Continuing the legacy of a kungfu master

THE 24th National Chinwoo Festival was held at the Selangor Chinwoo Athletic sports complex in Kuala Lumpur recently with the participation of 18 affiliated associations from all over the country. 

The participants showed their prowess in various events like traditional and competitive Chinwoo fist-style martial art, tai chi quan, table-tennis, chess, calligraphy and a singing competition.  

Dancers striking a spectacular pose as they perform a fan dance.

The events were followed that evening by a Talent Night at Thean Hou Temple in Kuala Lumpur which featured various performances, ranging from choir presentations and lion, dragon and traditional dances to a musical show by a traditional Chinese band.  

The festival is organised once in two years by the affiliated associations on a rotation basis, with the aim of showcasing all martial arts and sports promoted in the Chinwoo associations. 

The group of associations carries on the legacy of Huo Yuan Jia (or Fok Yun Kap in Cantonese), a famous Chinese kungfu master in his time. 

After Fok founded the Chinwoo School in Shanghai in the early 1900s, his followers spread his teachings and kungfu skills to other parts of the world. 

The choir presenting one of several numbers.

The Chinwoo branch in Kuala Lumpur was established in 1921 -- the same year as the Selangor Women's Chinwoo Athletic Association and the Kampar Chinwoo Athletic Association -- as a result of a demonstration-cum-promotional trip by a delegation from the Shanghai association. 

Besides martial arts, the Chinwoo associations in states like Negri Sembilan, Penang, Malacca, Pahang, Kedah, Sabah and Sarawak promote and run other recreational activities such as weightlifting, bodybuilding, swimming, basketball, table-tennis and badminton. 

They also offer Chinese choir, orchestra, dance and literary classes that are open to the public. 

Deputy Youth and Sports Minister Datuk Ong Tee Keat said it had not been easy for the associations to keep up the Chinwoo tradition and continue to strive to promote martial arts and healthy activities among the younger generation over the past eight decades.  

He was pleased that Chinwoo was playing its part in making sports and exercise an integral part of Malaysian culture. 

This time, the festival was organised by the Selangor Women's Chinwoo Athletic Association.