GRAND MASTER
SU Jin Miao
蘇金淼

 

 

While in South Africa, Grandmaster Su built up a core group of instructors in the Shun Wu Tang system. These instructors are the basis of Shun Wu Tang in South Africa, who are tasked to grow Shun Wu Tang as a major kung fu style. Grandmaster Su was also instrumental in establishing the South African branch of the International Chinese Kuoshu Federation, the South African Chinese Kuoshu Authority.

Grandmaster Su grew up in Taiwan within his family kung fu village. From age of 3 years old, he was taught the family system of ShunWu Tang. In High School, from about the age of 16 to 18, Grandmaster Su studied Western boxing and Northern Shaolin Quan. While studying for his degree in Economics at Tong Wu University in Taipei, Grandmaster Su began studying Yang Tai Chi and many other styles of Chinese martial arts. It was also while at university, that Grandmaster Su began teaching martial arts.

During his compulsory 3 year military service, Grandmaster Su, due to his martial art background, was selected to be part of the President guard in the Military Police. This further complimented his already extensive martial art background where he had to undergo intense Tae Kwon Do training, attaining rank as a 3rd dan, as well as training in military Chin Na, Shuai Jiao, Chen Tai Chi and various other styles of Chinese martial arts.

During the mid 1980’s, Grandmaster Su was tasked by the International Chinese Kuoshu Federation to start a South African branch of the ICKF. Grandmaster Su was resident in South Africa during the latter 1980’s and early 1990’s. During this stay in South Africa, a group of instructors was established under the Shun Wu Tang banner. Under Grandmaster Su’s guidance and under the SA Chinese Kuoshu Authority’s banner, Shun Wu Tang exponents took part and excelled in numerous Kuoshu tournaments both nationally and internationally.

Grandmaster Su is currently working for the Economic arm of the Yunlin County local government, in Touliu, the county seat. Yunlin County is in the mid-West of Taiwan, some 200km south of Taipei.

He has been instrumental in getting Yunlin County to adopt martial arts in all local schools. In the new school year, mid 2002 , 90 local schools adopted martial arts to their curriculum. 85 percent of the schools started teaching traditional kung fu, 10 percent Tae Kwon Do and the remaining 5 percent Tai Chi. Grandmaster Su is currently teaching kung fu, Tai Chi and lion dancing at 82 local schools in the county. The schools cover the full spectrum from primary, junior & high school. The biggest school is a high school with around 1200 students. It must be noted that when it is mentioned that the student body is being taught, it is meant that the full student body is taught. This means that currently around 30 000 students are taught by Grandmaster Su in Taiwan ranging from the age of 5 upwards. in 2002,Grandmaster Su is arranged two National Taiwanese Kuoshu tournaments in his home county. The opening ceremony consisted of a 1000 person demonstration of hand form then of weapon form. The weapon form section consisted of 4 weapons ie straight sword, broadsword, pu dao and spear. This was a co-ordinated set with 250 of each weapon being performed simultaneously.

Grandmaster Su frequently travels to different parts of the world, to conduct research and to teach Traditional Chinese Martial Arts, making sure that the Tradition is not lost. The senior instructors from around the world travel annually to the Kung Fu Village to live and train with Grandmaster Su. This is an ancient tradition that has long been lost in most martial arts today. In a world obsessed with business and money, most martial arts enthusiasts are lured by the flashy frills and thrills that the movies have created, and so are easily conned by good “businessmen” disguised as martial arts “masters”. It is not uncommon for “Westerners” to pay ridiculous amounts of money to meet an old Chinese man in a park in Hong Kong, take a few posed pictures next to him, and then claim that this man is his/her teacher! Indeed, this is sometimes the norm today. Grandmaster Su is NOT one of those imposters.

As is tradition in Martial Arts, it is very important to give your teacher Mian Zi or “face”. Any student should/would be proud of their teachers and as so, lineage plays a vital role in authentic Traditional Chinese Martial Arts. Today, it is extremely easy to gain information about anything thanks to the internet and youtube, and so there are many imposters that claim to teach Traditional Chinese Martial Arts, when in fact they may have learned (or not learned) online or from unqualified individuals, or belong to a governing body or school, with its OWN idea of what authentic Chinese Martial Arts means. Grandmaster Su believes in students going to the source to see and experience the tradition in person. Hence all instructors MUST make the pilgrimage to the Kung Fu Village to break the stigmas and false truths about what Traditional Chinese Martial Arts is.

source : http://shunwutang.co.za/lineage/grandmaster-su/