People have been curious why we use the name Beng Hong and not Beng Kiam, especially if we are the same lineage. The answer is simple, with a little background understanding.
Tan Kiong Beng (陈京铭) was a disciple of Ngo Cho Kun founder Chua Giok Beng (蔡玉明). Chua gave Tan permission to open his own school. Tan relocated to the Philippines to spread the art there, then retired back to China and sent over his son, Tan Ka Hong, to officiate and carry on the tradition. They opened the Philippine-Chinese Beng Kiam Athletic Club (菲律宾中华鸣谦国术馆).
One of Tan Ka Hong’s outstanding disciples was Alfonzo Ang Hua Kun (洪樺群) (whom I wrote about a few days ago). Hua Kun is the only person Tan Sifu gave permission to open his own club – called Tsing Hua Ngo Cho Kung-Fu Center (清華五祖拳館).
Alex Co was another of Tan Ka Hong’s outstanding disciples. And he nearly single-handedly kept the teaching and promotions at Beng Kiam alive for decades. Alex Co had an outstanding disciple named Mark Wiley, who also studied with Sifu Benito Tan and Hua Kun). In 1998 Co Sifu gave Wiley permission to open a Ngo Cho club in America to spread the teachings of Beng Kiam. Co and Tan named the club Beng Hong (in honor of Chua Giok BENG and Tan Ka HONG). In 1998 Co came to the USA to launch the club with Wiley and presented him an official banner of recognition from Beng Kiam to the newly formed American Beng Hong Martial Arts Society (美國鳴鴻國術社).
Later, in the last year or so of Alex Co’s life, Beng Kiam closed it doors. In 2015 Beng Hong changed from the American Beng Hong Athletic Association to the International Beng Hong Martial Arts Society (國際鳴鴻国术社) – making it the worldwide umbrella organization for past members who trained at Beng Kiam and present and future practitioners of the Beng Kiam line of Ngo Cho Kun.
Simply: Beng Hong is the recognized international association of practitioners of the Beng Kiam line of Ngo Cho, for who choose to participate. Some do not, and that is ok. They are still former members of the Beng Kiam club. Some past Beng Kiam members opened their own clubs… but without the customary permission and name assignment as Hua Kun and Mark Wiley received. Their efforts are none of our concern.
Bottom line: Beng Kiam is the line of Tan Kiong Beng and Beng Hong is the association of members and branches (like the Burinkan) who are dedicated to promoting the Beng Kiam line. There are others promoting Beng Kiam, and that is good. More info at https://www.ngochokun.com
