A Visit from The Grandmaster - Ta Shifu Tonny Kho of the Shaolin Hung Mei Pai Kung Fu Association
By Stuart Hamby
January 11, 2000

The Shaolin Hung Mei Pai Kung Fu Association is a Boulder based, Colorado state non-profit organization whose core mission is the teaching of the history, philosophies, theories, culture and martial aspects of Shaolin Hung Mei Pai, a traditional Chinese martial arts system. In honor of the classic way of structuring such a school, there are no fees for the classes. The Association funds itself exclusively through the proceeds from the performances that it presents. Over the years, the School has been able to purchase all of its required training equipment; over a half dozen Chinese Lions; and its new, 9-man, 75 foot long Dragon - believed to be the only one in the Rocky Mountain region - without having to ask the students for any contributions.

Although learning the martial aspects of the style of Hung Mei is at the core of the School's structure; tradition, history and philosophy are key elements. The organization strives to bridge the gap between Eastern and Western ideals and people by exposing the greater Boulder/Denver community to a multitude of Chinese traditions. Its own student body exemplifies the successful integration of these two cultures.

Year 2000, the Year of the Dragon, has seen a number of successes and significant growth for Colorado's Shaolin Hung Mei Pai Kung Fu Association. The School doubled its student count at its original location at the East Boulder Community Center and added satellite classes at the Colorado Chinese Language School in Littleton and the Rocky Mountain Chinese School in Boulder. What better way to wind down the Year of the Dragon than with a visit from the Grandmaster of their School: Ta Shifu Tonny Kho from New York.

Grandmaster Kho, who first brought the Hung Mei Pai style of Kung Fu, originally from the Shaolin Temple in China, to the United States, spent the weekend of December 9-11, visiting the Colorado branch of his martial arts school. This branch, in existence since 1993, is the largest of his style of Kung Fu in the country.

Friday, December 9^th, saw the largest Shaolin Hung Mei Pai gathering in the United States to date, with over 100 students from all three of the School’s Colorado locations participating in a group workout. For many of the students, this was their first chance to meet the man responsible for keeping the style of Kung Fu they study, alive.

Topping off Friday’s workout was a presentation to Boulder’s local Hung Mei Pai Master, Shifu H. Solow. Grandmaster Kho presented Shifu Solow with a certificate of promotion to 4^th degree black sash – Ta Shifu Kho’s most senior student.

Ta Shifu Kho presided over several workshops throughout the day of Saturday, December 10^th, imparting some of his vast store of martial arts knowledge to the students of Shifu Solow and local assistant Hung Mei Pai Instructors Shifu Rama Kho (Ta Shifu’s son), Shifu James Mascarelli.

The weekend workshops represented the first time Grandmaster Kho has taught the Colorado schools as a whole. They also united disparate elements of the local Chinese community, bringing together members of the Colorado Chinese Language School of Littleton, the Rocky Mountain Chinese School, and Boulder’s Bohua Chinese Language School.

Three special guests accompanied Grandmaster Kho from New York: Shifu Jim Lantier, Gordon Yee, and Carolyn Chin. Each of the guests held specialized workshops of their own before Grandmaster Kho held court.

His focus on Hung Mei Pai history and stories about the School’s ancestors underlines the strict traditional approach of the School. Successive generations of Shaolin Hung Mei Pai students must display their knowledge of, and their respect towards, the School’s roots as part of their test for rank.

In the evening following the workshops, the school held a special dinner in Grandmaster Kho’s honor at the Empress restaurant in Denver. In attendance were Stella Yu, Assistant Director of the Mayor's Office of Art, Culture and Film; John Yee of the Kunming Sister City organization; Tod and Vie Nguyen of AsiaXpress; Hsu Ding-Wen, Principal of the Colorado Chinese Language School; Weiping Zhao, Principal of the Bohua Chinese Language School; and other dignitaries. A highlight of the dinner was a surprise Lion Dance held in Grandmaster Kho’s honor, performed by Kho’s own son and six senior students.

Shaolin Hung Mei Pai will continue their tradition of bringing in the Chinese New Year in Boulder, Denver, and the surrounding areas. They will be presenting Lion Dances and Kung Fu performances for the Chinese Student and Scholar's Association (Saturday, January 20^th at the Glenn Miller Ballroom, CU Boulder, 7:00 P.M.), at the Alameda Square Shopping Center (Saturday, January 20^th, 1:00), Pai Nien in Boulder (Friday evening, January 26^th), the Far East Shopping Center (Saturday, January 27^th, noon), and the Vietnamese Student Association (Saturday, February 3^rd, Glenn Miller Ballroom, CU Boulder, 7:00), among other performances.

Anyone interested in contacting the Shaolin Hung Mei Pai Kung Fu Association are encouraged to contact Shifu Solow at (303) 507-3800 or hsolow@uswest.net. Further information can be found on the School’s website at www.shaolinhungmei.com.