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Hung Gar (Hung Ga, Hung Kuen) is the southern branch of Shaolin martial arts, or kung fu. Descended from the lineages of the lost Southern Shaolin Temple, whose existence was long thought to be legendary but was acknowledged by the Chinese government several years ago, Hung Gar traces its lineage to the Hung family tradition in the villages of Southern China. Wong Fei Hung, a Chinese folk hero and historical figure, is widely considered to be the modern 'grandfather' of the style. A multitude of films have been made about the life of Wong Fei Hung, including the Once Upon a Time In China series, starring Jet Li. Due to the unstable and rocky ground conditions in Southern China, Hung Gar's emphasis is on solid, low stances and strong, versatile hand strikes, including the signature tiger's claw. Traditionally, Hung Gar students would train nothing but horse stance for six months, until they could sit in the stance for up to three hours at a time, before being introduced to further techniques. These teaching methods have fallen out of favor, particularly in the West, where modern teachers include a wider variety of beginning instruction in order to capture and keep their students' interest. There are several branches of Hung Gar taught in the world today, as with most other martial arts. Finding a teacher with a strong and acknowledged lineage is key to finding a traditional school teaching true Hung Gar, and not an imitation. The traditional first form of Hung Gar is known as 'Taming the Tiger Fist' or Gung Ji Fok Fu Kuen. [sources: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hung_Ga Sifu John Fillipon, disciple of Grandmaster Kwon Wing Lam] [placeholder for more information to be added as I discover more to share]