h'ang Tung Sheng
travelled throughout much of China, consistently
defeating all challengers. In 1933 Master Ch'ang won the national Kung
Fu match as heavyweight Grand Champion of China. Throughout the
remainder of his life he held the undefeated title in Kung Fu combat.
A traditional Chinese expression enumerates four levels a kung fu practitioner must
pass through to reach the highest expertise.
The first level is tan
(courage), a brave, fearless spirit; second, lit (power), which refers
to the development of strength in muscles, tendons, and sinews. The
third is kung fu (hard work) which means applying the dedication and
perseverance necessary to learn. And finally there is ye (art), the
expression of the very highest level, in which all techniques can be
used effectively and effortlessly, demonstrating complete mastery of a
style.
Few practitioners of any era can be said to have possessed all
four of those qualities sufficiently to earn the title, Grandmaster. Any
teacher who has gone through the arduous training and reached the
highest of these levels is indeed a rare treasure. And without question,
one such martial artist was Ch'ang Tung Sheng, respected throughout the
world as a genuine Grandmaster of shuai-chiao, the art of Chinese
wrestling.
"A Kung Fu man remains strong naturally. Coherence of different arts and
skillful appliance of them is the main point for him while practicing.
Full vigor leads to a successful career and constant discipline is the
only key."
A Rare Treasure
