Grandmaster Hsieh Peng

6^th Generation Master of Wu Mei Pai

In 1913, an orphan boy of thirteen called Hsieh Peng saved a monk's life, and in return the monk offered to bring the boy to his temple in order to study kung fu. The boy loved martial arts and anxiously agreed to accompany the monk to his temple if he could learn the famous Shaolin Temple martial arts. After passing an arduous entrance test Peng gained entry to the temple and trained there under the abbot, 5^th generation Wu Mei Master Hoi Saan, until he became an adult, learning a different specialty from each monk.

When he left the temple, Grandmaster Peng was anxious to test his martial skill. He entered every martial arts tournament he could find, traveling throughout China. He could find no one his equal, and he passed from province to province challenging and defeating local champions. In 1945 he retired from competition, undefeated. Later Grandmaster Peng moved to Hong Kong, where he only accepted kung fu masters as students. His encyclopedic knowledge of Chinese martial arts was well known, and his business card at the time read, "I fix broken kung fu".

During the Chinese Nationalist period Grandmaster Peng moved to Taiwan and gained prominence in the Chinese Nationalist Party. He was Dr. Sun Yat Sen’s family physician and was entrusted as one of General Chiang Kai Shek's personal bodyguards. He was also one of the senior martial arts instructors of the Taiwanese army.

Grandmaster Peng was renowned for his mastery of many other arts. As a boy he used his photographic memory skills to memorize dozens of books, and his teacher used to allow him to teach his class. Later he worked as a traditional doctor's apprentice and once corrected one of his master's prescriptions. The doctor recognized the boy's prodigal skills and taught him his medicinal arts. As an adult Grandmaster Peng was also honored as a masterful calligrapher, Feng Shui master, scholar, and traditional brush painting artist specializing in the plum blossom.

Wu Mei Pai is a martial art that was nearly driven to extinction. The closing of temples and public execution of monks and nuns during the Cultural Revolution virtually wiped out all the practitioners of this art, except Grandmaster Peng, who had left the temple decades earlier. Grandmaster Peng's arrival to New York in 1973 to seek disciples to continue this line has brought this rare and powerful martial art back from the brink of extinction.

In 1976, Grandmaster Peng brought his son, Han Ting Peng to New York from Taiwan. Han Ting also trained in Wu Mei Pai, displaying exceptional aptitude. In 1983 he and Sifu Ken Lo became fully authorized instructors of Wu Mei Pai. Sifu Han Ting Peng took over his father's class while Sifu Lo headed his own class. In 1985 Grandmaster Peng retired from active teaching. He passed away in November of 1988.