Retain what comes,
send off what goes,
when there is emptiness strike
“This is Wing Chun.”
The words echoed in Justin Dewey’s head as he watched his siheng, his Kung Fu older brother, move nimbly around a larger, slower opponent. The slightly undulating hands, the short quick steps, the square hips and shoulders all reflected the long hours of Wing Chun Kung Fu training.
Their arena was a small patch of asphalt between piles of debris and sawhorses with faded white parking lines under their feet. A 10-feet high chain and wood fence separated them from the busy Van Nuys traffic.
Justin focused on the match intensely with a pinched brow and folded arms.
Beside him, Elvis Chen was another story. Short and thin, twenty-two years old with a huge pompadour of thick, black hair, Elvis cheered like it was a sporting event and clapped his hands so hard that his whole body shook.
“Kick his ass, Rico!” Justin wanted to shoot Elvis a sideways glance, but feared missing the big moment, for he was sure that the match would end in a quick, nearly invisible flurry of punches.
Wing Chun Songs Description:
Since being introduced to America by Bruce Lee, Wing Chun has become the most famous Kung Fu system in the world. For the students of Sifu Lao’s Los Angeles school, it will provide a path for achieving their goals. Justin, a former child star, longs to establish himself as an action hero. Rico dreams of being his own man with his own school. Bud desires to prove himself among the best, and Roni seeks to free herself and her mother from the abuse of a vicious drunk.
Guided by the kuit, the songs of Wing Chun – says that convey the concepts and principles of the system – they will forge their will through beimo, an illegal challenge match held on neutral turf, but it a parking garage, a rooftop, or a city park. In Wing Chun Songs – an elegant, fast-paced debut novel – Sifu Lao teaches his students courage, forgiveness, and self-worth through training and a brutal test of skills and character. “Fighting is a gamble. Maybe you win, maybe you lose,” he tells them. “This is life. This is Wing Chun.”
