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By Victoria Yan Yun
TORONTO, Ontario — Vibrant lion dances and thunderous drums filled the streets of Chinatown on September 5 as the Hong Luck Kung Fu Club celebrated its 65th anniversary, drawing crowds before more than 400 guests gathered for an evening banquet at Dim Sum King.
Founded in 1961, Hong Luck has grown into one of Toronto’s oldest Chinese martial arts institutions, introducing more than 8,000 students from diverse backgrounds to traditional styles including Luohan boxing, Choy Lit Fut, Hop Gar and Hung Gar, as well as Choy Gar Staff and other traditional weapons techniques.
Master Li Jinghui, head of the Hong Luck Kung Fu Club, reflected on the club’s more than six decades of history, paying tribute to Grandmaster Paul Chan and generations of members, who helped build and sustain the organization. He reaffirmed Hong Luck’s commitment to preserving Chinese martial arts, promoting physical fitness and self-defence, strengthening community ties and fostering friendship between Canada and China.
Guests included Member of Parliament Michael Ma and Cheng Hongbo, Deputy Consul General of China in Toronto. Cheng praised the club’s longstanding dedication to Chinese martial arts and culture, community engagement and disaster-relief efforts, noting its contribution to greater understanding and friendship between the people of Canada and China.
The evening opened with the beat of drums and a traditional lion dance before Master Li took the stage for a martial arts demonstration. Students followed with displays of traditional boxing and weapons techniques, along with lion dance performances that drew enthusiastic applause.
Music added another note to the celebration, with several guests taking the stage to perform. The evening reached a memorable finale when Master Li and Deputy Consul General Cheng joined together for a Cantonese rendition of the classic song “Friends.”
For more than six decades, Hong Luck has been a familiar presence in Toronto’s Chinese community. Its martial artists and lion dancers have participated in major public celebrations, from the opening of Toronto’s new City Hall in the 1960s and Canada’s centennial celebrations to Chinese community events in Waterloo, Regina and Guelph. Many of its students have also gone on to establish their own martial arts schools and lion dance groups, carrying Chinese kung fu traditions into new generations and communities across Canada.
