Professor Jew Leong
1927-2010
1st Successor to the U.S.A. Branch Hung Sing Kwoon
3rd Generation Master of the Hung Sing Choy Lee Fut system
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.
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.
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.
