FAMILY LINEAGE

Our lineage comes from a number of world-acclaimed Masters one of whom was Master Wong F ei Hong, a 19th century Hung Gar Master who lived in Canton, China. Although there were many masters before him, Kung Fu enthusiasts should recognize his name as he ranks high in the hierarchy of the Hung Gar tree.  His martial arts exploits have been glorified by movies of Jet Li and many others who have dramatized his involvement in the political struggles and upheavals of China during his time.  Together with his student Lam Sai Wing, more widely known as Butcher Wing, Wong Fei, a great Master.  Lam Sai Wing was legendary for his many martial arts exploits including the famous theatre incident.  Lured into an opera theatre, he was ambushed and attacked by over two hundred sailors. With only a few students with him, he fought single handedly against the spear- and sword-wielding sailors. Attacked from all sides, Lam Sai Wing fought like a mighty tiger, easily parrying the sharp weapons with a metal chain.  Wielding his famous Water fist, he broke so many hands and arms that at the end of the fight, the lucky ones, numbering over eighty, ran to a nearby hospital to treat their broken limbs. One can only imagine what happened to the other, less fortunate sailors.


Lam Sai Wing had many students; the most prominent of whom was Lum Jow, his own nephew. Lum Jow who was a martial arts prodigy. A brilliant young boy, he could remember a form after only a single glance. At age sixteen, he was already a formidable fighter in his domain.  At that young age he received the authority to oversee the Gwoon (Kung Fu school).  This was not well received by the martial arts community that sent many older Masters to challenge his skills.  This fine lad defeated and bested them all. Lum Jow, now over ninety-years old, lives today in Hong Kong. His student, our Grandmaster, Tan Kwak Wah, himself over 80-years old, lives in Boston, Massachusetts. Well known for his expertise in everything about Hung Gar, he is also highly respected as a great Chinese doctor. A quiet, reserved man, he shuns fame and publicity and prefers to devote himself to the perfection of his art.


Tan Kwok Wah's student is none other than our Sifu, Winchell Woo. He has 50 years of experience in both Northern and Southern Kung Fu and is one of very few traditional teachers around. Known for his broadmindedness and good nature, he is respected in this region for his incomparable martial arts knowledge and matchless abilities.  Money cannot buy the skills he teaches today.  Many high-ranking martial artists in America today value Sifu Woo’s skills, recognizing him as a 10th degree black belt Grandmaster and often honoring him as Grandmaster of The Year. With an inexhaustible amount of martial arts knowledge that he draws from Hung Gar, he has also developed many other styles that have resulted in many useful innovations in our practice and training methods. From his teachings, we have garnered large amounts of martial arts knowledge and skills to handle real and practical situations.


Born in Canton City, China, Sifu Woo earned a reputation as a skilled fighter while still in junior high school. The son of a US Marine, he was already an American citizen when he moved to Boston, Massachusetts in 1960. In 1967, Sifu Woo received his Master Certification and in the same year opened the Bamboo Hut Club, the first authentic Kung Fu school in the city of Boston. In the 1970's Sifu Woo was a founder of the New England Kung Fu Federation and hosted the first Beijing Wushu team in New England. In 1992, he hosted the Shaolin Monks while they were in Boston on their world tour. While practicing Kung Fu for over 50 years, Sifu Woo was also a partner in several national and international companies engaged in trading commodities, manufacturing.nment.