By 1864 the rebellion was squashed, however, with the enlisted help of the very foreign powers which caused much of the problem in the first place. Millions of people died during the battles that followed. Those members of the rebellion not killed in battle were marked for execution by the government. For many of these dissidents, the only alternative was to flee the country. Between 1848 and 1900 over 200,000 Chinese immigrated to America from Guangdong province. Some stayed in San Francisco's Chinatown, This is where Grandmaster Hsiang Settled and was a member of the Peking opera for a time and later went back to China, where he passed away in 1925.the second largest community of Chinese outside Hong Kong and China today was in San Francisco . While others joined the gold rush or worked their way east on the railroad. In San Francisco's Chinatown the secret societies took root again. They became the infamous Tong Brothers With these expatriate revolutionaries grew the first western vestiges of classical Chinese martial arts, forming a large part of the philosophical base of many of the secret societies. During the mid-1800's Chinese martial arts were cloaked in secrecy, as they had been in China. Outsiders knew nothing of them. Not until much later were they available for the non-Chinese. When the martial arts did come within grasping range of a non-Chinese, they were viewed as a mysterious, secretive, magical practice used strictly for fighting, because that was the image projected by the secret societies. The lineage of Shaolin martial arts has been continued directly into present day through Grandmaster Han Tai-Hsiang (1853-1925) {5th Generation} and Grandmaster Chuan Lo Li (1880-1970) {6th Generation} and Grandmaster Liang Hsing Ming chuan (1920-1995) {7th Generation} And today by Grandmaster Michael Neal {8th Generation}. Around 520 AD, a Buddhist monk from India named Bodhidharma (Da Mo) came to the Shaolin monastery at the foot of the Songshan Mountains in north-central China. To help the monks withstand the long periods of meditation he introduced from his Chan (Zen) school of Buddhism, Bodhidharma taught the monks special breathing techniques and exercises to develop both their inner strength and their ability to defend themselves in the remote and often dangerous mountainous area in which they lived. Bodhidharma himself was said to have sat meditating facing a cave wall near the temple for nine years "listening to the ants scream." Based on these exercises introduced by Bodhidharma, the Shaolin monks gradually developed a sophisticated fighting system known as Shaolin Martial Arts. Two related concepts separate Shaolin arts from most other styles. One is the use of "internal" abilities derived from the meditative based training and the other is how its fighting techniques are largely based on the movements of animals. Related to the Taoist backgrounds of many of the monks at the time, observing nature and living in harmony with the world was an important concept to go hand-in-hand with the Zen Buddhist concepts introduced by Bodhidharma. The combination of internal exercises with philosophies based on the forces at work in the natural world is the basis for the development of Shaolin martial arts. In our Shaolin style, we practice Nei Kung (internal work) (Chinese) {Kung-Fu), training incorporated with the more physical Wei Kung (external work) (Japanese) (Karate), to create a more complete martial artist. We practice a variety of animal based forms and systems such as the Bird, Tiger, and Dragon. Da Mo’s Ie Ching (Bodhidharma), and Physical forms such as San Njie Chien / Three unity “Iron Man” Form, Tie Ku Chang / Iron Bone Palm, Se meng tao lie “The way to break the four doors” (Facing the four doors). Some of our weapons reflect the Japanese Styles such as the Tonfa, Sai, Kamas, and Nunchaku. The Japanese Ranking System and Gi (Uniform or Tunic) were adopted due to the Popular Japanese (Karate) systems, and due to the fact that the Chinese were discriminated against and in order to continue on with the art of Shaolin it had to take on a more Japanese appearance. This was done during the Boxer Rebellion around 1900 by Grandmaster Han Tai-Hsiang. The Kyu Ranks (Below Black Belt & the Dan (Black Belt) Grading System was developed as a means to Grade the Many Levels of Teaching as well as Learning. We pay Respect and Honor to the Rich History of China as well as The Shaolin Arts, which is so vast that no one Person could hope to contain it all.
GRANDMASTER: MICHAEL NEAL HAS BEEN TRAINING FOR OVER 40 YEARS, AND TEACHING FOR MORE THAN 30 YEARS. AND IS THE PRESIDENT OF MADISON MARTIAL ARTS ACADEMY, INC. AND IS THE GRANDMASTER OF THE CHINESE SHAOLIN KUNG-FU (GUNG-FU) SYSTEM. HE IS THE PAST CHAIRMAN OF THE CHINESE MARTIAL ARTS COMMITTEE OF THE A.A.U. FOR THE STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA. HE HAS BEEN ACTIVE IN COMMUNITY EVENTS IN SCHOOLS, AND SEMINARS AND DEMONSTRATIONS IN COLLEGE'S. AND HAS BEEN INVOLVED IN COMMUNITY FUND RAISING EVENTS. HE RECIVED A Ph.D MA (Professor of the Martial Arts) in 2008 from the World Organizer of Martial Arts (WOMA). He is a Member of the International Council for higher Martial Arts Science Education. He is fully accredited from the International Board for Professional Education Teaching Standards, Holds a Shiatsu Master Diploma, and Granted the Title of Sigung from the International Sifu Federation, Received the Title of Doctor of Martial Arts Science & Education from the International Doctors & Professors Of Martial Arts Sciences Educators. He all so has received many Awards. The Madison Martial Arts Academy Teaches this one time secretive art of Chinese Shaolin Kung-Fu / Karate. Grandmaster Neal Began The Madison Martial Arts Academy in 1973 in Richmond {Madison Co} Kentucky in those days the Martial Arts in general was not well known, much less Shaolin Kung-Fu. The only exposure to the Martial Arts was the Green Hornet (Bruce Lee), the Bruce Lee era had just started at this time and he and his Movies did a great deal for the Martial Arts, but still little was known of Him or this Great Fighting Style. It was not unlit the mid 70's with the series of Kung-Fu (David Caradine). That the Martial Arts and the Chinese Shaolin Martial arts came into Light. Now that it had come into the Light every one wanted to learn about it, finding a Teacher (Sifu or Sensei) was hard. People like Chuck Norris, Bill "Super foot" Wallace, Joe Lewis was hard to get, and even they at that time was not well know as the Martial Arts "Boom" had just hit. Grandmaster Neal found his Grandmaster a man that he looked up to as a Young Child and as a Man as he grew older. His Name was Grandmaster Liang Hsing Ming chuan (1920 - 1995), Grandmaster Ming. Grandmaster Neal, quit School to train in the Martial Arts {He later went back and finished his education}. Grandmaster Ming had learned the Shaolin Martial Arts from Grandmaster Chuan Lo Li (1880 - 1970) who at one time was in the Peking Opera. Grandmaster Neal trained in the Shaolin Arts, he never Played sports as Other Children did (Basketball, Football, Baseball) Just the Martial Arts till it and him became "One", becoming one with something was the Driving force of all the teaching that Grandmaster Ming taught, and what Grandmaster Neal Still Teaches Today. Michael W. Neal was born in Richmond, Kentucky in the 1950'S to John B. & Betty Neal Got his Primary Education in Lexington, Kentucky. Grandmaster Neal teaches that to make it in Life and in the Martial Arts one has to be True to their Own Word. Grandmaster Ming Retired in 1993 and Passed the Leadership onto Grandmaster Neal, Giving Him the Rank of 10Th Degree Black Belt and the Title of Grandmaster.
Grandmaster Michael Neal
