, or simply
Hung Tao Choy Mei. It was so labeled because the essential techniques incorporated
the muscular and mighty movements of Hung Gar and the swift footwork and complex
kicking of Choy Gar Kung Fu, making it a very effective form of self defense with
emphasis on simultaneous attack and defense.
The Chows were farmers native to Sa Fu Village. Chow Lung had an uncle named
Chow Hung, who had been taught Hung Gar Kung Fu many years ago, and was
unofficially acclaimed as the top fighter in Sun Wui County. Chow Lung and his
brothers Chow Hip, Chow Bill, Chow Hoy and Chow Tin practiced Hung Gar with their
uncle. Chow Lung never uttered a word of complaint about the arduous training and
soon proved to be the best student. Chow Hung thought of him as a possible
successor to his teachings. One day Chow Hung summoned his nephew and told
him that there was not much time left for him as his chronic illness had returned.
While there was still time, he would teach him the remaining techniques and the Pa
Kua staff fighting techniques. Only a month later Chow Hung died.
The death of his uncle did not mean Chow Lung had to stop learning Kung Fu. He
traveled to Siu Hing County where Choy Kau of Choy Gar Kung Fu was to be found.
From Choy Kau, he mastered Choy Gar Kung Fu. Chow Lung felt that it would be more
beneficial to him to absorb the essence of the two styles of Kung Fu he learned so far.
He preferred the hard driving power of Hung Gar and the swift footwork of Choy Gar.
He combined the best of both systems.
When Chow Lung was 19 years old, because of family hardships, he left home for
Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia to find work. While there, he was involved in a fight with and
fatally wounded a Gangster. Though he really had nothing to run away from, Chow
Lung thought that he had reason to hide. For several days he lived on wild fruits and
berries and was on the verge of collapse when he came to a monastery and asked for
help. The Abbot was most sympathetic to the ordeal Chow Lung had gone through
and said he was welcome to stay if he could take the simple, frugal, hard style of
monastery life. After several months of keen observation, the Abbot had no doubt as to
Chow Lung’s character and began teaching him Northern Shaolin Kung Fu. Chow
Lung's misunderstanding regarding the death of the Gangster lead to the chance
encounter with a Shaolin Kung Fu master. Encouraged by the Abbot, Chow Lung
combined all of the Kung Fu systems he had mastered into a single style and stayed
in the monastery for over three years before he was ready to leave.
(Courtesy of Jow Ga Kung Fu in Beach, VA)
