Master Lacey's response to the Choy Lay Fut Controversy

CHAPTER 1

In response to comments made on his previous text (updated 2nd April), certain individuals have exchanged e-mails to express their views. Master Lacey does not care about checking other peoples e-mails or sending e-mails and have for the last 2-3 years urged a couple of his students who are ardent e-mail junkies to refrain from this form of communication with other Choy Lay Fut practitioners as he is well aware that it serves no purpose other than cause petty or bitter arguments amongst fellow brothers of the Choy Lay Fut fraternity - thus further heightening the rift between those loyal to the Chan Heung and Cheung Hung Sing legacies. Because it was brought to his attention that Choy Lay Fut practitioners have been using the internet to exchange e-mail correspondence to hurl insults, accusations and sarcastic remarks at each other, Master Lacey felt compelled to speak out and explain WHY and WHAT caused this unfortunate conflict between Choy Lay Fut's two major sects in the first place.

Unknown to most Choy Lay Fut members (especially those of the later generation) living in the western world, arguments on every aspect of Choy Lay Fut's history between Choy Lay Fut's two factions has been going on since the early 1970's and that's why the Choy Lay Fut schools of the various branches formed the Choi Lee Fut Kung Fu International Union Ltd. for the purpose of preserving Choy Lay Fut martial arts (as explained in the paragraphs titled "The Choi Lee Fut Kung Fu International Union" and "Pride and Prejudice")

HONG KONG'S CHOY LAY FUT ASSOCIATIONS

It is not as some narrow-minded people think -an organization formed by the Hung Sing and Buck Sing branches!! If it was, then it would have been named "The Hung Sing Buck Sing Choy Lay Fut International Union Ltd"! Other Choy Lay Fut associations formed in Hong Kong, like the "Association in Memory of Chan Heung, the "Buck Sing Choy Lay Fut" (spelled Pak Sing Choi Lee Fut) Association Ltd., the "Association In Memory of Tarm Sarm" (founded by Tarm Sarm's son Tarm Fei Pang) and other Choy Lay Fut associations, are separate from the main international Choy Lay Fut organization under the name "Choi Lee Fut Kung Fu International Union Ltd." This Choy Lay Fut Union embodies members from the Chan Family (Chan Heung) Hung Sing (Cheung Hung Sing) and Buck Sing (Tarm Sarm) branches with the authority to act as an arbitrary commission to deal fairly with complaints, allegations and disputes over controversial issues.

THE "ANTI-HUNG SING CHOY LAY FUT" ACTIVISTS

For decades the Chan Family branch has always been the instigator in these disputes, inside and outside the Choy Lay Fut martial arts forum. They defiantly argued on EVERY ASPECT on Choy Lay Fut's history as they thought they had all the right answers and the evidence to support their claims and therefore were confident of winning their case. Some 5th generation master of the Choy Lay Fut Chan Family (whose name I will not disclose for I don't wish anyone to lose face) even journeyed to Quangzhou to try to reverse the history of the original Futsan Hung Sing Gwoon (the first one) school founded by Cheung Hung Sing in 1839 so as to link the school to the history of HIS Martial Arts Lineage! He quickly retracted his comments and had to shut up when he lacked credibility in his story and found himself unable to support his outrageous claims. Now, do you really think this Choy Lay Fut master is going to return home and tell his students and supporters - that he got "whipped" and lost face or is he going to conceal the truth by keeping quiet about it, telling a lie or a different story to cover up his own embarrassment?!

Is it any wonder that because of this cycle of fallacious and distorted information, deception and cover-ups, many in the global Choy Lay Fut fraternity were "kept in the dark" and this has led to false perception in the minds and thoughts of faithful followers of Choy Lay Fut - thus leaving many poor misguided souls disorientated and disillusioned!? And because one side was obsessed with publishing their version on the history of their martial arts heritage (through their lineage) to the world they expected everyone to accept it as the "gospel truth". In other words - ONLY their "Family History" version bears TRUTH - any version contrary to that is condemned FICTION!

In a recent e-mail sent by an individual named "Yau Sam", he is quoted as saying, "as you well know beliefs die hard. If enough people believe in something it will eventually become a fact". Well Mr. "Yau Sam (wow, is that your real name?!), you have hit it right on the button! I was just about ready to say the very same thing! Itıs obvious that you're one of the many who have been "kept in the dark" so I can understand why youıre so naïve, for like so many others, you know only the version (the one published in English magazine articles and books) on the history of Choy Lay Fut propagated by those of the Chan Family Choy Lay Fut branch whose martial arts heritage and lineage is linked DIRECTLY to the Chan Family clan village of King Mui where Chan Heung taught martial arts to his fellow clansmen (those of the Chan Family name). No doubt you are from the Chan Family Choy Lay Fut branch and now that you suddenly find yourself disillusioned by my recent revelations, you have become desperate and e-mailing your Choy Lay Fut clan members in Australia to scramble and do "some hard historical research and uncover more facts and evidence so that the rest of us can verify it's authenticity for yourselves" (unquote). Well Mr. Yau Sam, it won't make any difference what "new evidence" you uncover in your efforts to discredit Cheung Hung Sing and the monk "Ching Cho" (whom your people claim is a fictitious person). Nothing is as "nonsense' or "unbelievable" if one uses his common sense instead of his own biased opinion based on "Family Historical Records".

In disclaiming the history of Cheung Hung Sing and the Futsan Hung Sing Gwoon schools, a generation of faithful supporters of the Chan Family branch made sure to propagate the legacy of Chan Heung through English publications on his biography, showing family photos of the Chan Koon Pak and Chan Yiu Chi era etc. When a Choy Lay Fut master (and direct descendant of Chan Heung) published his story on Choy Lay Fut in a western martial arts magazine, he asked for others in the global Choy Lay Fut fraternity to rally to his call to support his family martial arts heritage. He accused Choy Lay Fut's worldwide Cheung Hung Sing branches of fabricating and distorting the history of Choy Lay Fut.


CHAPTER 2