Kung Fu: History, Philosophy and Technique
by David Chow, Richard Spangler, Independently published (November 2022, originally 1980)
Revealed for the first time in English are some of kung-fu’s most outstanding secrets-the reality behind some of the enigmas. From original sources in China; Chow and Spangler describe feats which most Westerners consider impossible; including: how to walk up the side of the wall; how to beat an enemy with the flick of a finger; and the delayed death-producing Red Sand Palm.
About the Author(s)
David Chow is a multi-dimensional man with varied interests. He is a business tycoon, prize-winning photographer. sportscar racer, airplane pilot, sharpshooter, actor and, of course, a martial artist. A man of seemingly inexhaustible energy and resources, Chow attributes his success in both business and sports to a five-finger philosophy which he wholeheartedly embraces: (I) physical fitness, (2) education. (3) pride of profession, (4) monetary and emotional security. and (5) respect for friends and family. He also credits the martial arts and their philosophy for his success. “It develops willpower and the right mental attitude for meeting challenges,” he explains.
Born and raised in Shanghai, where he learned kung-fu from Tung Sung-Yee and judo from a Japanese sensei, Chow came to USA in 1950 as a student. To support himself, he opened judo classes at UCLA and gave private lessons to special police. Once, while he was giving an exhibition at a college basketball game, a TV camera focused on him long enough to arouse the interest of a movie director at Twentieth-Century Fox. Next day, the director called him to the studio and gave him a part in a movie involving martial arts. It was an auspicious debut for the young man from Shanghai.
Since then, Chow has appeared in countless movies and TV shows, both as actor and technical adviser. His more notable appearances include Flower Drum Song, The Ugly American. Bonanza, Hawaiian Eye, I Spy and The Skin Game. Acting, however, is only an avocation for Chow. After earning his bachelor’s degree at UCLA and his master’s at USC in industrial economics, he founded the Intercontinental Marketing and Trade Corporation and went on to make a sizable profit from business. (https://www.martialartsentertainment.com/men-behind-the-kung-fu-tv-series/)
