USA CHIN WOO FEDERATION - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Senior Shaolin Kung Fu Instructor
Job Titles:
- Certified Wu Hao Tai Chi Instructor
Chin Woo is an international martial arts organization founded in Shanghai, China, on July 7, 1910. Chin Woo was founded as the Chin Woo Athletic Association (simplified Chinese: 精武体育会; traditional Chinese: 精武體育會; pinyin: Jīngwǔ Tǐyùhuì) in Shanghai, China in the early 20th century.
Many sources, claim that Chin Woo was founded by the martial artist Huo Yuanjia, who died not long after its establishment. Chin Woo was actually founded by a committee of persons, including members of the Tongmenghui, such as Chen Qimei, Nong Zhu, and Chen Tiesheng. Due to Huo's popularity and recent death, the committee had decided that he should be the "face" of Chin Woo, resulting in his strong association with it.
After Chin Woo was founded, a number of prominent martial artists in China at that time were invited to teach there. They include: Chen Zizheng (陳子正), Eagle Claw master; Luo Guangyu (羅光玉), Seven Star Praying Mantis master; Geng Jishan (耿繼善), Xingyi master; Wu Jianquan, founder of Wu-style taijiquan, ; and Zhao Lianhe (趙連和), a master of the Northern Shaolin , became Chief Instructor after Huo Yuanjia's death.
As one of the first public martial arts institutes in China, Chin Woo was intended to create a structured environment for teaching and learning martial arts as opposed to the secretive training that had been common in the past. The founders of Chin Woo felt that the association would keep alive traditions that secrecy and social change would otherwise doom.
The basic curriculum drew from several styles of martial arts, giving practitioners a well-rounded martial background in addition to whatever they wished to specialise in. Chin Woo inspired the ecumenism seen in the Chinese martial arts community during the Republican era, giving rise to such efforts as the National Martial Arts Institutes.
Jake Song has been training in the arts of Kung Fu for almost 12 years. He describes Kung Fu as like becoming a doctor. It requires patience, time, and hard work to complete. At age 8, he began his journey to the Kung Fu world under Sifu Jimmy Wong. He specializes in the following: Chin Woo Forms, Pu Dao, Nan Quan, and Liu He Ba Fa.
Jake has competed in numerous Kung Fu tournaments such as the Legends of Kung Fu Tournaments (in Plano, Houston, and Dallas), the Satellite Tournament in Dallas, and the World Star Tournament in Houston. He has also participated in Chinese New Year performances in numerous places such as the Winstar and Choctaw Casino in Oklahoma, and the AT&T Stadium in Arlington. To represent Sifu Wong and the school, he also performed at his high school after-school events such as the talent shows, the pep rallies, and the halftime football game shows.
Jake is currently a student at Richland College in Dallas, and works as an Associate at the United Parcel Service (UPS) Store. In a few years, he will be working on his bachelor's in Anatomy and Physiology, and then be able to achieve a dream that most people are timid of doing: to become a professional martial artist.
Job Titles:
- Senior Chin Woo Shaolin Kungfu Instructor
Job Titles:
- Senior Wu ( Hao ) Taiji Instructor
Job Titles:
- Certified Wu Hao Tai Chi Instructor
Stone Henry began his Kung Fu training at the age of 11 and had participated in two world kung fu tournaments.
Job Titles:
- Founder of the Republic of China
Sun Yat-sen, founder of the Republic of China, attended the third annual event held by Chin Woo in 1915, giving a speech of encouragement to the attendees. When Sun Yat-sen attended again at the 10th annual event in 1920, he also wrote for a special Chin Woo newsletter and made a plaque with the engraving "martial spirit".
Job Titles:
- Monument Contributor, October 2000 - Handan, China