The Chen Bu Jag Yu Wei was founded in 1930 by a group of
masters among which were the Master Lei Tchoy (Choy Ka
Kiin) and the Master Lei Bu(Hung Ka Kiin) as martial and
sport society in the Havana Chinatown. It’s name means
literally: "Martial arts of the Chinese Community ". Years
later was brought from Canton (Kwong Tong) the Master Wong
Key, recognized as “Master of Masters” and that‚ as has
been said‚ it dominated an infinity of styles and weapons
of the South of China.
As all the Chinese societies of its time, the Jag Yu Wei
only accepted Chinese or its descendants as students. For
this reason the teaching of the Kung Fú that there was
practiced was restricted and it never arrived at least to
the twenty practitioners including those that acted in the
opera that although they received some knowledge of
martial arts, they were not instructed in the true secrets
of the Mou Sot (Wu Shu in Cantonese). This strict
selection system guaranteed for many years the
conservation in its purer state of the multiple styles
that there were practiced‚ and it transformed into legend
those Masters that closed the doors of the school at
nights and practiced the techniques brought from the
distant China.
There are so many stories that have been passed down about
the confrontations between the Masters of the Jag Yu Wei
with gangsters and the challenges with other Masters of
Kung Fú that would make us remember the China of the XIX
century, so full with heroes and legendary duels.
The school was also very famous for its cultural impact in
the Chinatown, example of that was its Dance of the Lion
that had the honor of being the first one exhibited in
Cuba in the year 1930, during the ceremony of foundation
of the own school, and among other special occasions, in
1954 during the only procession of the hero's statue Kwang
Kung for the Havana Chinatown.
The Jag Yu Wei survived until the year 1960. Its Masters
aged, and they began to die, with the danger that it got
lost their inheritance. Already in the 50s the Master Wong
Key had died, in 1986 dies Lei Bu, and lastly Lei Tchoy in
1999.
