Dana Wong

Dana Wong was born in the USA and was Boston University educated. Wong was the son of a Boston retauranteur and due to racial tensions in a predominantly Anglo-Saxon neighbourhood, he began informal training with a small group of Wing Chun practitioners during his teens. After the disbanding of the informal training group, Wong explored other matial arts such as 'White Eyebrow', various karate codes and Filipino stick fighting while studying and later pursuing a career in graphic design.

Career commitments took Wong further from martial arts until he was in his late 20's, when he wrote a letter to William Cheung who subsequently agreed to take him as a student during his yearly visits to Boston. A number of years later, in 1988, Wong travelled to Melbourne, Australia in order to further his studies in what Cheung calls 'Traditional Wing Chun Kung Fu' (TWC).

After assisting Cheung and senior students with classes, Wong eventually obtained level 10 (TWC's official intructor level) and earned the title and gold sash of "Sifu" (teacher). Wong became Chief Instructor for the World Wing Chun Kung Fu Association, while Cheung continued his regular world travels to facilitate international TWC skills seminars. Wong was a very popular instructor, with a user friendly approach to teaching, who trained a number of accomplished Wing Chun practitioners. He was also responsible for "rounding off" the training of many international students/instructors who travelled to Melbourne in order complete their Level 10 studies. As TWC's head instructor, Wong continued to cross train with practitioners from other systems.

In the early 2000s, Cheung graded Wong, along with a number of other TWC instructors, for the final levels in his system of Wing Chun. At level 15, Wong was now officially considered a Master and entitled to wear the red sash of that rank.

Personal and professional differences with Cheung caused Wong to break from the World Wing Chun Kung Fu Association in 2003. Wong opened his own school, the Qian Li Dao Academy, where he was free to fully apply his own philosophies and policies to kung fu classes. Although his training is still predominantly Wing Chun Based, Wong has a philosophy of free knowledge exchange and incorporates other styles and techniques into classes as well as co-conducting seminars with instructors from other systems.

Wong's dedication to Kung Fu practice has been recognised in Australia and abroad. For example, he was the 1997,Blitz magazineInstructor of the Year, he has been named "Kung Fu Coach" by Shaolin Chan Wu Association of Australia and holds membership to the International Martial Arts Alliance, the Australian Kung Fu (Wushu) Federation Inc, the Australasian Filipino Combat Arts Federation and is Victorian State Chairman of the Australian Kung Fu (Wushu) Federation Inc.

Articles by Sifu Dana Wong can be found in the following publications: Blitz magazine:Dec 1997, Blitz Hall of Fame Awards,pp 10–15; Dec 2003,Two Men and a Blade,pp 40–44; Instructor's Fighting Techniques 2003, pg 53; July 2004, The Changing of the Guard, pp 40–44; Jan 2005, Mapping Your Martial Art, pp 34–38; Nov 2006, Coordinated Basics, pg 27; June 2007, Technique vs Principle, pp 40–44; Oct 2007, Boxing vs Wing Chun,pp 74–78.

Australasian Martial Arts Magazine: Oct/Nov 2000, Sifu Dana Wong: Finding the Flow,pp 87–89.

Insights into Martial Arts Magazine:Nov/Dec 2000,Traditional Wing Chun Dragon Pole,pp 12–15

Bujitsu International Magazine: Feb/Mar 2007-The Origins of Wing Chun Kung Fu, pp 25–27.