People
Fighting to keep choy li fut martial arts alive
Grandmaster credits it for saving his life when he was young, wants to share its skills and values
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Felicia Choo
Duels in martial arts competitions are sometimes regarded more as a sport, but fighting used to be a matter of life and death in 1950s Singapore when secret societies ran amok, recalled choy li fut grandmaster Chia Yan Soon.
Then a teenager, Mr Chia had picked up martial arts skills out of interest and a practical need to fend off gangs from the fishmonger business he ran with his older brother.
