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In 1966,
when Grand Master Liu retired from his post as Chairman of the Civil
Defence Force in The Republic of China, he accepted twelve disciples to
pass down his skills. He named his school Wutan. Most of these disciples,
including my own Master, were already highly-skilled martial artists
before commencing their studies with him. Some had been teaching in their
own right for a long time and consequently brought all their students
with them to WUTAN.
Grand Master Liu Yun Qiao passed his skills down to many
disciples, and many of these masters have spread their knowledge and
skill throughout the world. One of Grand Master Liu's favourite
disciples was Master Wu
Song Fa, who was already a very skilful
and proficient martial artist before he was accepted as a student of
Grand Master Liu. He trained under strict supervision for six hours a day
for many years before Grand Master Liu Yun Qiao finally accredited Master Wu as having mastered
the arts of Wutan.
Students
of Wutan are first taught the systems which were brought into Wutan by
the twelve disciples. The curriculum of Wutan International UK's Branch
was divided into internal and external systems. The internal system
embraces the teaching of :
Tai Chi,
Pa Kua and Hsing-I,
whereas
the external system includes both the Northern and Southern fighting
styles such as:
Wing
Chun, Choi Lei fut,
Praying Mantis, kickboxing(competition Kung
Fu) and 18 weapons systems.
Students
who have a proven record of being well-disciplined and of good character
will be taught the superior system that Grand Master Liu professed. These
restrictions are important and necessary, as the systems passed down by
Grand Master Liu are too dangerous to be in the hands of the
irresponsible. The degree of their efficiency can be measured by the
responsible positions that some of Great Grand Master Li's disciples
held.
The closed-door disciple Grand Master
Liu was appointed as a bodyguard in chief, responsible for protecting the
premier of The Republic Of China, President Chiang Kai Shek, and his successors. The eldest disciple, Fou Tien Kok was appointed as a teacher of martial arts and as
bodyguard to Pu Yi, the last Emperor of China.
Another disciple Li Chian Wu was appointed head martial arts trainer for
Chairman Mao Tsi Tung, the first chairman of
the People's Republic Of China.
Out of
the hundreds of competent fighters in China, these three mortal
enemies chose to appoint three disciples of Great Grand Master Li Su Wen. Each considered that no other martial artists of
the time had the skills necessary to protect their lives.
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