Tek's Martial Arts Buddies
Master Moy Lin Shin, Founder of Taoist Tai Chi Society and Fung Loy Kok Taoist Temple
In the summer of 1972, at the back yard of the Chinese Benevolent Association at the back of Toronto City Hall, Mr. Moy was teaching tai chi to 2 Chinese young men under a shady tree. Moy’s good posture and graceful movements caught Tek’s attention. Tek then spoke to them friendly and did some push hand and had fun with them. Later on Tek and a few of Mr. Moy’s students helped to organize and found the Toronto Tai Chi Association, the predecessor of Taoist Tai Chi Society.
Master Moy was a legend: he did not speak a word of English yet managed to build a “Tai Chi Empire” with thousands of disciples and students throughout Northern America, Europe and Australia. He was also very generous and kind. Under his directions, Taoist Tai Chi Society donated thousands of dollars to various charitable organizations over the years without claiming any merits and credits from them at all.
Master Tek maintained the connection with Master Moy on and off throughout all those years until Master Moy passed away in 1998.
Sifu John Li, Founder of Canadian Taijiquan Federation
Sifu John Li was 6ft 2in tall and weighed 220 lbs. He was a disciple of Mr. Cheng Wing Kwong, a famous teacher in Wu Style Tai Chi in Hong Kong. John Li was an open minded and practical teacher who did not follow the Tai Chi tradition. He taught push hand but no forms at all to his students although his tai chi form practice was excellent and exquisite.
Tek first met John Li in 1987 during a meeting he called upon on various tai chi teachers in the Toronto area to discuss the founding of Canadian Taijiquan Federation.
Tek and John had developed close friendship since then and had many in-depth discussions on martial arts and self-defense.
Once, John asked Tek: “I have 280 ways to deal with a punch. When someone throws me a punch, I scan it very quickly in my mind throughout my 280-way data base and then choose the most efficient way in the shortest possible time to deal with that punch. Tek, how many ways do you have to deal with a punch?”
Tek paused a little, and said: “Oh, I have only one way.”
John was so surprised that Master Tek had so “limited skills” (only one way) to deal with a punch!?
He requested humbly: “Oh, how then, please tell us your ‘one’ way.”
Tek said: “Well, it is the ‘Best’ way at that moment!”
John Li, Loong Wong and Tek Siaw were the 3 Founding Fathers of the Canadian Taijiquan Federation registered in 1991.
Master Lee Chi Wai, Founder of Chung Wah Kung Fu International System
In 1988, among the many martial art teachers called upon by Sifu John Li before the founding of the Canadian Taijiquan Federation, there was Master Lee Chi Wai: a slim, middle built but solid man with a unique voice sounded like a “honking male goose”. He claimed that he was a certified “official” 31st Generation Shaolin Temple Warrior Monk Disciple, but not a monk himself.
Master Lee had expertise in many Kung Fu forms. One of his rare weapon form was the “9-Segment Steel Chain (Whip)”. He could lie flat on the floor, face up and swung the steel chain underneath and over his back for more than 21 times. He was open-minded, humorous, and no “bullshit” in self-defense. Once he saw Tek performed parts of the Lok Hup (Liu He Ba Fa) Form. He wrote a poem to comment on it:
“No hesitation to push the moonlight out of the window;
Watch flowers on galloping horse yet leave behind no shadow;
Who could witness the support of Heaven with his firm ground:
Ai ya, he is Tek Siaw, the Liu He Ba Fa Semi-immortal!”

Sensei David Mott, Founder of Cold Mountain Dojo, 8th Dan Black Belt, Ueichi Ryu Okinawa Karate
Sensei David Mott was over 6ft tall, bald-headed, slimmed built, with broad chest and tough muscles. He was kind, generous and open-minded. He offered his Cold Mountain Dojo to Tek in 1987 while Tek was looking for a place to teach. There was also another Eskrima Kali teacher named Nonoy Galiano using David’s dojo at that time. Together with David, they were known as “The Cold Mountain Trio” in the Toronto’s martial art arena.
Besides karate, David was also a prominent baritone saxophone artist. He was the Dean of Faculty of Music in York University for a long time. Once he witnessed Tek’s practice of the Lok Hup (Liu He Ba Fa) Form. He told Tek afterward that he could hear the sound of music throughout the soundless movements of Tek’s form. He suggested that one day he and Tek would have a show together by Tek performing the Lok Hup form and he improvising the description of Tek’s inner mind (Qi) during the form with the “rhythm” of his saxophone playing. But this “dream” of David had not come true yet so far: Tek left Cold Mountain Dojo and Toronto in 1995 but he left behind his precious stone-rubbed portrait of the “Two Saints of Cold Mountain” on the wall of David’s Cold Mountain Dojo.
Sensei David Mott was over 6ft tall, bald-headed, slimmed built, with broad chest and tough muscles. He was kind, generous and open-minded. He offered his Cold Mountain Dojo to Tek in 1987 while Tek was looking for a place to teach. There was also another Eskrima Kali teacher named Nonoy Galiano using David’s dojo at that time. Together with David, they were known as “The Cold Mountain Trio” in the Toronto’s martial art arena.
Besides karate, David was also a prominent baritone saxophone artist. He was the Dean of Faculty of Music in York University for a long time. Once he witnessed Tek’s practice of the Lok Hup (Liu He Ba Fa) Form. He told Tek afterward that he could hear the sound of music throughout the soundless movements of Tek’s form. He suggested that one day he and Tek would have a show together by Tek performing the Lok Hup form and he improvising the description of Tek’s inner mind (Qi) during the form with the “rhythm” of his saxophone playing. But this “dream” of David had not come true yet so far: Tek left Cold Mountain Dojo and Toronto in 1995 but he left behind his precious stone-rubbed portrait of the “Two Saints of Cold Mountain” on the wall of David’s Cold Mountain Dojo.