Chin Woo Athletic Association

Chin Woo Athletic Association is a Chinese martial arts association founded in Shanghai on July 7, 1910, but conflicting sources also cite dates in 1909. It can be found spelled in many ways - Jing Mo, Ching Wu, Jing Wo, etc.



Many sources say that Chin Woo was founded by Huo Yuanjia , the famed challenge fighter who died within months of its establishment. This gives the false impression that only one person founded the entire association when in reality it was founded by a committee of people. Due to Huo Yuanjia's popularity and recent death, the committee had decided that he should be the "face" of Chin Woo, resulting in his strong association with it.

Because Huo was widely admired as a national hero, a series of other masters agreed to teach at the school including Eagle Claw master Chen Zizheng , Seven Star Praying Mantis master Luo Guangyu , Xingyi master Zhao Lianhe , and Wu Jianquan , the founder of Wu style Taijiquan . Master Chao Lianhe, a master of Northern Shaolin Bizong Style became the Chief Instructor after the sudden death of Huo.

One of the first major public martial arts schools in China, Chin Woo was intended to create a more open environment for teaching and learning martial arts as opposed to the secretive training that had been common in the past. By doing so, the founders felt that this would keep alive traditions that secrecy and social change would otherwise doom. The basic curriculum drew from several styles of martial arts, giving practitioners a well-rounded martial background in addition to whatever they wished to specialize in. The Chin Woo Association inspired the ecumenism seen in the Chinese martial arts community during the Republic of China giving rise to such efforts as the National Martial Arts Institutes. Sun Yat Sen , founder of the Republic of China, attended the third annual event held by Chin Woo in 1915, giving a speech of encouragement to the attendees. When Sun Yat Sen attended again at the 10th annual event in 1920, he also wrote for a special Chin Woo newsletter and made a plaque with the engraving "martial spirit"., the Chin Woo Association was allowed to re-open after the Cultural Revolution, and currently has more than 150 branches around the world.

Standard Curriculum

During the early days of Ching Wu in Shanghai, chief instructor, Chao Lianhe developed a curriculum that became the standard Chin Woo sets .

#Twelve Rows of Tan Tui
#Gong Li Quan
#Jie Quan
#Da Zhan Quan
#Ba Gua Dao
#Qun Yang Gun
#Wu Hu Qiang
#Jie Tan Tui
#Tao Quan
#Dan Dao Chuan Qian

Styles taught varied from school to school, depending on the local Masters, i.e. Northern Mantis, Northern Shaolin Lo Han, Mizong, Eagle Claw, Bizong, Mizongyi, etc. The standard curriculum, however, was universally in all Chin Woo Associations.

Fictional portrayals

* , also known as ''Fist of Fury'', a 1972 film starring Bruce Lee, is a fictional account of a Chin Woo student who avenges the murder of Huo Yuanjia at the hands of a rival Japanese school. This film was originally released in the US as ''Chinese Connection''.
* , also known as ''Fist of Legend'', starring Jet Li, is a remake of ''Fist of Fury''.
* , also known as ''Jet Li's Fearless'', starring Jet Li, is a fictionalized version of Huo Yuanjia's biography.
*Donnie Yen starred in the 1995 Hong Kong television series, "Jing Wu Men".