On Saturday, July 21, 2001, the U.S. Wing Chun Kung Fu Academy presented its Grand Promotion Ceremony and Exhibition in San Francisco, California. This historic event, attended by over 700 spectators at the Far East Café in San Francisco's famous Chinatown, featured what may have been the most comprehensive demonstration of the Wing Chun fighting system ever presented to the public.

Grandmaster Chris Chan (Chan Shing) presided over the promotion of over 125 students. Of these students, 48 received the title of Sifu, and 11 others were further advanced to Second Level Sifu. Grandmaster Chan's two sons, Darren and Ryan Chan, were also promoted to Sifu on this auspicious day. Until this ceremony, Grandmaster Chan had not formally promoted any students to Sifu since 1985! To show their deep gratitude, the students surprised Grandmaster Chan with a beautifully carved bronze plaque on behalf of his thousands of students from the United States and around the world, celebrating his over 40 years of superlative instruction. Presenting the plaque were Sifus Joe and Chris Diaz, the most senior of Grandmaster Chan's students in attendance that evening.

Two of Grandmaster Chan's senior disciples, Sifu Ken Chun and Sifu Tito Pedruco, organized and officiated at the event. Sifu Hayato "Yodi" Nin served as choreographer/fight coordinator for the demonstrations that evening. In addition, these Sifu, among many others, personally demonstrated their Wing Chun prowess in several demonstrations. Most of the U.S. Wing Chun Kung Fu Academy Chapters were proudly represented at the demonstration: Sifu Kevin Shea (City College of San Francisco Wing Chun Club), Sifu Ken Chun (San Francisco, California), Sifu Bert Rodriguez (Santa Rosa, California), Sifu Ralph Pinkerton (Marin County, California), Sifu Cisco Spano (Los Angeles, California), Sifu Gino Bennetti (San Ramon, California), Sifu Gint Atkinson (Seattle, Washington), and Sifu Juergen Reiske (Germany).

The event was attended by some of San Francisco's renowned kung fu instructors - Sifu Bill Chin (Tai Chi), Sifu Ron Dong (White Crane), Sifu Ron Guardino (Great Wall), and Sifu Stanley Chan (Grandmaster Chan's older brother, a master of Wing Chun kung fu who also learned under Great Grandmaster Yip Man).

Grandmaster Chan's students demonstrated the entire Wing Chun system to a "standing room only" crowd of enthusiastic and excited spectators. The lucky audience was able to view first hand ALL empty-hand, weapon, and wooden dummy forms; the Wing Chun "Chi Sao" combat drills; fighting combinations; live "Chi Sao" competitions; and battles using the Baht Jaam Do (Eight Chop Knives), also known as the Wing Chun short broadswords.

In addition, Sifu Mara Okita presented a unique interpretation of the traditional Chinese Lion Dance (known as the "7 Emotions") incorporating Wing Chun techniques. Sifu Okita's adept mastery of an art traditionally dominated by men illustrated how Wing Chun can provide power and agility to women as well. Other special demonstrations featured all-women and all-children participants.

Sifu Kevin Shea presided over a special tribute and demonstration for the late Sifus Al Leon and Bill Paul. Sifu Paul was Grandmaster Chan's first U.S. student in 1960 and a former U.S. Olympic Judo Team silver medallist. Sifu Leon was also an early student of Grandmaster Chan in the early 1960's, and already a 2nd degree Karate black belt when he started his training in Wing Chun.

The evening concluded with a personal demonstration by Grandmaster Chan of astounding techniques, many never seen before in the history of Wing Chun. They included the "Teet Bo Saam" ("Iron Shirt") technique, for which Grandmaster Chan allowed three of his largest and strongest students to strike him with full force to the body. Two of the students were full-contact super heavyweight champions. All three students provided a total combined weight of almost 900 pounds! Grandmaster Chan demonstrated his ability to recoil their powerful strikes by utilizing his Wing Chun "Iron Shirt" internal power techniques. The amazed audience then witnessed his unparalleled command of the "Sup Yee Gum Chai (12 golden combinations) Chi Sao" techniques, wooden dummy techniques, as well as his presentation of the secret Wing Chun "Dim Mak" ("Death Touch") pressure-point system and its application.

Many accolades were received from the audience after the exhibition. They ranged from compliments on the smooth flow of the entire presentation, to congratulations on the impressive demonstrations by Grandmaster Chan and his many students. The following, one of many congratulatory email testimonials received by Sifu Ken Chun after the exhibition, sums up the energy level felt by all in attendance that evening.

--- Alex B. <apb@pacbell.net> wrote:

Ken,

Every day millions of people make the time to practice, learn, and grow within their respective disciplines, be it Martial Arts, Yoga, Athletics, or Dance. We are fortunate to be living in an age when practitioners can share their knowledge and experiences around the world. We are fortunate to be living at a time when, amongst the charlatans and exploiters, there are REAL instructors dedicated to their art.

The July 21st dinner was one of the most professional Martial Arts demonstrations I've had the privilege of attending. Furthermore, considering the secretive history of Chinese Martial Arts and Wing Chun in particular, I believe it was one of the most thorough public demonstrations of the entire Wing Chun system in the entire 200+ year history of the Art. The students are the real testament of Grandmaster Chris' legacy.

Congratulations to you and every member of the U.S. Wing Chun Kung Fu Academy.

Feel free to pass this along.

Alex B.

Grandmaster Chan has kept a low profile for most of his martial arts life. This is the first time he has publicly demonstrated since his 1968 performances in Los Angeles and San Francisco, where he was Chief Director of the first Chinese National Kung Fu Association. Both kung fu exhibitions were attended by his longtime friend and training partner, the late Wing Chun kung fu celebrity Bruce Lee.

In the early 1960's, Chris Chan and Bruce Lee were the first to introduce and teach Wing Chun to the American public. Chris was teaching in San Francisco, California while Bruce was teaching in Seattle, Washington. It was during a time when the Chinese martial arts was a closely kept secret and taught only to select individuals of Chinese descent. Chris and Bruce were the first instructors to break this barrier by teaching non-Chinese students. Grandmaster Chan continues to teach his unique brand of high-energy and rigorous "old school" training in San Francisco to this very day. Thousands of students around the world have had the privilege of learning from him for over 40 years.

Both Chris Chan and Bruce Lee are credited with introducing the martial art technique of "dyun ging" (short distance power) to the American public. Bruce often traveled from Seattle to San Francisco to train and practice Wing Chun with Chris. It was during one of their many late night marathon training sessions that they coined the phrase "one-inch power," to help their American students better understand the concept of Wing Chun internal power development.

The concept of internal power development was discussed in detail at the special Wing Chun seminar Grandmaster Chan led the day after the exhibition. It was packed with so much knowledge about Wing Chun techniques and applications, that it would take at least six months for anyone to fully digest all the material that was covered. Grandmaster Chan captivated the attention of all attendees with his charisma, high energy level, and deep knowledge of the Wing Chun system. It was also fascinating to hear Grandmaster Chan's personal anecdotes about Yip Man and Bruce Lee.

The seminar attendees felt very fortunate to receive many valuable insights on Wing Chun from Grandmaster Chan. They were extremely satisfied with the amount and depth of information that was disseminated. It was a special and unique opportunity not only to learn from a great Wing Chun master, but also to be in the presence of a living legend ... Grandmaster Chris Chan.

Written by: Joe Vaughan, Sifu Tito Pedruco, Sifu Ken Chun 

Submitted to Inside Kung Fu Magazine

	U.S. Wing Chun Kung Fu Academy
	1949 Lawton Street
	San Francisco, CA 94122
	Email: tpedruco@yahoo.com
	Sifu Tito Pedruco, Instructor