1st successor to the U.S.A. Hung Sing Kwoon
3rd generation master of the Fut San Hung Sing Kwoon
In 1941 there were only about two gung fu teachers in the whole San Francisco area, they were Lau Bun a Hung Sing Choy Lee Fut master, and T.Y. Wong- a Shaolin Fut Ga master. Professor Jew was just a young boy then and really wanted to learn gung fu. A friend of his mentioned that he could possibly set up a meeting with Lau Bun since he was accepting new students.
At the time Lau Bun-a high ranking 2nd generation disciple of the Fut San Hung Sing Kwoon under Master Yuen Hai, the most senior of Jeong Hung Sings students- was calling his school "Wah Kuen" which was located at 916 Clay Street. Professor Jew couldn’t wait, and after meeting Lau Bun, at the age of 14 he expressed his wishes to become a student and Lau Bun accepted him into his school which later changed its name to Hung Sing Kwoon to reflect their lineage to the birthplace in Fut San.
Professor Jew Leong (Jimmy Ming Jew) or Leong Goh (brother Leong) as he is called by his close friends was born on October 02, 1926, and is a native of Southern China’s Say Yup village in Canton. In the late 1930's Professor Jew’s family left their home and headed for the United States in search of a better life, and decided to move to San Francisco. As did many of the Chinese new to the bay area, they settled down in the city’s Chinatown district.
In 1941 there were only about two gung fu teachers in the whole San Francisco area, they were Lau Bun a Hung Sing Choy Lee Fut master, and T.Y. Wong- a Shaolin Fut Ga master. Professor Jew was just a young boy then and really wanted to learn gung fu. A friend of his mentioned that he could possibly set up a meeting with Lau Bun since he was accepting new students.
At the time Lau Bun-a high ranking 2nd generation disciple of the Fut San Hung Sing Kwoon under Master Yuen Hai, the most senior of Jeong Hung Sings students- was calling his school "Wah Kuen" which was located at 916 Clay Street. Professor Jew couldn’t wait, and after meeting Lau Bun, at the age of 14 he expressed his wishes to become a student and Lau Bun accepted him into his school which later changed its name to Hung Sing Kwoon to reflect their lineage to the birthplace in Fut San.
Lau Bun was recognized as one of the most authentic gung fu masters ever to set foot on American soil. A true master from the old school, and an old fashioned teacher. According to Professor Jew training under Lau Bun was tough because he demanded a lot from his students. Just the first 6 months could be spent doing the Jot Ma, or Horse Stance training before learning any hands.
 Professor Lau Bun (sitting) poses with student Sigung Jew Leong, His wife and Son (Chuck) in the Gee Tuk Sam Tuk Family Association  It was obvious that Professor Jew was dedicated to learning gung fu. "He was determined to train hard, and when he wasn’t at the gung fu school he would practice at home often. However, due to World War II Professor Jew had to cut his gung fu training short to serve in the Army/Aircore. Once the war was over, he returned to the Hung Sing Kwoon and continued his learning under Lau Bun. Lau Bun taught Professor Jew to pay strict attention to every detail of the techniques he was taught, which according to Grand Master Dino Salvatera later earned him the nickname of "The Master Technician" by his students. Between 1939-1967 public gung fu performances were a rare treat for most non-Chinese folks. Lau Bun’s Hung Sing Kwoon was the first to ever demonstrate Chinese gung fu to the general public. Professor Jew quickly rose in the ranks amongst the senior studenst while gaining much recognition for his awesome street performances. Due to his great physical shape and massive arms, his hand and weapon forms such as Sup Ji Kau Da, Tiger Fork, Steel Whip, Staff and the Kwan Do to name a few was an incredible sight to behold. One of his trademark sets to perform was the Shaolin internal 5 animal form called Um Ying Kuen. Professor Jew followed in Lau Buns footsteps and also joined the Hop Sing Tong, . and eventually became a one time President Hop Sing as well as a Hop Sing youth group called Sing Keung. He also took on a night job working as a bartender at the "Buddha Bar" which is still located in San Francisco’s Chinatown today. He also began teaching gung fu to members of the Gee Tuck Sam Tuck Family Association on Waverly Street. Meanwhile, outside of the Hung Sing Kwoon, Professor Jew was keeping himself busy. He learned and began practicing making Dit Da Jow from Lau Bun as well as other herbal medicines and often supplied these medicines to the Chinese community free of charge for those who couldn’t afford it. Professor Jew and the Hung Sing Kwoon were hit with terrible news on September 06, 1967. The students of the Hung Sing Kwoon were informed that their sifu Lau Bun had passed away as a result from a massive heart attack all the while suffering from a major hernia injury. This greatly affected Professor Jew because he often took care of Lau Bun, and truly honored the very close relationship they had together. The passing of Professor Lau Bun temporarily caused some confusion on the future of the Hung Sing Kwoon. Amongst many of the senior students of the professor, Jew Leong -with the backing of the Hop Sing Tong-was the first to step forward and assume responsibility of keeping the Hung Sing Kwoon in operation since the both of them were members of Hop Sing. As the uncontested and newly accepted successor, Jew Leong moved the Hung Sing Kwoon to 38 Spofford alley, one of the most notorious alleys in Chinatown known to be the battlegrounds for San Francisco’s tong wars. To the uninitiated, one would never guess by first glance that behind the doors of 38 Spofford alley would be the oldest gung fu school in the United States. To some of the Chinatown locals Professor Jew was recognized as the sifu of the "Red Door People (Hung Moon)." Some time later he moved the Hung Sing Kwoon to the Gee Tuck Sam Tuck Family Association due to skyrocketing increases in rent prices. Professor Jew continued to teach Hung Sing Choy Lee Fut in the same manner as Lau Bun had taught him, therefore preserving the integrity and tradition of the Hung Sing Kwoon. Although some may claim that he was a very tough teacher, he was even tougher to speak to since he was a man of very few words. He expected his students to practice hard and always stressed how important it was to perfect their gung fu. More often than not Professor Jew would only demonstrate a move once and expected his students to pick it up quickly. In 1987, Professor Jew announced in the Chinese newspaper that he was going into semi-retirement, and based on the recommendation of Ms. Adeline Luey, this 1987 news paper article stated that Dino "Jew, Tien Loong" Salvatera was to be his next successor. This article ran in the Sing Tao newspaper for 3 days.Then in 1995, Professor Jew Leong, a long-standing pillar in the Chinese community finally decided to retire from teaching for good after spending more than 56 years of his life in the martial arts, fully handing over the Hung Sing Kwoon to Dino Salvatera. Jew Leong still resides in San Francisco's Chinatown and can often be seen walking up Washington Street on his way to either play Mah Jong, make herbal medicines, or just hang out reading his newspaper at the Gee Tuck Sam Tuck Family Association on Waverly Street.       Professor Jew Leong will always be loved and respected by his peers and as "The Man" by his countless number of students and grand students for years to come.
|
