The Evolution of the School.
Kam-3_sml


Like many young people who lived in Hong Kong, I was drawn to Kung Fu after watching many Chinese Martial Arts films on TV, one of my earliest recollections was a film called ‘Wong Fei Hung’, starring the late legendary actor Kwan Tak Hing, Wong Fei Hung was a Chinese martial arts folk hero in Canton.

In 1979  I returned to Hong Kong to work.
During my stay, I trained in several Kung Fu Systems.

My first Kung Fu teacher was the late Hung Gar Grandmaster Chan Hon Chung (Chairman of the Hong Kong Chinese Martial Arts Association) .click here for photo’s. Chan Hon Chung was the top disciple of Lam Sai Wing in Hong Kong who in turn was a disciple of Wong Fei Hung in China

The Happy Kung Fu Years.

At that time when I joined the school, Sifu Chan was semi retired from teaching Kung Fu, once he told me, “When he started learning Kung Fu from Lam Sai Wing he realised that he wasn’t the most gifted person but that he trained very hard, what his other Kung Fu brothers did once, he’d do a thousand times” he also told me, “That he didn’t like his students to talk too much, and that normally the clever ones don’t have the patience or willingness to train hard, you on the other hand have the ability so Train Harder if you want to succeed”

To broaden my Martial Arts knowledge I also studied Tai Chi Chuan under the guidance of Master Hui Cheung Yin a student of Tung Yin Kit ( Dong Ying Jie) a Yang Style Tai Chi Chuan specialist.

Later I also studied Chen Style Tai Chi Chuan with Su Jin Li, a not so famous but very knowledgeable teacher from Shanghai who, studied under the late Gu Liu Xin. I was fascinated and impressed by Master Su’s demonstration of
Peng - Jin. (Click here for a description of Peng - Jin)

Of course in historical terms Yang Style Tai Chi Chuan evolved from Chen Style Taijiquan,
we say, ‘The Mother and Son of Tai Chi Chuan’. I therefore longed to embrace the Mother of Taijiquan and as fate would have it, I was soon to have my wish.
Kam-5_sml

The Way Forward

In 1987 I returned to the UK and opened my own small business. A few years went by when one day a customer showed me a copy of ‘Combat’ magazine and asked me did I know Tai Chi? It was then that I became involved with Tai Chi again. Eventually in 1995 the Kam Lau School of Tai Chi Chuan was founded in Merseyside.

Grandmaster Chen Xiao Wang
Chen-Mountain

In 1997, to further deepen my knowledge of Tai Chi Chuan, I seized the opportunity to train with Grandmaster Chen Xiao Wang the 19th generation of Chen family in Chen Jia Gou (Chen Village)Grandmaster Chen Xiao Wang is the 11th generation standard bearer of Chen Style Taijiquan. Since then we have been able to bring Grandmaster Chen Xiao Wang and Chen Style Taijiquan to Merseyside every year. Another level had been reached.

I was invited to travel to China in March 2006 with my fellow Chen brothers from around the world. On the 9th March we were invited to a special ceremony in Chen Jia Gou (the home town of Grandmaster Chen Xiao Wang) where we were made disciples by him.
A great honour and a privilege indeed.

(Top)