About Us

Club history

The Singapore Nia Kwang Pugilistic Association Germany e.V., also known as Nia Kwang Ying Yong Tang, is a registered association for the promotion of Chinese culture and martial arts in the traditional Zhou Jia Quan Kung Fu style. The headquarters of this association is in Siegen. The origin goes back to Singapore.

Master Lim Chin Kim from Singapore, a disciple of Grandmaster Mai Zhi, opened his first Kung Fu school in 1961, which was named Singapore Nia Kwang Pugilistic Association in 1964. The very disciplined and hard training was always led by Master Lim Chin Kim himself. Soon the high quality of the Kung Fu training of this school became generally known and parents sent their children to this school of their own accord. Lion and dragon dance sections soon followed and medical care for the students was also provided. With his tireless efforts and strong personality, Master Lim Chin Kim succeeded in making the association one of the best known in Singapore.

In 1974, Master Seet Chor Thong was sent to Germany by the government of his home country, Singapore, to receive technical training.

Even as a boy, Master Seet Chor Thong was fascinated by Chinese Kung Fu and studied the traditional martial art under various Kung Fu masters. During his school years, he made his first contact with Budo sports and learned Judo. Together with his cousin, he regularly practised Yang style Taiji Quan. Among other things, he learned the Khong Chang system under Master Tan Seng Lee. Three years later he was introduced to the Tang Lang Kung Fu teacher, Master Wong Kok Keong and learned Shangdong Tang Lang Kung Fu from him. In 1975 he began to learn Zhou Jia Quan Kung Fu from Timothy Tay and later under the guidance and supervision of Master Lim Chin Kim.

During his training period in Germany, Master Seet Chor Thong taught some students in a martial arts school in Hagen the Chinese martial art of his master Lim Chin Kim. At that time, traditional Kung Fu was still completely unknown in Germany and Master Seet Chor Thong was one of the first to teach this martial art in Germany.
The number of his students increased rapidly and as early as 1975 a group was also opened in Cologne. In 1977, after completing his professional training, Master Seet Chor Thong returned to Singapore and one of his first students, Master Frank Greinacher, led the training in Germany.
In 1980, Master Seet Chor Thong returned to Germany. As Zhou Jia Quan Kung Fu became more and more popular in Germany (since 1980 there was a school in Siegen and since 1981 in Dillenburg and Wetzlar) and Master Seet Chor Thong decided to stay in Germany, he opened the first official Nia Kwang school in Gevelsberg in 1982 together with Master Yeo Lian Hock and Master Heng Keng Huat from Singapore (both also students of Master Lim Chin Kim) and Master Frank Greinacher. Further schools were founded in Witten and Siegen in 1983, in Hasslinghausen in 1985 and in Bonn in 1992.

The Singapore Nia Kwang Pugilistic Association Germany e.V. was officially founded in Siegen in 1983 with Master Seet Chor Thong as head instructor. With the blessing of his master, Master Lim Chin Kim, the Siegen Kung Fu School has been allowed to bear the additional, honourable designation Nia Kwang Ying Yong Tang, which means Hall of Courageous Heroes, since 1990. Also since 1990, Master Lim Chin Kim frequently travels to Germany to visit and train his students. In return, regular training trips are organised for the German students to Singapore to train with Master Lim Chin Kim in the Singapore Nia Kwang Pugilistic Association.

Since 1990, the Singapore Nia Kwang Pugilistic Association Germany e.V. in Siegen has also been teaching the traditional, southern lion dance in the Heshan style. The Siegen Kung Fu School is one of the first to practise this art in Germany and has been very successful at many national and international tournaments.
In 1996, the Taiji Quan department was founded, in which the authentic Yang style is taught. Since 2005 there has also been a department for traditional dragon dance.

Association Board

Master Seet Chor Thong

1st Chairman

Sebastian Bäumer

Vice Chairman

Prof. Dr. Andreas Frohn

Managing Director

Iris Seet

Treasurer

Master Yu Tuck Seng

Technical Adviser

Dr. Wassilij Tscherleniak

Club doctor

Trainer

Master Seet Chor Thong

Founder & Advisor

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Master Choo Chuan Chew

Businessman

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Torsten Wildemann

CAD/PDM-Admin

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Dennis Seet

Career Counsellor

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Julia Schander

Master of Science

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Training Hours

Notice: There is no training during school holidays and public holidays in North Rhine-Westphalia.

Trial Training

For one week, it is possible to try out the respective training sessions free of charge and without obligation. You can find the corresponding training times here.

For a trial training session, you should bring comfortable sports clothing and light indoor gym shoes.

We look forward to your visit, young or old, everyone is welcome!

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Membership Fees

Memories

In Remembrance of Master Zhou Jin Bo

Zhou Jin Bo born in 1925, was brought up in Ma Yuan village, Xinhui city in Guangdong province. He lost his father while he was six years old. Two years later, he followed his mother to Jiangmen city. Here he learnt that a famous teacher, named Zhou Biao was operating a martial art school, the Zhou School Ren Yi Tang No. 9 branch. His love for martial art brought him to the school every evening to watch the others practice and to try to imitate their movements.
His actions didn’t remain unnoticed. Master Zhou Biao realized Zhou Jin Bo’s love for martial art and proposed to Zu Hua and Li Niu to accept Zhou Jin Bo as a student of the Zhou school. Just at the age of ten, he now formally became a disciple of Zhou Biao.

In 1939, due to poverty, Zhou Jin Bo together with his mother, was forced to leave Jiangmen city for Hong Kong. Five years later, they returned to Jiangmen city. Through a senior member of the Zhou school, he was recommended an apprentice job at a goldsmith shop. Coincidentally the owner was a council member of the Zhou school and from there onwards he could resume training under the shopkeeper’s tutorship.

1946 Zhou Biao arranged for Zhou Jin Bo to Xinhui county to set up schools in both the Jing Gen and the Heng Shang villages and to teach there.

1947 Zhou Biao again arranged for Zhou Jin Bo to Nanhai Jiujiang to re-open a Zhou school (the school was then named: Zhou Guan Ren Yi Tang – Jiujiang Ying Yong Tang). Fu Chao Guang was appointed to teach in Jiujiang until the liberation in 1949.
During those uncertain periods, Zhou Jin Bo went through many hardships struggling with different jobs to support the family.

1971 Zhou Jin Bo was posted to work in a distillery in Jiujiang. As work wasn’t too stressful in the day, the evening would be spent teaching martial art at a nearby field. The students returned and training resumed under Zhou Jin Bo. Later as the field was no more available for training, the group moved to Zhou Jin Bo’s home garden to continue their engagements.

In April 1997, upon the invitation of Master Chan Man Cheung (Chen Wan Xiang), a delegation from the Singapore Nia Kwang Pugilistic Association led by Master Lim Chin Kim travelled to Hong Kong. During our stay in Hong Kong, Master Chan contacted Master Zhou Jin Bo in Jiujiang and an arrangement was made for the Singapore delegation to visit Master Zhou at his homeplace.

Arriving in Jiujiang, we were greeted with warm cordiality by the Jiujiang Shang Dong Amateur Physical Association. An exchange on martial art knowledge and the observation of the activities in Asia and in Europe dominated the main conversations. Master Zhou took the opportunity to introduce us the martial art that he practiced and also taught us in Zhou Jia Lion Dance.
Together with his students and other members of the school, Master Zhou spared no expense to make our stay in Jiujiang a memorable one. The hospitality extended to us was so fascinating that another trip to Jiujiang to visit Master Zhou was thereupon decided.

The second trip to Jiujiang took place in February 1998. A group of five persons from the Singapore Nia Kwang Pugilistic Association Germany visited the Jiujiang Ying Yong Tang Zhou Guan School. This time round, Master Zhou, impressed by the enthusiasm of the German students, devotedly impart some Zhou Jia martial arts to them. We stayed in Jiujiang for a couple of days and Master Zhou taught us several hand forms and explained the applications of the different techniques of the Zhou Jia martial art.
During our stay in Jiujiang we were given the chance to learn to know Master Zhou better. His kindness and unbiased manner showed us what makes a person great. His generosity and selflessness impressed us most.
The friendship between the two schools has since deepened. An invitation to visit Germany extended to Master Zhou and his followers was promptly accepted.

May 25th, 2000 was an exciting day for us as we welcomed Master Zhou and his delegation at Frankfurt Airport. Accompanying him on this trip were his family members, as well as the town mayor of Jiujiang.
Though the journey from Guangdong to Europe was long and tiring, Master Zhou did not take too much time off to rest and commenced lessons to his German students to pursue the studies of the Zhou Jia martial art.

The stay in Germany was not mainly confined to martial art training. Home visits and a tour of Europe were integral part of the trip. Here we had much time to learn more about each other.
I recall one amusing incident when the troupe was touring Italy with a student from Siegen. Due to language barrier, ordering meals in an Italian restaurant wasn’t easy then. But this didn’t hampered his son, Zhou Bo Rong from calling me up to help order the meals in Italy through the phone.

Master Zhou and his delegation left Europe on June 11, 2000 and the farewell at the airport saw many wet eyes. The person left, but the spirit of the martial art remains. Most of all, the impressions of such a wonderful person.

Master Zhou Jin Bo passed away peacefully on Dec 08, 2001. The legacy he left behind is one of invaluable significance to the martial art world.
To date, the school still exists under the name of Jiujiang Shang Dong Amateur Physical Association.

Author: Seet Chor Thong

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