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Tai Sing Pap Kar Moon (otherwise shown as Tai Shing Pek Kwar, which translates to monkey axe fist) comprises of principally three styles of kung fu: Monkey Boxing, Axe Fist and Grand Earth style. It combines several elements from various systems, including:
- Tai Sing (Monkey);
- Pap Kar (Axe Fist);
- Huk Fu (Black Tiger);
- Ti Tong (ground fighting);
- Hsing-I;
- Ba Gua; and
- Chen style Tai Chi.
The style's name can be divided into two parts that represent its heritage. The words Tai Sing (Tai Shing) refer to the Sun Wu Kung, the wise monkey character in the Chinese legend of Hsi Yu Chi (Journey to the West). Through history, Tai Sing has become synonymous with Monkey style kung fu. The words Pap Kar (Pek Kwar) is a very popular Northern Chinese kung fu style dating back to the Ming Dynasty (written evidence shows its existence around 1500). Pap means chopping or downward arm or fist, and Kar means swinging or upward arm. Together they have been combined to refer to axe fist.
The external monkey kung fu style traces its heritage back to 1842, being developed by Kau Sze (Kao See). Kau Sze was the chief of an armed escort service and an expert in the Tei Tong kung fu style (a lower body kicking and ground rolling Northern Chinese kung fu style). He was later arrested and sent to prison for eight years after he helped three men to escape from being forced into joining the army, and in the process severely injured several army guards. Legend states that while in prison for accidentally killing a Ch'ing dynasty conscription officer, he studied the hunting and survival movements of a near-by monkey family in an effort to keep physically fit and mentally alert. He studied how they played, their attitudes and fighting habits. His training continued until he was released, later becoming known as the Monkey Master. He combined the learnt monkey techniques with that of his previous Tei Tong style.
Later Kau Sze taught Ken Tak Hoi the Monkey and Tei Tong styles. Ken Tak Hoi combined these with Pap Kar and called the system Tai Sing Pap Kar Moon.
The system is very physically assertive, placing emphasis on movement (smooth, quick, unpredictable and clever), ground rolling and sudden attack. Although monkey styles do vary, Kau Sze categorised them into five major styles, being Drunken Monkey, Lost Monkey, Stone Monkey, Wooden Monkey and Standing Monkey.
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Related information:
- The Official Family Tree of the Tai Shing Pek Kar Moon System - Si-Gung Roger Smart remains the only Master of the system that is non-Chinese. His name is the only English name shown as a closed door student of the keeper of the system, known as the Monkey King.
- Photos of Si-Gung Smart on Grandmaster Chan Sau Chung's Official website - this site shows photographs of Grandmaster Chan Sau Chung's last visit to the School
