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Thank you for supporting the Chin Woo Athletic Association over the past year. Our 2015/16 financial year has started (the 1st of April) and the yearly membership fees are now due. We would very much appreciate your continued support as we promote traditional Chinese martial arts and culture in New Zealand.

The membership fee is still $20 per year, and the membership form can be downloaded from the ‘Download’ section of this website. Please return the completed form and membership fee.

Your membership fee can be paid in the following ways:

• A direct deposit into the Chin Woo bank account. Please use your name as the reference.
• By sending the completed form and a cheque to Chin Woo Athletic Association of New Zealand, PO Box 6971, Wellesley Street, Auckland 1141.
• Finally, you can hand-deliver the membership form and fee. If you’re in Auckland then please give it to Regional Director Mr George Guo at his training venue in Auckland. If you’re in Wellington, then Chairman Peter Yu in Wellington can be found at Martial Arts Supplies, Level 1, 45 Courtenay Place, Wellington.

We thank you for your continued support and look forward to seeing you at Chin Woo events in 2015/16!

The journey was an amazing experience. It was filled with exciting activities that incorporated a lot of history, culture, and philosophy. From the climb up the golden summit of the mystical Wudang Mountain, to Bagua training on the cruise of Yangtze River as we traversed the beautiful gorges, to seeing the traditional lion dance at the school of folk hero Wong Fei Hong, practising Tai Chi and Wing Tsun with our Chin Woo friends in China at their training halls, paying homage to the late Grandmaster Yip Man at his memorial hall in Foshan, and capping it off with a rare exhibition on Bruce Lee in Hong Kong. It’s not often you get a chance to immerse yourself in environments where so many great influences of Chinese martial art are found. It was an experience of a lifetime because I have learned so much on this journey.

Nigel

This was my first trip to China, which is absurd seeing as I’ve been interested in Chinese martial arts for most of my life. So in a way it was like coming to something I felt I knew but had never met.

My first impressions were of a vivid land where the very rules of life differ sharply from those I grew up with; there is a carefree spontaneity, a clockwork-like chaos that seems to work perfectly as it balances on the edges of toppling over. This I found very refreshing.

Our excursions to various Buddhist/Taoist/Confucian temples revealed a richness of faith where clouds of incense honour ancestors and pay homage to timeless truth; an ancient way of life still very much alive.

The trip to Wudang Mountain, the spiritual home of Taoism and Tai Chi, was a personal highlight. An arduous climb up ancient rock-hewn steps brought us to the summit where I was lucky enough to practice chi-sau with my comrades and my Sifu as the mighty Golden Palace loomed behind us. The immense majesty of these mountains can have the effect of making one feel at the same time insignificant and immortal.

Meeting up with other kung fu brethren in Fatsan was a very enriching experience. We shared our kung fu, enjoying the similarities and differences, and deepened our understanding a little bit more. (Also, we took a lot of photos of each other).

This trip will not soon be forgotten. The people we met, the welcomes we received, the places we visited, from sprawling cities to tranquil temples to spectacular mountain tops; all of these will stay in my heart as faces of China.

 Jeremy

I’ve been to Hong Kong a few times in my lifetime and found it a good experience but I never actually got the chance to look further. With the 2014 Kung Fu tour, I did.

We went to many places around China in a large tour bus. We got to stop at cities daily and stayed in good hotels that had been thought out properly. We had many great Tour Guides to show us these different cities. They showed us around different sites as we were in our bus and there was much history behind it all. One of my favourite sites that we went to was the theme park in Shenzhen, Guangzhou where they had miniaturised lots of different iconic sites from around China all to be at one place. They also had shows about various Chinese shows which was very interesting to watch. I remember one show where there was an amazing dancer who could somehow bend her body in many ways you would not believe humanly possible.

I also remember looking at the Dazu Rock Carvings in Chongqing. There were many interesting rock carvings made by one person, but were preserved for many thousands of years. This site really stood out for me and was given “World Heritage Site” status in 1999.

Another fine experience I also found pleasing was conquering the Wudan Mountain. We spent a good part of the day walking up this amazing mountain and looking at the view from the top was pleasing. The view was not only spectacular but my family placed our mark at the top, by getting our very own padlock with our family name to prove we were here!

Another aspect of the journey I also enjoyed was the food and the experience. I didn’t know much Chinese before the journey, only having done a year’s worth of Mandarin at school but being exposed to China itself, forced someone like me to make an effort to give it a go and try to understand. The food was also quite interesting and well planned from our tour guide. We tried different foods each day from the various cities we went to. One of my favourite dishes was the river fish, besides the fact that it had many bones, it was much enjoyable and comparable to the fish at home.

Chris (Age 13)

Going on this journey has made me learn a lot about the history of China, and about the special places and landmarks of this special place. I have also learned about some different styles of kung fu. There were also some great places and times to relax, like on the Yangtze River cruise, and shopping in Hong Kong. I have really enjoyed this great experience.

Jaden (Age 12)

The 4th Chin Woo Kung-Fu Journey since its first inception some twelve years ago in 2002 flew out to China and Hong Kong on Sunday 21/12/2014 once again. The purpose and aims of these journeys are to introduce its participants to the culture and heritage of China through sightseeing, food and visits to fellow traditional Chinese martial arts practitioners and schools for a more in-depth understanding of the philosophies/principles of kung-fu and to cultivate friendship.

This journey will start at Wuhan, the heartland of industrial China, which is also the place where the first shot of the successful 11th uprising against the corrupted Ching dynasty was fired. During this travel period we will be travelling through 3 provinces: Hubei, Sichuan, Guangdong, visiting cities of Wuhan, Yichang, Chongqing, Guangzhou and Hong Kong and townships of Foshan & Shenzhen.

The group will be doing the following:

• Visiting world heritage sites such as the “Yellow Crane Pagoda” made well-known by famous poets through the different dynasties of China, perching high on a hilltop overlooking the Yangtse River.
• Riding in a cable car and then walking up to the “Golden Peak” of the Wudang mountain where legendary swordsmen have competed for the supreme title in a once every decade tournament.
• Observing the panda bears up close in Chongqing Zoo.
• Visiting a theme park that features all the different tribes of China.
• Going to the world famous “Victoria Peak” in Hong Kong.
• Paying homage to the Mecca of the “Wing Tsun” clan – “The Ving Tsun Association of Hong Kong.
• and much more.

Do not despair if you cannot join in this time. The group have promised to keep CWNZ members up to date with articles and photos of their amazing journey from time to time.

RESULTS

The Chin Woo NZ Committee wishes to congratulate all the above winners and would like to encourage and challenge them to do even better next year.

The highlights of the day were the demonstration put on by Sifu Leo Cui and students from the New Zealand Wudang Zhaobao Tai Chi Centre, as well as the various Wushu Forms performed by the members of the triumphant New Zealand Team at the August World Chin Woo Tournament in Shanghai.

Our thanks to all the judges, helpers for their assistance in making this a successful event and special thanks to Lucy Ong for the overseeing of arrangements for this tournament including publicity. To Chris and Daniel Rippon and David Cutler for the transportation of the competition mats. To Jules Longdin-Prisk for the usage of a sound system and last but not least to David Cutler for his generosity in donating the cost of this venue.

For photos please click on this link kindly provided by Joey Guzman: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/r4kxwf7li3ye0gr/AABeWzKsUjnVldzhjMVWnbqKa?dl=0

The 11th Chin Woo New Zealand annual Wushu competition will be held in Auckland at Mt Albert Grammar’s main school hall on Sunday 19th October.

This competition is open to all individuals and clubs that practice the current World Chin Woo recognized empty hand and weaponry forms, as well as the ten standard International Wushu Federation forms under four different age categories. Anyone who is interested to know more on how to participate in this popular annual event may download the application form from this website by going into the “DOWNLOAD” section on top of the home page. All applications must be received by or before midnight Friday 26th September to be eligible.

The competition will commence at 8:30am and will run to approximately 3:30pm on the day. Food and drinks will be available from the kiosk between 10am and 3pm. The event is free to spectators.

Chief Wushu Coach George Guo once again lead the Chin Woo New Zealand competition team to the biennial 13th World Chin Woo Tournament & Cultural Festival, held in Shanghai from 12th to 19th of August. This world event attracted over 190 competitors from 25 teams, representing China, Malaysia, Brazil, Canada, Holland, Hong Kong, Australia, Japan, Switzerland, Germany, USA and New Zealand. Our team of 9 athletes competed in 23 events.

By participating in this World Chin Woo event, not only did our athletes have the opportunity to showcase our Wushu standards to other Chin Woo fraternities, but also to observe how Wushu has been promoted and developed in other countries, and from it gaining a much more in-depth insight into the essence of Chinese Wushu, in turn enriching their experience in life. Furthermore, we are proud of their achievements of a collective medal count of 23 (6 Gold, 9 Silver, 8 Bronze) shared amongst 9 athletes in events including the old and new traditional Chin Woo and International Wushu empty hand and weaponry forms. Especially in 3 separate groups of the two-person routine of “Zhan Ma Dao dui Qiang” (Double handed broadsword vs Spear) which further highlighted the co-operative spirits of our athletes, impressive for all to see in receiving 2 gold and 1 bronze in this event.

On behalf of CWNZ and as president of this association, I would like to praise the high standard and calibre of the judges in the 13th World Chin Woo Tournament, in their recognition of the standard of our athletes with high awards. Also, I would like to solemnly remind our CWNZ athletes not to rest on their laurels, but to continue in their striving for a higher plateau and to practice and train self-effacingly, to be ready for the next challenge in two years’ time.

Lastly, my compliments go to our Chief Wushu Coach, George Guo for his tireless effort and input into shaping a high standard of traditional Wushu in New Zealand in the last 10 years, and supporting CWNZ into the 16th year of establishing in New Zealand. My sincere gratitude to Coach Guo!

Jack Chan
President
September 2014