Fist of finance: Hong Kong official John Tsang gives a punchy defence of kung fu traditions

True mastery of the martial arts is fading as people today fail to fully appreciate their principles, the financial secretary said as he recalled his kung fu memories.

In a blog post published yesterday, John Tsang Chun-wah described his recent encounter with the city's leading kung fu figures including Pak Mei kung fu master Li Shek-lin, Tung Kong Chow Ka Preying Mantis Li Tin-loi, Hung Kuen master Lam Chun-fai and his disciple Hing Chao, who founded the International Guoshu Association.

The blog was posted prior to next week's opening of the Hong Kong Culture Festival, organised by Chao's charity Earthpulse Foundation.

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Tsang, who studied kung fu at a young age, said historically martial arts were about making a living or even survival, but today they had become a hobby and viewed as fashionable.

"Master Li Tin-loi said, 'in the past, people only asked you which school of kung fu you practised. But today, people ask you how many forms you can perform. It seems the more you know, the better'," Tsang wrote.

He said Rome wasn't built in a day and that despite kung fu's different forms, the basic training was more or less the same.