Nam Yang Kung Fu Retreat's video: Shaolin Hook Spear demonstrated by Hsin Chiang Hua

A nice demonstration of a fairly obscure weapon. The hook spear combines hook - used to catch and pull - with stabbing point. The hook could be used to catch a weapon or piece of armour or just used directly to hook and pull an opponent. In the days of cavalry no doubt it was used to pull horses' reins but by the time that Nam Yang was founded this skill would have been pretty much redundant. This is taken form the old VHS video tape of Nam Yang Pugilistic Association’s 30th anniversary demonstration at the Fuchow building in Singapore in 1984. Grandmaster Tan Soh Tin can be seen in a white suit organising the performers. We appreciate that the quality of the footage is poor but this is the earliest footage that we have of Nam Yang’s kung fu so it is of historical significance. In 1984 Nam Yang had received almost no western influence. Not all of the performers at the demonstration were experts. This is a pretty representative example, though, of Hokkien (Minnan) kung fu as practised in Singapore in the late 20th century and as such is of interest.