In the late 1960Â’s three brothers immigrated to the United States from China. Settling in the Bay Area they brought with them a rare form of Martial Arts. It was popularly known as White Crane, or Tibetan White Crane to be exact. In 1970 Keun Leung, Quon Leung, Allen Leung, also known collectively as Liang-shih san-chieh opened a school in Oakland California Being one of a few White Crane School around the world that could trace direct lineage to Wong Lam Hoi and Chu Chi Yiu. The school have attracted a lot of inquiry. There have been many who passed trough the doors, and many who passed back out the door. This style of Chinese martial arts demands a lot from the practitioners, and many do not realize the amount of work involved in perfecting the form. From the early days in Oakland, to itÂ’s current home in San FranciscoÂ’s Chinatown. The school has since graduated several generations of White Crane pupils. Many former students have their children in the school today.

FORM AND STYLE

Circa 1420s somewhere in northern territory of then Ming China, a boy named Adatuo was born to a migrating tribe that lived up and down the frontier. The boy like most men in the tribe receives instruction in Martial Arts. In his teenage years, Adatuo decided to become a hermit, and retreated up in the mountains. Seeking a tranquil place of meditation, he found a cave to which he could follow the dharma. During one of his meditation a commotion distracted him.

A fight between an ape and a crane. Inspired, Ä€dátuó devised a style that incorporated both the ape's powerful swinging motions and the crane's evasiveness and precision strikes to vulnerable points.

The true origin of White Crane (Lions Roar, Lama Pai, Hop Gar) cannot be determined in any absolute certainty. The popular story of the crane and the ape might just be allegories that have been passed down as oral history. Nevertheless what is certain is the form itself, which has a distinct Northern style of fighting. Today much of the modern form of White Crane owes its style to the influences of Southern Guandong Style Boxing. Yet it cannot be mistaken for the Fujian Style of White Crane, which owes its origin from the original Shiolin. Guangdong in the 1640s to the 1900s can be considered the renaissance of Chinese Martial Arts. Especially around Canton, of which the Ten Tigers lay claim as home. One of these Tigers is Wang Yan-Lam who is credited for much of the structure of White Crane. Another tiger of note is Wong Kei-Ying master of Hung Kuen, who legendary son Wong Fei-Hung is still revered to this day. The Ten Tiger of Canton individually had a distinctive style and form. Yet they all shared traits of which has been passed on to us today. . White Crane today is evolving; many practitioners often make what is given to them their own. This is true for the three brothers as well, as they received their original instruction from Master K'uang Pên-fu. Later on they further their education when they sought out the great exponent of the Lion Dance in Hong Kong, the White Crane Style Master, Lu Chih-fu studying under his tutelage for years.

Today Leung White Crane thrives as one of the oldest, and largest Martial Arts school in California. The schools specialty has expanded to the sport of Lion Dancing. Being one of the first to compete internationally in the early 1990s. We are proud to be one of the proponents of this Art and Sport. Our Liondacing history is as extensive as the school it self. It was customary rituals perform as frequently as Martial exhibitions. Yet it was not until the late 1980’s that we began to emulate our brother school Lu Chih-fu and experiment with our own tricks. Which eventually formed a new distinct branch within the school. We have represented the USA internationally for more than a decade, and will again for years to come.