Rooted in Chinese culture, Choy Lee Fut branches out far beyond its origin

Mark Whelan's fists cut through the air like thunder. His body moves as one with each punch, his footwork as steady as flowing water.

"Like a tree with a stable foundation, it changes with different seasons," he explains. "It has strong branches with soft branches that flow in the breeze. Sometimes you must use a soft approach. Other times, you must be determined."

Whelan, 60, goes by his Chinese name, Mai Weilong, which translates to "mighty dragon". With blond hair, blue eyes and fluent Cantonese, he stands out in this Choy Lee Fut martial arts school in Sydney's Chinatown. But somehow, he feels right at home.

In one corner of the school stands his master shifu, Chen Yongfa, 75. Hands clasped behind his back, he is as still as an old pine rooted on a cliff's edge.

"Too slow!" Chen's voice cuts through the hall, soft but commanding.

His students, regardless of age, ethnicity or gender, pick up the pace. The room fills with the sound of fists slicing through the air.

Choy Lee Fut is one of southern China's most renowned martial arts styles. It was founded in 1836 by Chen Xiang, a native of Xinhui in Guangdong province, and was inscribed onto China's national intangible cultural heritage list in 2008.

In 1983, Chen Yongfa, Chen Xiang's great-grandson and the fifth-generation inheritor of Choy Lee Fut, arrived in Sydney and opened this school. Over four decades, he has established branches in 28 countries and regions, with disciples around the world.

This year marks the 190th anniversary of Choy Lee Fut's founding. Just like the banyan trees back in Xinhui, the art is deeply rooted in Chinese culture, with its aerial roots maturing into thick trunks and spreading its branches far beyond.

Discipline goes global

Whelan was Chen's very first foreign disciple. As a skinny youth, he had tried boxing and karate, hoping to defend himself against bullies. But it was Choy Lee Fut that provided him with something deeper.

"Choy Lee Fut never encouraged me to be violent, but rather not to be fearful of my surroundings, and always strive for the best," he says.

Choy Lee Fut is a vast system known for its powerful, sweeping movements. It draws from the best of southern and northern Chinese martial arts — the fists of the south, the kicks of the north — giving it a distinctive place within the world of kung fu.

"I found it very physically demanding, which I wanted in terms of my personal health," says Robert Hayes, 36, who has been training for 18 years. "I found it has a lot of practical applications, which are really useful in the real world, such as self-defense."

But what keeps him coming back is the bond he found here.

There are a lot of challenges that come with it, and the way that the school supports each other to be better creates a sense of community.

Chen Yongfa is both a strict master and a caring father figure to the students. Instead of the traditional teaching method — years of basic training before learning forms, he reversed the order when he realized that his Western students needed a different approach: teach them the exciting moves first to spark their passion, then drill them hard on the fundamentals.

And it worked. Over the years, he has attracted an increasingly diverse group of students, including doctors, lawyers, civil servants, and finance professionals. In return, they share Western perspectives and offer advice on running the school.

"Our school stretches back five generations, and throughout those generations, many different things have been added to the curriculum. So many things have been worked on and improved," says Joanna Fogarty, an accountant who has a particular love for weapons training, especially the guandao, a traditional Chinese heavy blade. "It's a dynamic curriculum that is always advancing."

"It is suited to all ages, styles and capabilities. It doesn't matter if you are old, young, tall, or short; you can change this style to the best of your ability," she adds.

Planting the seeds

Chen Xiang began his martial arts journey at the age of 7, training under his uncle, Chen Yuanwu. But when the time came to name the style he would create, he chose not to honor himself. Instead, he honored his teachers — Choy, after monk Choy Fook, who taught him fist techniques; Lee, after Lee Yau San, who taught him kicks; and Fut, meaning Buddha in Cantonese, to commemorate the Shaolin Temple origin of his three mentors.

This act of honoring one's teachers and respecting tradition lies at the very heart of the art.

Every year, Chen Yongfa leads his disciples from around the world on a pilgrimage back to their source — Jingmei village in Xinhui, where Chen Xiang was born and set up his kung fu school. There, they perform traditional ancestral rites, paying respect to the founder and reaffirming the values of humility and gratitude.

Whelan made his first trip back in 1985, becoming the first foreigner to ever visit Jingmei village.

"Shifu always tells us, if you want to learn Chinese kung fu, you must understand Chinese culture. You must know your roots," he says.

What began as a journey for just one student has grown into something much larger. In 2024, some 250 disciples from home and abroad gathered in Jingmei village. They visited the ancestral home of Chen Xiang, offered incense, and bowed before his portrait. Then, under the fluttering flags of their home countries, regions and schools, they took to the training ground, trading forms, testing their skills in friendly combat, and sharing the art that binds them.

For Paul Nomchong, who has made the journey around 20 times, it feels like completing a circle. His paternal ancestors left Xinhui for Australia in 1877. Four generations later, he learned the martial art from the very same soil.

"A lot of other lineages may not last as long as us because of their broken relationships," he says, "That's why we are classified as a family. It doesn't matter what language you speak, where you come from, or what your ethnicity is, we're still part of the Choy Lee Fut family."

"I greatly appreciate how this particular school upholds a lot of Chinese traditions, particularly where the school comes from. For me, that's really important because it gives a sense of roots," says Hayes.

"Where it comes from and what we are trying to maintain comes in a set of principles and values, which are very important to me," he adds.

Nourishing leaves

Jude Davenport, 24, began training at age 5 because his father is a Choy Lee Fut disciple and runs a school.

"My ultimate goal is to carry on the style and make sure that new generations can also learn Choy Lee Fut," he says.

He is not alone. Today, about 30 percent of the students in the adult class and half of the children's class in this Sydney school come from families with Choy Lee Fut ties.

"My shifu is fifth generation. I'm the sixth. The seventh and eighth are here too," Whelan says proudly, gesturing toward the younger students training in the hall. "And the kids practicing over there? That's the ninth generation."

Jude Needham, 12, has been training for five years. "I've become stronger," he says, "I've become more disciplined."

His goal is clear: "To become one of the highest disciples, and I'm willing to give it 100 percent."

"Trees will always grow new branches and new leaves, and those branches grow off of existing branches," reflects Hayes.

"We are branches of Choy Lee Fut in this particular tree, and we need to make sure that the ones that grow off of us are strong, healthy, and will grow their own branches one day."