Huang Jifu (1934-1995)
by Dan Docherty (Combat 1995)

Terrible news. On the morning of Wednesday, May 3rd, Mr. Huang Jifu, Vice Chairman of the British Council for Chinese Martial Arts, collapsed and died in Malden, Surrey.

Some of you may not have heard of him, he did not seek publicity and yet he probably had the widest and deepest experience of Chinese martial arts and in particular Tai Chi Chuan of anyone in Britain.

I am sure others like Peter Warr who were closer to Jifu and knew him longer will write in, but I'd like to say something too. When I first came across him in 1990 in Taiwan I was caught up in martial arts politics between him and others. Not having talked to him it was easy to believe that he was my enemy as well as the enemy of my allies. That was one side of the story and is now very much water under the bridge.

Over the years I heard many people complain about Jifu, but well-respected people like Dick Watson spoke highly of him. So what was the reality ?

In 1992, I applied to join the BCCMA, guess who was chairman of the assessment panel? Things were cool at first, but a dialogue had started. We met with increasing regularity at various functions until last year he asked me to put on a competition to select a Tai Chi team to take part in the Chung Hwa Cup in Taiwan. He supported my every proposal and fought for money for the team - incidentally he claimed nothing for himself.

As the team leader under difficult circumstances, he was a tower of strength and was well-respected by and popular with all team members. He stood up for the team over every instance of unfairness on the part of the Taiwanese. He was unfailingly helpful in giving advice or interpreting for team members. Aidan Cochrane, who went to the funeral with me, christened him "The Jiff".

He did not stand on ceremony or keep himself aloof, but was one of us. He was witty. He was mischievous, humourous and damned good company. I spoke to him often in Cantonese. We had much in common as we had both been university students and then police officers; he in Singapore, I in Hong Kong. He had known the former Singapore premier Lee Kuan-yew personally having worked under him when in the Anti-Corruption Branch.

He had in his youth trained with my teacher and with his uncle, Cheng Wing-kwong, when a member of the Chin Woo Athletic Association in Singapore.

He was President and one of the founding members of the British Chin Woo Athletic Association and shortly before his death had found permanent premises for the Association.

When Kim Han, BCCMA Wu Shu Team Coach, broke the news to me of Jifu's death, my first reaction was that it was some kind of joke as I'd talked to him on the phone the day before and had seen him at a demo given by the Shaolin monks the day before that. Sam Kwok had a similar reaction when I told him the news as he'd also been talking to Jifu on Tuesday - about devising an NVQ syllabus for Wing Chun.

I knew Jifu was taking medication because I'd seen him taking pills for his blood pressure last summer in Taiwan and at the London Festival of Chinese Martial Arts (which would not have taken place without his support) he'd told me he was having treatment for a heart condition. Perhaps that was why he did a demonstration of the rare Wu Yu-xiang style Tai Chi Chuan; perhaps he knew it would be the last time. After the Festival he said to me that he intended to join the Tai Chi Union for Great Britain as he wanted to demonstrate solidarity with me. He is now a member.

At Jifu's funeral on May 6th, Ray Smith, BCCMA Chairman, said that it would be necessary for three or four people to take over Jifu's duties; that is a measure of the importance of his contribution to Chinese martial arts in this country. Perhaps it was the onerous nature of these duties which hastened his demise. He kept up a schedule of travelling and business that a much younger man would find demanding.

He travelled with British Chinese martial arts teams to competitions all over the world and he knew and was known and respected by leading masters. He was a consummate politician and diplomat and no one man can replace him.

In Taiwan I joked with Jifu that Lao Tzu had said that robbers only exist because there are sages, therefore he said, "Exterminate the sages.", but that I hadn't yet worked out whether he was a robber or a sage. Certainly he was an enigma; he was not even born Huang Jifu, but had changed his name - including his surname years ago. To his friends and those he chose to help, he was warm, generous and understanding. Others saw him as obstructive, plausible and elitist. Perhaps he was at various times all of these things, perhaps you have to be if you are a martial arts politician.

In the end I believe that he was sincere in attempting to do what he thought was for the best to promote and develop Chinese martial arts and I am glad that I had the chance to travel along the road with him even if it was for a short time. I intend to try to continue the work he encouraged me to start.

It is a measure of the respect that people had for him that martial arts friends from Taiwan, Malaysia and Hong Kong were intending to come to his funeral until they realised that it was impossible due to the short notice.

Finally Jifu was most fortunate in having an understanding and supportive wife who truly loved him. Our sympathies go out to Mrs. Huang and to his daughter Tao Tao.