Chinese New Year in the City
Art Troupe of the Middle School affiliated to China People's University
Straight from Beijing, China, this group will perform a combination of Chinese folk dances, Chinese Kung Fu and Chinese musical instrument recital with two-stringed Chinese fiddle and koto. This act will light up the stage with diverse colourful costumes! They will perform during the Food and Dance Spectacular and the Chinese New Year celebrations.
Grandmaster Hardy and Pai Lum Kung Fu in Australia
How Pai Lum Kung Fu came to Australia
Pai Lum (literally White Dragon) Kung Fu is a traditional based style of kung fu. It was originated by Pai Po Fong, who combined White Crane and Dragon styles, and moved to Hawaii, where he taught Pai Lum to his grandson, the late Daniel K. Pai, our Grandmaster until his death in 1993.
One of Grandmaster Daniel Pai's senior students, Master Thomas D. St Charles, in turn taught Murray Beatts, who moved to Ireland, where he became the Chief Instructor, and eventually achieved Master rank. The Australian Chief Instructor, Neal Hardy, studied under Master Beatts in Ireland, and returned to Australia to teach here, after attaining Instructor rank. With the retirement of Master Beatts, Grandmaster Thomas St Charles accepted Shr Fu Hardy as a student, and in 2005 made Master Hardy an adopted Grandson, and gave him the Chinese name Pai Lung Tsai Hsia, or Under Dragon. In 2009 Grandmaster St Charles promoted Master Hardy 7th Higher Level, and then in 2011 recognised him as Grandmaster of the Australian Dragons.
Master Hardy’s senior student, Patrick Bellchambers, was made an adopted Grandson by his teacher Grandmaster Hardy, with the name Pai-St Charles-Hardy-Ao Wei Shr (or Guardian Lion). Shr Fu Bellchambers was promoted to 4th Higher Level (Master Rank) in 2009 and is Instructor of Fire Dragon Queanbeyan
About Pai Lum
Pai Lum is a family style. Students are encouraged to treat each other as brothers and sisters, and to take care of each other in class. This means that we do not fight each other in tournaments or bouts - although in training we do everything we can to improve ourselves and each other!
Pai Lum is a long range style, and uses a variety of punching and kicking techniques. This does not mean, however, that we neglect close range blocks and strikes: they are of great importance and use, together with chin na, or grappling techniques. Yes, you as a student will be taught the more spectacular spinning and jumping kicks, but you will need to remember that they are not always the best techniques! If you are not very flexible at the moment, don't worry - your flexibility will improve with training, and while high kicks may look great, the same kick at a lower level is often much more effective.
Guinness World Records TM
Master Hardy and his students have earned several Guinness World Records TM.
These efforts have been a clear extension of their studies of the Way of the White Dragon (Pai Lum Kung Fu). They have involved working as a Family, superb individual and team coordination, and the understanding and use of Chi (Qi).
In 2005, the Master Hardy took several students with him to Fox studios in Sydney, and achieved the fastest time to have 16 concrete blocks broken on the body, with Master Hardy lying under the concrete and Shi Fu Bellchambers wielding the 14 lb sledge hammer. This record was broken by some New Zealander, and then regained by Master Hardy and his Australian Dragons in 2010.
In the meantime, in 2008, Master Hardy and his Dragons earned a different World Record, for the most weight of concrete to be broken on the body while lying on a bed of nails. Again Master Hardy lay on the bed of nails and under the concrete – which weighed 532 kg –while Shi Fu Bellchambers used the sledge hammer.
Now, Grandmaster Hardy will attempt to break his own record, during the Chinese New Year celebrations which will be part of the National Multicultural Festival, fittingly, to welcome in the Year of the Dragon.