21 December 2009

The four senior disciples of Wing Chun master Ip Man get together and grieve for him

Sam Lau in the last night pomp at Lung Mun Restaurant	Sam Lau at a great banquet with choice lotus seed bun "Lung Mun lian rong bao"
Four splendid disciples of Lung Mun Chen Nuan Lin, Yang Rong, Li Wei Zhi, Sam Lau	"ba zhan dao" at right; "lian rong bao"at left
Sam Lau with Si Fu "Wong Man Hong" and Lui San	Si Fu "Wong Man Hong", Lui San and Si Fu "Chen Nuan Lin"
Wan Kong, Prince of the Cantonese Opera	Wan Kong, Prince of the Cantonese Opera
The last fabulous banquet, pomp at Lung Mun Restaurant	Photo memento

"Enter the Dragon Gate(Lung Moon)and be someone special. Enjoy the tasty dishes served with heart and soul." The Lung Moon Restaurant, located in the busy Wan Chai district, had been open for 60 years. As the couplet suggests, besides delicious food, the most admirable element of the restaurant was its strong sense of neighborliness. Alas, as the Chinese saying goes, no banquet lasts forever. The restaurant opened for the last time on 30 November 2009 before its closure. That night, the restaurant hosted a banquet to say goodbye to old and new friends. Buoyed up by all the singing and dancing, guests drank, toast after toast to each other. Though still with laugh and smile on their faces, the guests were unwilling to bid farewell to the restaurant. Regular patrons took pictures as souvenir. The four senior disciples of Wing Chun master Ip Man (Chan Luen Lam, Yeung Wing, Lee Wai Chi and Sam Lau) also came to memorize the moments when their late master joked about fighting back enemies with lotus seed paste buns.

Ip Man, a kung fu master of the Wing Chun, was also a regular client in Lung Moon. On the last night of the restaurant, his first generation disciples had a gathering in the restaurant to memorize the traces of life with the master. One of the disciples, Sam Lau, recalled joyfully the times when the master would order lotus seed paste buns once he got there. He remembered the kung fu master's saying that as the dim sums served by Lung Moon were fresh from the kitchen; people could defend themselves by not just using chopsticks, but also by throwing the hot and freshlotus seed paste bunsto pull away enemies.

Lung Moon Restaurant opened in 1949, formerly known as "Dragon and Phoenix Restaurants". It operated 60 years. Today, it formally finished its business and exited from Wan Chai Johnston Road. In appreciation for the supports of regular customers these years, a two-day feast was held by the restaurant. Last night was the final banquet, 40 banquets were full with guests. Some other fans even crowded outside the main door. There were also special arrangements for regular customers last night. Wan Kong, Lui Shan and other old singers performed the entertainments. Several famous actors from Chinese Artist Association of Hong Kong also had an impromptu. Lung Moon Restaurantwas bustling with noise, excitement and sentimental.

Reported from: Wen Wei Po journalist - Cheng Kai Yuen, Hak Kwan Yi