Sports Desk by Cynthia Johnston
In 1960, Chris Chan founded US Wing Chun Kung Fu Academy in San Francisco. It’s still happening here. Earlier, in Hong Kong, he and Bruce Lee trained under Grandmaster Ip Man. In the movie Birth of the Dragon, everybody really was kung fu fighting in 1964 San Francisco, with Bruce Lee causing trouble (and an epic fight) by teaching non-Chinese students.
In movies and real life, kung fu is about protecting family and community. And in every kung fu movie ever, the community is threatened by bullies and bad guys when the hero helps them fight back.
We could use some of that in the Haight right now. Hard drugs and crime have plagued the ‘hood since the ‘sixties. Recent gun violence made it worse. Surely there’s a hero out there willing to train people for free. Twenty years ago two of Grandmaster Chris Chan’s students did that in Golden Gate Park and it changed my world.
Just imagine the whole street with shop owners, residents, street kids, dogs, cops, everybody – sporting tie-die head bands – training together, gathering healing chi as a solid community. Why not? It’s time to wage peace and conquer fear in the Haight.
The hardest part? Remembering that the true purpose of martial art is to AVOID a fight. The best part? The physical and spiritual healing power of chi for the individual and the community.
Check out Cynthia’s badass website: www.mywayisthehighway.com
