Today we’d like to introduce you to Winchell Ping Chiu Woo and Christopher Yee.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
Our school started out in Boston Chinatown on Lincoln St on the 3rd floor. It was founded by Grandmaster Winchell Woo with the help of our kung fu uncles and Grandmaster Woo’s students. A lot of help was asked of many people, but with the contribution from everyone and putting their love into the school it helped create a school that felt like your own home. With this momentum the school had over 100 students at one point and was one of the premier martial art schools in Chinatown. The school went to China to learn and participate in an international lion dance championship and won the Silver Medal. The school has done lion dance tournaments all around Massachusetts for community events and always had memorable performances. As time went on, it was time to find new locations for the school. The school has moved to different areas in Chinatown and then created 3 other schools: Tiger Crane in Mansfield MA and Chiu Woo Tai Chi Kung Fu Temple in Holyoke. This is the third school that originally was in Lowell MA and now is in Quincy MA. As we were expanding and leaving old locations for new ones one thing that has kept us together has been the idea of family. We are all united by being part of a kung fu family that is dedicated towards the teaching of Grandmaster Winchell Woo.
Grandmaster Winchell Woo was born in Canton China. He was known for being athletic especially in basketball. He was one of the top players in his school’s basketball team. Grandmaster Woo recalls a story when he met his first kung fu master, one day helped out at a market and they needed someone to help write everything down on a chalkboard. This was a huge chalkboard that spanded the wall of the market. When they asked for someone to help he raised his hand and said he could do it. Skeptical, they gave him the chalk and they started shouting out the orders and he was writing them down the chalkboard. After finishing, the boss came up to him and was impressed but when Winchell gave him back the chalk he looked and noticed he used up the whole box and said “how did you end up using the whole box? The other guy just uses one stick of chalk.” He thought about it and realized that Winchell was able to use the whole box because he wrote harder on the board thus using more chalk. He then told Winchell “you are learning kung fu” and little did Winchell knew was that would be the start of his kung fu journey. That boss was his first kung fu master from a kung fu temple in Southern China. He was one of the best master he had and learned a lot of fighting skills from him. He recalls one moment when his first kung fu master grabbed a brick from a building while they were walking outside after having a good night out. Grandmaster Woo recalls “our kung fu master told us to watch and he went to the wall of a building and grabbed a brick with his bare hand and ripped it out of building. The brick wasn’t even loose! He then laid the hand on the palm of his hand and took two fingers from the other hand, hit the center of the brick and broke the brick in half.” Grandmaster Woo would find another and last great master in his like Great Grandmaster Tan Kwok Wah, who also lived in Boston until in 2011 when he passed away. Grandmaster Woo learned the beauty and power of Hung Gar through him and continues to teach and spread Tan Kwok Wah’s teaching till this day.
Grandmaster Woo got to his high skill level through dedicating his life to kung fu. He exemplifies the phrase when people say “kung fu is a way of life” and for him it really is. He is renowned in the kung fu world for his skill and has received numerous certificates and awards for it. Yet he still remains humble and a kind man just wishing to teach real skills to people who want to learn. Even at the age of almost 80, Grandmaster Woo still practices every day and still does “kung fu homework”. In his house he was a pile of papers and books and they are all notes he has taken over the years. Through all his years practicing kung fu he now says “if you put your heart and time into kung fu, it will surely give back to you.”
If you want to learn more details about Grandmaster Woo and his previous master, please visit our website!
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Opening a kung fu school is not easy, just like kung fu, it is a lot of hard words and is a very traditional style, sometimes it seems that there are people who don’t want to put all the effort into learning kung fu, because the reward is long-term and not so much short term. So for us, we have a long-term goal, but short-term we have hit struggles. I (Christopher Yee) joined the school back in 2008. I have been with Grandmaster Winchell Woo for 10 years, and there have been others that have been with him for much longer. I can still recall when the school was so full it would be hard to find room to do even a push-up. We were one of the largest schools in Chinatown, and you could sense being part of something bigger like being a part of a big family. The school was filled with love and laughter you just felt welcomed and comfortable. To be honest, it was also filled with a ton sweat and was hot during the summer, but the suffering was all worth it because we were suffering together.
Management changed, and other took over. It happens, and sadly the school had improvements but eventually some of those who lead had to pursue their own lives and have their own kids or just spend more time with family. With all this change students started to leave and as time went on it was time to find a new location. Wanting to stay in Chinatown we found a new location but eventually, that place became unavailable, and we no longer had a location in Chinatown. During this time other students were opening up locations in other cities, and for me, well I was asked to come and help at a school in Lowell. It started out great, there were many students and things seemed to be going well. I could only go there once a week on the weekend because I live in Newton, but eventually, students started to dwindle, and the owner had to decide to close the school. The Lowell school did something essential for us though; it brought back together with me and some of my kung fu brothers. They are Kenrick, Evan, Andy and Little Chris (we call him little Chris because there was so many Chris’ at the school at one point we had to differentiate them, and he was the youngest). At this moment I asked them if they wanted to practice kung fu and lion dance. They said yes, so then at that point it started the motivation to open the Quincy school. It wasn’t easy. We had to figure ways to get funding and even put our own money into it. Remember, we were/are all either still in college, just out of college, or in high school. We all worked together to make this dream happen. Finding a place, putting the school together, moving everything in a uhual when it was snowing, wet, and slushy out. There were times we felt discouraged because we were having trouble finding a place and if it was really worth it all. Now that we are here, I know it is.
This help preserve something that is so dear to our hearts. We want to make sure we continue and honor our Sifu teachings and give him a school near Boston so he can teach and spread his wealth of knowledge. We want to make sure the tradition of lion dance doesn’t end with us. We want to make sure that our home, is never lost and forgotten. That our kung fu family always has a home no matter what. So together, we banded together to create this school. This for us, was our last push to make everything work and to bring the school back to its former glory. This school is our blood, sweat and tears.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Hung Gar Kung Fu and Lion Dance Academy – what should we know?
We are martial arts school that teaches Traditional Hung Gar Kung Fu, Lion Dance and 5 Elements Tai Chi. We don’t just teach you forms, but we teach you application and practical skills. We also work on advanced skills such as chi gong and iron palm. What sets us apart is that we are the real deal. We come from a lineage that originates from the Shaolin Temple. Grandmaster Woo has earned his spot and teaches only real kung fu. We are not out there to get people’s money but here to continue and spread our knowledge. Grandmaster Woo is known for his immense kung fu skill, especially his fighting skills. The only way to really believe is to come see him and talk to him and to have him show you some of his skill. Not only do we emphasize our Hung Gar skill, but we also emphasize the idea of family. We try to make everyone feel like they are family and that the door is always open for them if they need us or want to learn more. We care about our students, much of Grandmaster Woo relationship towards his students is like a father to son/daughter. He is loving and nurturing and just wants the best for you. Our lion dance also has been a great binder for our school. In my humble opinion, we have one of the best lion dance teams in Massachusetts. We have young students who are dedicated to lion dance and love doing it. You have to work together as a team and get close to one another because you are always communicating. You can’t lion dance with one person or two you need a whole group of people. This further emphasizes our idea of family, having a real kung fu family. We are always looking out for each other and wanting to better each other.
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
Real Family, Real Friends, Real Memories, Real Fun and Real Kung Fu.
Pricing:
- Adults $100 (monthly)
- Students $80 (monthly)
- Children (Ages 6 to 12) $60 (monthly)
Contact Info:
- Address: 53 Franklin St, Quincy MA 02169
- Website: www.hunggarkungfuliondanceacademy.com
- Phone: 9786561866
- Email: info@hunggarkungfuliondanceacademy.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hung_gar_boston/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hunggarkungfuliondanceacademy/
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