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Leung Wing-hang



Legend & Legacy



By Eric Shou-Li Yao


When trying to summarize a life posthumously, it can be hard to decipher fact from fiction memory of witnesses fade, and even first-hand written accounts can vary. The life of my granduncle Leung Wing-hang may at first sound fictional, and indeed there have been long forgotten tales written, but at the center of everything what stands steadfast and true is his unparalleled humility, compassion, determination, and innovation.



Canton



In the late-19th century, the Leung Family lived in Toisan, Canton. Although the region was largely a rural one, in the backwaters of the Pearl River Delta, the Leung's were among the "gung" class (artisan/craftsmen) the elder Leung being a well-established silversmith. Leung Wing-hang did not follow in his father's footsteps, but his father's business connections in Canton City (Guangzhou) was destined to impact the course of his life.


In the late Qing Dynasty (mid 19th - early 20th century), Canton was a region where many accomplished martial artists gathered. The most renowned of them was collectively known as the Ten Tigers of Canton, who had not only obtained great martial skill, but also possessed exemplary character qualities of integrity, honour, and anti-Qing sentiment. Among them was Wong Kei-ying, a master of Hung Kuen, who founded Po Chi Lam, a traditional Chinese medical practice and martial arts school situated in Canton City. His son, the legendary Wong Fei-hung, went on to inherit and develop Po Chi Lam until its tragic destruction in 1924.


In the early 1920's, the teenaged Leung Wing-hang made a pilgrimage to Po Chi Lam, where he was introduced to Wong Fei-hung, and supplicated to become his disciple. Unfortunately as Wong Fei-hung was in his seventies, he was no longer accepting martial arts students, preferring to focus on his practice and dissemination of acupuncture, dit-da, and herbal medicine. However, seeing that Leung was earnestly seeking to learn, he introduced Leung to one of his top disciples, Lam Sai-wing, who subsequently accepted him as his student.



Hung Kuen meets Dai Mian jeung



Leung Wing-hang trained under Lam Sai-wing for several years, acquiring in-depth knowledge of the core of the Hung Kuen system, including: Tiger Crane Fist, Five Animals Fist, Iron Thread Fist, Taming the Tiger Fist, Fifth Son Bagua Staff, and the Spring & Autumn Long-Handled Sabre.


In 1927 a visitor named Lam Wing-fung came to Lam Sai-wing's Hong Kong school in Sheung Wan, recruiting for skilled martial artists to work for the Chinese government's Opium Prohibition Bureau on the Search and Seize Task Force stationed in Hunan. Lam Sai-wing recommended his top students, Lau Cham and Leung Wing-hang. As Lau already had another job lined up, the offer went to Leung, which he eagerly accepted.


In Hunan he met the team members of his task force of bodyguards, of which Leung was the youngest and least experienced. Among the team was Master Yeung Han-git. Yeung's family had operated security companies for generations utilizing a family martial art style called Dai Mian Jeung (Big Cotton Palm). Yeung had heard of Lam Sai-wing and the Southern Tiger Crane Fist but had never observed it in action, and so asked Leung for a friendly competition. Leung accepted the challenge



leung wing-hang filmography





In the 1940s, Leung Wing-hang's reputation and martial arts pedigree attracted the attention of visionary film director Wu Pang to enlist Leung as Martial Arts Director on a new film titled "The Story of Wong Fei-hung", starring Kwan Tak-hing and Tso Tat-wah. This film marked the first time genuine martial arts was presented by true masters on the big screen, and due to its immense success sparked the Wong Fei-hung movie franchise that defined the new film genre of Hong Kong Martial Arts Cinema. Leung worked as Martial Arts Director on at least fifteen films from 1947 to 1954, and appeared as an actor in no less than three of them.


1949 Wong Fei-hung burns the tyrant's lair
1950 how the ten heroes of guangdong slew the dragon
1950 battle by lau fa bridge
1951 wong fei-hung grand conclusion
1949 Director wu pang, cast & crew, and special guests on set
1952 battle in lotus valley
1953 crossing yuanyang river by night
1954 the rescue of cloud-piercing swallow

legacy of the cat



Leung Wing-hang tapped into a fascinating concept seeing and capturing the strength of the common cat. This has persisted being an inspiration to martial artists well after his passing, and likely will continue into the future. What was the main purpose behind his book on the Snake Cat Crane Combined Fist? To inspire, to encourage different thinking, to make modification permissible in a world where "tradition" reigns paramount. Master Leung granted no one authority over the dissemination of his style. However, rather than inspire original thought, 'copycats' seized their opportunity.



1978 Jackie Chan Film: Snake in the Eagle's Shadow





The classic Jackie Chan movie where he plays the bullied 'Chien Fu' who defeats the Eagle Claw master by combining Snake style with techniques he creates observing his pet cat battling with a snake. Jackie's self-created acrobatic style is obviously unrelated to Leung Wing-hang's but the concept of combining the attributes of the snake and cat sounds a bit too coincidental, don't you think?


YouTube clip

1980 Film: She-mau-hok-won-ying-kuen, AKA Lackey and the Lady Tiger





Very similar in plotline with the Jackie Chan film, this movie also ends with the secretive and surprisingly superior "Cat" style kung fu which also appears to be more acrobatic than Leung Wing-hang's. It is obvious that the Chinese film title was "borrowed" directly from Leung's book. This could not have been endorsed by Leung as he had passed away years before the film's production.


YouTube movie

'Copycat' Publications




'Copycat' book publications from the 1980s including one from Douglas H.Y. Hsieh, and another from the mysterious Chu Wan San, are illegitimate plagiarisms capitalizing on Master Leung's innovation, and making it appear as if they were the authorities on his style. Who were these 'copycats' really? And where are they now?

more

Leung Cat Style Kung Fu Schools





Did Leung Wing-hang or his students establish kung fu schools to carry on the "Leung" name? No. Master Leung only had a select few disciples, none moved outside of East Asia, and the "Leung" name was never passed down to them. Many people have learned Master Leung's Snake-Cat-Crane form solely from his book, and many others find inspiration through Jackie Chan movies. There's no shame in admiring chop-socky action, but do fantasy origin stories of these school using the Leung name truly honor him?



TCM Traditional Chinese medicine



choosing the healing arts over the martial arts





Training causes injury. This fact is why the Chinese Martial Arts and Traditional Chinese Medical Arts have historically developed in parallel. Just as the real Wong Fei-hung was more renowned to the public for his healing skills than his fighting ones, the true legacy of Leung Wing-hang surrounds his contribution to the organization, development, and dissemination of TCM.




Following the end of WWII the Chinese medical colleges in Hong Kong were aware of the decades of knowledge and experience in treating wounds, invited Leung to teach




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