Our Visit to Ging Mui, the Ancestral Village of Choy Lee Fut Kung Fu

In May 2024, I had the privilege of visiting Ging Mui Village (京梅鄉), the ancestral village of the founder of Choy Lee Fut, Chan Heung (陳享). Choy Lee Fut is the style of kung fu practiced at Chau Luen Athletics, and we are proud that we have continued our founder Chan Heung’s legacy that began in 1836.

This visit was part of the community visit conducted by University of British Columbia’s Asian Canadian and Asian Migration Studies (ACAM) program, where students and members of the community visit destinations such as China and Malaysia to gain in-person understanding of Asian migration.

Working with UBC ACAM, Sifu Michael and I were able to visit with a bit more guidance and learn about the village from an academic perspective, not just from the viewpoint of a kung fu practitioner. We were accompanied by University of British Columbia professor, Dr. Henry Yu and Wuyi University professor Dr. Selia Tan, who served as our guides on the trip.

Arriving in Ging Mui Village

We started out in Kaiping/Hoi Ping (開平), where we had just visited master drum-makers and lion head craftsmen. We then made our way to Ging Mui Village, the ancestral home of Choy Lee Fut. We were fortunate enough to have Director Chan (陳揚) show us around as well.

Having been to two other small villages in China earlier on the same trip, I was anticipating this to be more of a symbolic “see where Chan Heung grew up” type of trip. The other two villages were both empty as younger generations moved to bigger cities for new opportunities. However, I was really surprised to see the dedicated upkeep of the buildings that had been done throughout the village since Choy Lee Fut was designated a National Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2008.

Exploring the village, we saw countless murals showing the different stances and movements that I knew from my forms.

Aside from the murals, there were outdoor dummies that villagers regularly used to practice.

Visiting the ancestral hall and museum of Choy Lee Fut kung fu

Our afternoon of exploring really gave us the chance to take in all of these familiar kung fu tidbits, but in a different context. One highlight of our visit was the ancestral hall showing the kung fu lineage from Chan Heung.

After we paid our respects to Chan Heung and those who passed down the art of Choy Lee Fut to the present-day Chau Luen Athletics team, Director Chan showed us different Choy Lee Fut weapons. It was surreal to see the weapons in their “original” location, but also cool thinking “hey we have those in Vancouver, too!”

After leaving the ancestral hall, we realized there was still more to see in the village! We visited the Choy Lee Fut museum afterwards. This was in a separate building, but held a wealth of information about the founder, the style, and its impact both in the past and present day. There was a panel on overseas Choy Lee Fut masters, and Si Tai Gung Wong Ha was featured.

Although I never met him as I started training only 6 years ago, it was inspiring to know that even our recent history from Canada was being shared with visitors from all around the world.

Throughout the visit, seeing familiar stances, phrases, and people, I was struck with a strange sense of nostalgia. This martial art that I’ve been practicing over 10,000 kilometers away in Vancouver originated in the city I was standing in almost 200 years ago. It’s this feeling of connection where tradition and knowledge have been passed down not just over time, but also crossed the ocean to different communities around the world.

Our connection to Ging Mui Village

At Chau Luen Athletics, we can trace our teachings of Choy Lee Fut to its roots all the way back to Ging Mui Village, where founder Chan Heung was born in 1806. We continue to practice the same traditional martial art that was developed and taught in the 19th century with pride.

We strive to continue carrying the torch and pass it onto the next generation. As of now, the 7th generation of Choy Lee Fut (the disciples of Sifu Michael Tan) continue to learn, grow, and pass on their skills. Our hope is to continue his legacy in Canada and remain as one of the best kung fu schools in Vancouver.

If you’re interested in joining our kung fu journey, Chau Luen Athletics offers free trial classes for students of all ages, genders, skill levels, and cultural backgrounds. We hope to find the next generation of students to continue our journey promoting our traditional martial art. Contact us using the button below and one of our team members will get back to you with the next steps.

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